Should Have Succeeded Trivia Quiz

Answer: William Ætheling

William Ætheling, also known as William Adelin, was born in 1103, the second child and only son of Henry I and his wife, Matilda of Scotland. Born in Winchester, the boy was given the names William, in honour of his grandfather, William the Conquerer, and Ætheling, which was a word traditionally used in the Anglo-Saxon royal house to denote the designated heir to the throne. As the king's only legitimate son, William carried Henry's hopes for the future of his dynasty and, as such, received significant honour and responsibility when he came of age - he was betrothed to Matilda, the daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou, in Henry's efforts to secure the assistance of Anjou in Henry's fractious relations with France, and represented the king in receiving the fealty of Henry's own subjects in Normandy in 1115 and England in 1116, while in 1119 William was named as Duke of Normandy in his father's stead, and was sent to France to pay the traditional homage to the French king, Louis VI.

In November 1120, William was accompanying his father home to England following the conclusion of Henry's business securing his son's rights in Normandy from Louis VI. On 25 November, Henry sailed from Barfleur, while William and his entourage, which included many of the flower of Anglo-Norman nobility, remained, intending to sail later in a faster ship. The White Ship sailed late into the evening but, barely a mile from shore, the ship hit a rock, tearing the hull open and causing the ship to sink. Although his guards were able to get William into the ship's only boat, he insisted on returning to the sinking vessel to try and save his half-sister. The boat was overwhelmed by passengers, and William was drowned. William's death led to a succession crisis resulting in the period of civil war known as The Anarchy following Henry I's death in 1135.

Answer: Henry the Young King

Henry was the second and eldest surviving son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of four sons to survive to adulthood. Having so many sons saw difficulty for Henry II in keeping them all happy, and so he set about dividing his large empire among them. As part of this, Henry II followed the French fashion and had his son Henry crowned as joint king of England in 1170, leading to him being referred to as "the young king". However, despite his being granted significant title and honours, young Henry had little appetite for the business of governing, being described as having "no evidence of political sagacity, military skill, or even ordinary intelligence", instead having a flair for popularity, particularly due to his skill and passion for the tournament.

Despite this, young Henry still sought real power from his father and, in conjunction with his younger brothers, rose up in rebellion against his father in 1173, which Henry II was able to survive. After the failure, young Henry reconciled with his father, even going as far as representing Henry II at the coronation of Philip Augustus as associate king of France in 1179, acting as Steward and carrying the crown in the coronation procession. However, young Henry again fell out with his father and rose again in rebellion. In 1183, while campaigning in Limousin, he contracted dysentery, eventually dying on 11 June. Despite their fractious relationship, upon hearing of his son's death, Henry II is believed to have said "He cost me much, but I wish he had lived to cost me more."

Answer: Edward the Black Prince

Edward the Black Prince was the eldest son of Edward III and his wife, Philippa of Hainault. born in 1330, three years after his father came to the throne, the young prince was created Earl of Chester in 1333, before then being made Duke of Cornwall in 1337. Despite his minority, the king appointed Edward as Guardian of the Kingdom in 1338, when Edward III left England to campaign in Flanders. Edward was subsequently appointed to the position again in 1340 and 1342. However, the appointment was in name only, with government undertaken by the king's council. Made Prince of Wales in 1343, Edward accompanied his father to Flanders in 1345, during which he began to serve as a soldier alongside the king, providing troops from his own territories to serve in the king's army during his campaigns against the French.

From his late teenage years, Edward became one of the king's right-hand men in his wars against France, serving with distinction at the Battle of Crecy and the Siege of Calais in 1346-47, and the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. In 1361, Edward was married to his cousin Joan of Kent; due to the closeness of their familial relationship - Joan was the daughter of Edmund, Earl of Kent, one of the younger half-brothers of Edward's grandfather, Edward II - they had to obtain a dispensation from the Pope for their marriage. The couple had two sons, Edward in 1365 and Richard in 1367, although Edward died aged 5 in 1370. At this time, Edward began to be afflicted by chronic illness, probably picked up during his campaigning in Spain in 1367, and eventually led to his death in September 1376, nine months before the death of his father.

Answer: Edward of Westminster

Edward of Westminster was born in October 1453, the only child of Henry VI and his wife, Margaret of Anjou. At the time of his birth, Edward was regarded as the hope for the continuation of the Lancastrian dynasty; the king had been married for eight years before the birth of his son, and suffered from mental illness, which meant that there was no guarantee that he would be able to father a successor. Edward was invested as Prince of Wales the year after his birth. However, at the time the country was in strife, with two major factions developing to seek the throne - those favouring the king, and those in support of his cousin, the Duke of York. Civil war began in 1460 when the king was captured by the Yorkist faction; although Henry was freed and York killed in battle, Edward and his mother and father were forced to flee to France when the throne was seized by York's son, who declared himself Edward IV.

By 1470, Edward and his mother were ready to return to England to battle for the crown, and Edward IV was deposed, allowing the restoration of Henry VI. But, their senior commander, the Earl of Warwick, was killed at the Battle of Barnet by Edward IV's forces, which left the young Edward in command of the Lancastrian army. Although he fought with bravery, he was no match for his battle-hardened opponent, and was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471.

Answer: Arthur, Prince of Wales

Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, was born in 1486, the first child of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Born in Winchester, Arthur was seen as the great hope of the newly established Tudor dynasty, which came from his father's gaining of the throne the previous year. The young prince was named Arthur by his father to try and link his new son to the legend of King Arthur, as his birthplace was regarded as the location of the legendary castle of Camelot. Arthur was made both Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1489. Following his investiture in 1490, Arthur had his own household established, where he began his education. It was around the same time that his father began to appoint him to various positions of authority, most notably as Keeper of England and King's Lieutenant during Henry VII's expedition to France in 1492.

Henry planned for his son to undertake a significant dynastic marriage, with Catherine, the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile chosen. A marriage by proxy was performed in 1499, while the pair met for the first time in November 1501; five days after their meeting, the actual wedding ceremony took place at St Paul's Cathedral in London. Following the wedding, the new couple departed for the Welsh Marches, where they would establish their household at Ludlow Castle. However, the pair both became ill in March 1502; while Catherine recovered, Arthur died, six months short of his sixteenth birthday. With Arthur's death, his place as his father's heir passed to the king's second son, Henry.

Answer: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales

Henry Frederick was born in 1594, the eldest child of the then King James VI of Scotland and his wife, Queen Anne of Denmark. Born at Stirling Castle, the young prince remained there on the orders of his father under the care of the Earl of Mar, as the king worried that the boy's mother favoured Catholicism, even going so far as to instruct that Henry not be turned over to the queen or Scotland's parliament in the event of his death until he was 18. When the king also became King of England in 1603, James and his family moved south to London, where Henry became a significant figure in the cultural life of the city, becoming proficient in a number of different sports and games, while also learning much from his father about the issues of state.

Henry was invested as Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1610, which increased the young prince's participation in further leadership roles, particularly regarding Ireland. However, in 1612, at the age of eighteen, Henry contracted typhoid during the celebrations in the lead up to the wedding of his sister Elizabeth. Henry died in November 1612, which led to a significant period of mourning throughout the nation, as Henry had garnered significant popularity among the people. Upon his death, Henry's titles and position went to his younger brother, Charles.

Answer: William, Duke of Gloucester

Prince William was born in 1689, the son of Princess Anne and her husband, Prince George of Denmark. William was the result of his mother's seventh pregnancy, and was one of only two to survive for any length of time. The young prince secured the Protestant succession to the throne, as his mother was first in line; her sister Mary II at the time reigned jointly alongside her husband, William III. Although he survived birth, young William proved to be a sickly baby, becoming ill with convulsions at the age of three weeks, and suffered from hydrocephalus. Although he was able to walk, he was unsteady and prone to falls, and he was late in developing language skills.

William had his own household established by his uncle, King William III, in 1698, and began to be appointed to various positions, such as the honorary commander of one of the king's Dutch regiments of guards. He also sat in the House of Lords during a pair of murder trials in 1699. In 1700, at his eleventh birthday party, William became ill, suffering chills, followed by a severe headache and fever. His personal doctor diagnosed scarlet fever, while others suggested that he was suffering from smallpox. He suffered deterioration over the next few days, and died on 30 July, six days after his eleventh birthday. William's death caused a succession crisis, as his mother was the only Protestant in line for the throne. This led to the the passing of the Act of Succession in 1701.

Answer: Frederick, Prince of Wales

Prince Frederick was born in 1707 as Duke Friedrich Ludwig in Hanover, the eldest child of Georg August, the heir to the throne of Hanover, and his wife Caroline of Ansbach. At the age of seven, Friedrich's grandfather, Georg Ludwig, succeeded to the British throne, which led to the young duke's parents accompanying the new king to take possession of his realm. Their new status saw the Royal Family anglicise their names, with Friedrich becoming Frederick. However, it wasn't until 1728, the year after Frederick's father became king, that Frederick finally went to England. Frederick was created Prince of Wales in 1729, and immediately began to cultivate the opinion of people in opposition to those around his father. Frederick became a patron of the arts, championing a number of different painters and able to play both the violin and the cello, as well as becoming a great fan of cricket.

Frederick made a point of opposing his parents in almost everything, to the point that in 1737, following his marriage to Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the circumstances of the birth of the couple's first child, Princess Augusta, saw them banished from Court, leading to their setting up their household at Leicester House in London, where a rival "Court" became established. Although relations with the king thawed, they were not completely reconciled by the time, in 1751, that Frederick died, most likely from a pulmonary embolism. Following Frederick's death, his eldest son, Prince George, became both Prince of Wales and heir to the throne.

Answer: Princess Charlotte of Wales

Princess Charlotte was born in 1796 as the only child of George, Prince of Wales (later George IV) and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick. Charlotte was the product of a brief and loveless marriage, as her parents separated a few weeks after their wedding. Despite the poor relationship that her parents had with each other, often using Charlotte as a pawn in their squabbles, the young princess had a reasonably happy childhood, growing from an "exuberant tomboy" into a more mature princess, who had a passion for music, and a great fondness for her grandfather, King George III. By 1813, Charlotte's father had begun to consider plans for her marriage, and decided that William, son of the Dutch Prince William IV of Orange, was the most suitable match. However, as she grew older, with the support of her mother, Charlotte made the decision that she would not marry the Dutch prince, and instead focused her intentions on the relatively impoverished Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg Saalfeld. In 1816, the Prince of Wales gave his approval to the match, with the couple marrying in May the same year.

Charlotte and her new husband were well matched and enjoyed happiness, although during the summer of 1816 she suffered a miscarriage. However, in April 1817 it was announced that the princess was pregnant again. Having eaten heavily and gotten little exercise, the princess was put on a strict diet in the later months of her pregnancy. This led to her weakening; despite this, the head of her team of doctors, Sir Richard Croft, would not let her eat, even up to the day that her labour began, 3 November. After two days, she gave birth to a stillborn son and, a few hours later, having suffered abdominal pains and postpartum bleeding, she died. Princess Charlotte's death led to a rapid scramble among her paternal uncles to marry and father legitimate children in order to continue the succession.

Answer: Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale

Prince Albert Victor was born in January 1864, the eldest son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra. Born two months prematurely, as he grew he displayed indications of some intellectual disability, as he was a particularly slow learner. By 1877, he had progressed sufficiently to be accepted into the Royal Navy's officer training unit, HMS Britannia, alongside his younger brother George. Albert (known to his family as "Eddy") remained in the navy until 1883, when he left and went to Cambridge University, although he did not take a degree, instead joining the 10th Hussars regiment as an officer. By 1889, Albert was, in addition to his military duties, also undertaking public engagements on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Victoria. However, that year, he was embroiled in the Cleveland Street scandal, when his name was associated with a male brothel. The prince's departure on an already scheduled tour of India enabled him to escape the gossip.

Queen Victoria began looking for potential brides for her grandson in 1889, with a number of suitable German princesses considered. However, Albert was instead intent on marrying Princess Hélène of Orléans, daughter of the Count of Paris. Although Princess Hélène was a Catholic, she offered to convert to Anglicanism, while Albert also indicated a willingness to give up his right to the succession. Even with the support of Queen Victoria, Princess Hélène's father refused his permission. Instead, in December 1891, Albert proposed to Princess Mary of Teck, with the wedding set for February 1892. However, during the 1891-92 flu pandemic, Albert became ill with the virus, and, after contracting pneumonia, died on 14 January 1892. The following year, after the mourning period, Albert's brother George, who would later become George V, married Princess Mary.