Born on July 19th 1689, Henry's birth came at a time of extreme change for the monarchy. Only seven months before his birth in December 1688 his grandfather, James II, had been forced to abdicate after his aunt and uncle, the newly created Mary II and William III, had invaded England. His mother, Princess Anne, had supported her sister and brother in law over her father. Therefore, the royal family itself was effectively divided.
Coronation Of William III And Mary II
The reason for this division came only a year before Henry’s birth, when his step grandmother, Queen Mary of Modena, gave birth to the longed fored Prince. The only problem was that the King and Queen were Catholics, and the English were strongly opposed to a Catholic succeeding to the throne. Consequently, James II’s elder daughter Mary and her husband William invaded England and were crowned in April 1689. Princess Anne was now heiress to the throne, as her sister the Queen was childless. Prince Henry therefore stood as 2nd in line to the throne. The birth itself of Prince Henry’s was seen as a miracle, as the Princess Anne's first four children had either died at birth or soon afterwards. Therefore, Henry was seen as the future of the Stuart dynasty.
Prince Henry was said by his attendant to have an over-sized head, and his testimony of the Prince makes rather pathetic reading. Some contemporaries claimed that he had water on the brain, which was later confirmed by historians to be mild hudrocephalus. Considered by many to be both mentally and physically unable to rule, careful examination of certain sources have proved that he was a bright and interesting boy who would have been a capable monarch. Therefore, by the age of eleven in 1700, Henry was already an individual in his own right.
Death Of Mary II
The death of Queen Mary II in December 1694, of Smallpox, meant that Princess Anne was now the first lady in the Kingdom. As heiress, she was invited to court with her husband, Prince George of Denmark, and Anne’s son accompanied her wherever she went. Charles II once said of Henry’s father, Prince George, that ‘I have tried him drunk and I have tried him sober, and there is nothing in him either way.’ It would be Henry’s mother that the Prince was to become closest to, although there are mentions that Henry’s relationship with his father was also amicable, as Prince George often played games with his child. Anne’s repeated miscarriages and stillbirths though, meant that Henry became everything to both of his parents.
Death Of Henry Stuart
On his eleventh birthday on July 19th 1700 Prince Henry was thrown a grand ball by his parents. The young prince danced all night and despite his parent’s insistence, he continued to enjoy the festivities late into the night. The prince, however, became over-heated and soon caught a chill, which developed in pneumnia. Within days the young prince’s life hung in the balance, until he died on 30th July 1700. His death came as a shock to his parents as this was not only the death of Anne’s sole surviving child, but the end of the dynasty.
After William III died in April 1702, less than two years later, his mother became Queen of England. What the English feared was the succession of her Catholic half-brother James, now heir apparent, following the death of their father in September 1701. It was soon decided that the Queen’s distant cousin, Sophia, Electress of Hanover, should be named heir apparent. The choice fell not on her near proximity to the throne, but on one factor alone, that she was the closest Protestant member of the royal family. Sophia was also German, and died only seven weeks before Queen Anne, in June 1714. The succession therefore passed to her son, George I.
Henry’s death therefore diverted the succession to distant German relatives, who spoke little or no English. Had Henry lived the Stuart dynasty would have continued and the course of English history may have taken a completely different course.
Sources:
Hilliam, David., Kings, Queens, Bones and Bastards, Sutton Publishing, 1998.
Hilliam, David., Monarch's, Murders & Mistresses: A Book of Royal Days, Sutton Publishing, 2000.
Williamson, David., Kings & Queens of Great Britain, The Promotional Reprint Company Ltd, 1991.
