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Royal Wills in Britain from 1509 to 2008

  • Book
  • © 2017

Overview

Authors:
  1. Michael L. Nash

    1. University of East Anglia , Norwich, United Kingdom

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  • Aims to fill a gap in the current historiography of royal wills

  • Uncovers the dilemmas within wills against a backdrop of imperial and political strife

  • Draws upon multiple sources such as the Royal Archives

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
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  2. The Strange and Secret History of Royal Wills

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 1-8

  3. Against Ancient Law and Custom: The Wills of Henry VII, Lady Margaret Beaufort, and James IV of Scots

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 9-22

  4. Tampering with the Succession

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 23-47

  5. Tampering with the Succession Part II: The Wills of George I

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 49-60

  6. The Jewels of the Kingdom

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 61-85

  7. Fortune and Fiasco: The Wills of Royal Women

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 87-111

  8. Bogus Beneficiaries

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 113-126

  9. Coburg, Windsor and Spencer

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 127-140

  10. “The Perfect Storm”, The Will of Prince Frank of Teck

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 141-176

  11. A Matter of Public Interest: Should Royal Wills Be in the Public Domain?

    • Michael L. Nash
    Pages 177-188

  12. Back Matter

    Pages 189-217
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Keywords

About this book

This is the first book on Royal Wills since 1780 and aims to take over where the previous ones (in 1775 and 1780) left off. Therefore the period 1509 to 2008 is covered. It aims to uncover the many dilemmas and conundrums they have had to deal with, against a backdrop of Imperial splendor and political strife, society scandals and in later instances, a disintegrating infrastructure. This period covers the wills of Henry VIII, Edward VI and George I, which all sought to divert the accepted rules of succession; the wills of Queen Charlotte and George III, which brought into sharp focus the differences between State and Personal property; and the wills from Prince Albert to the present day (with a few exceptions) which sought to exclude the public from seeing their contents, in devices known as ‘closing’ and ‘sealing up’ the wills. The authority by which the latter was done has been seriously questioned in signal cases in 2007 and 2008. Sources drawn upon include not only the Royal Archives, but the Kilmorey Papers in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, and the Teck Letters in Wellington College, where Prince Frank received much of his early education. The sealed will of Prince Frank of Teck, the brother of Queen Mary and great-uncle of the present Queen, is the seminal chapter in this study.

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of East Anglia , Norwich, United Kingdom

    Michael L. Nash

About the author

Michael L. Nash is a well-known legal and royal historian, consultant and broadcaster who teaches at the University of East Anglia, UK. He is a Judge of the Diocesan Tribunal of East Anglia and royal historian of BBC Radio Norfolk. He has contributed over 200 articles to legal and historical publications and this book is the result of a thirty year gestation.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Royal Wills in Britain from 1509 to 2008

  • Authors: Michael L. Nash

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-60145-2

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-60144-5Published: 20 February 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-95882-5Published: 11 December 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-60145-2Published: 09 February 2017

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XII, 217

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: History of Britain and Ireland, Political History, History of Early Modern Europe, Legal History, History of Modern Europe

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