Kings & Queens

These full figure depictions of Kings and Queens through English and British history are also showcased and available for purchase on a number of products through the MacKayCartoons Boutique on Redbubble.com:

 

Updated design now includes King Charles III through URL to Redbubble and TeePublic 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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You may be familiar with my depictions of each King and Queen through English and British history. Whether it’s simply the bizarre pomp, weird clothes, or the complex social impact they had on civilizations for centuries, they represent an intriguing chronology of human history and culture.

The ermine, the crowns, the jewels, sceptres, orbs, funny hats and regalia – how can anyone not appreciate all that wonderful, ostentatious bling. It’s as fantastic to draw as it is to gaze upon. There’s a reason why the crown jewels at the Tower of London can only be viewed from a conveyor belt moving humans along because of the non-stop line of people who want to look at them.

While monarchy as a form of government can be applied to many parts of the world through history, and still does today in various forms, it is the constitutional structure in Canada that is of particular interest to me for obvious reasons being a Canadian. The British monarch applies to this country as the rock solid foundation of power and authority abiding by limits prescribed within an established legal framework. It affirms order in times of peace, with good government, to paraphrase the expression that goes as a pretty good slogan among the realm states of the mother country. They have for a thousand years acted on desires to expand their influence and have fended off external challenges by those seeking to expand their own powers. They have had to contend with many rebellions from within and have adapted accordingly, surrendering human control along the way and all the flaws that come with human nature, to codifying a structure of order, justice, rights, and freedoms.

But it’s the human faces of the institution that has stirred countless passions among humanity over the centuries from cultish followings of loyalty and devotion, to utter contempt and hatred. It is the longest soap opera of the English speaking world, with big bold leading figures coming and going through the ages providing volumes of dramatic storylines. From the battles: the victories and the losses; the struggles with the church; the politics; the culture, the literature, the art, the architecture, the music and theatre, there is much we owe a debt of gratitude to the royal figures who led Great Britain as these blossomed.

Before the death of Elizabeth II, these illustrations were made of Prince Charles, Prince Charles & Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Diana, and Prince Albert, Consort to Queen Victoria (an alternative design). There’s also a few figures of interest before the Norman conquest: King Alfred the Great, King Æthelred the Unready, and while not royal, these characters had close connections to the British Royal Courts: Horatio Nelson, Benjamin Disraeli, Winston Churchill, Harold Wilson, and Margaret Thatcher… and Mr. Bean.

While William Shakespeare isn’t exactly British royalty he sure saw the soap opera nature about them. Writing plays about Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV,  Henry V, Henry VI, and even the biggest Henry of them all, Henry VIII.  Incidentally, he also wrote about Roman Emperors, and there’s a design I offer of Julius Caesar.  There’s a design for Charles Dickens, and Charles Darwin, and while he’s not British, Karl Marx is buried in Highgate Cemetery in London. There’s also a design of the former leader of the Smiths.

Speaking of Henry, how about just King Henry socks. All the Henrys on one sock – ask yourself, has there ever been such a thing? Is there anywhere else on the planet one can find such a product?  Ideal for the British history buff, or for the Henrys in your life, these socks cover Henry I (1100-1135), Henry II (1154-1189), Henry III (1216-1272), Henry IV (1399-1413), Henry V (1413-1422), Henry VI (1422-1453), Henry VII (1495-1509), and Henry VIII (1509-1547.)

The Six Wives of Henry VIII made this British monarch one of the most intriguing historical characters of all time. During Henry VIII’s reign the Renaissance was beginning to unfold, the Protestant Reformation was gearing up, and one man’s chaotic love life and quest for a male heir was turning events upside down and causing turmoil that would endure for years after his death in 1547.  These women are well documented and chronicled for all the drama of romance, betrayal, and tragedy against the backdrop of a tyrannical royal setting. For the student of British history this design is a fun reminder of a time that arguably a favoured set of chapters from the textbook.

 

Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, the boy-king Edward VI and, briefly, bloody Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, bringing about the Church of England. Dude wore colourful robes and funny hats. Unfortunate for him was his belief in the supremacy of Kings and Queens, which didn’t go over well with Queen Mary, a rebel Catholic child of Henry VIII. Under her reign he was dragged to a public square and burned alive. Before Cranmer, another one of Henry’s robed buddies and Alter Rex was Thomas Wolsey (1473 – 1530), English Catholic bishop, The King’s almoner, Lord Chancellor, and Royal Chief Adviser. Wolsey fell out of favour with the King when he failed to negotiate an annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. He was accused of treason but natural death on his way from the north to trial in London likely spared him from being beheaded.

Designs on offer are not just restricted to the English monarchy. For France there’s a design for the saintly Joan of Arc. There is a caricature of Louis XIV, King of France, otherwise known as the Sun King (1643-1715.) It was his long 72 year reign as an absolute monarch clinging to the notion of Divine Right of Kings, his failure to reform state institutions which arguably contributed to social dissent leading years after to the French Revolution. Which Frenchman gained more than any other Frenchman because of the French Revolution? Napoleon Bonaparte, of course, but like all other heroes against the establishment, Oliver Cromwell immediately comes to mind, both eventually fell into the trap as pretenders to the crowd, and both have designs of themselves in the MacKaycartoons Boutique.

Speaking of crown pretenders, they may not be a monarchs, but there’s a few around yhe world who might easily be viewed as such considering things they’ve said or done or enacted. Vladimir Putin, has been ruler of Russia since the days of Bill Clinton.  Putin has overseen numerous changes of his country’s Constitution which may effectively find him ruling like a czar over Russia for many years to come. In case you’re not into him being depicted in all that regalia, there is a standard design of  a suited full-bodied Vladimir Putin. UPDATE: Vladimir Putin designs have been removed by Redbubble due to Russia’s atrocities and crimes against humanity towards the people of Ukraine.