Edward I (and VII) (1841 - )

Birth - 1841

Albert Edward was born on 9th November 1841, as the second child and the first son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. As the first son, he immediately became the Heir Apparent, replacing his sister Victoria who had been Heir Presumptive. As the eldest daughter, she retained the title of Princess Royal.

Accession… - 1842

Upon accession, being only 6 months old, naturally the new King was able to have no say in the choice of his regnal name. Having been christened as Albert Edward, it might be expected that he would reign as King Albert, but his father, acting as Regent, considered that to be unwise. Although now largely accepted by the people, he had not forgotten Britain's initial dislike, less than a handful of years before, of a German princeling assuming a role in the British monarchy and thought it better that his son reign with a well-established English name.

…and The Disruption - 1843

Although it's likely that the choice of the regnal name Edward was on balance a sound decision, it immediately raised another matter of controversy that had been building for the last decade. In the Church of Scotland, sentiment had been building against the power of royal patronage, with some notable acts of dissent having occurred. The Moderate Party within the General Assembly, which had accepted patronage and sought to avoid conflict with government, was superseded in power by the Evangelical Party, which passed the Veto Act in 1834.

The Veto Act gave parishes the right to reject appointments made by a patron (in practice, the government in the name of the Queen and subsequently the King). In 1838 the Court of Session ruled that the General Assembly had acted ultra vires in passing the Act and that the Church should consider itself a creation of the state, deriving its legitimacy from Parliament; but resistance to patronage appointments continued, and seven ministers were suspended and then deposed for enacting a government appointment.

In this environment of heightened religious and political discontent, protests arose immediately regarding the accession of a King Edward, all previous monarchs of that name having been English kings who had "been excluded from Scotland by battle". To quell resentment, the young King was officially designated King Edward I of the United Kingdom, though informal references to Edward VII in England proved difficult to discourage.

In the following year, 1843, a walkout from the General Assembly resulted in the formation of the Free Church of Scotland, but more serious upheavals were averted.

The Regency - 1842-1859

Under Prince Regent Albert.

The Longest Reign - 1901/1902

On 4th September 1901, King Edward's reign surpassed that of King George III and he became Britain's longest reigning monarch. On 9th November he attained the age of 60, and on 30th May 1902 he celebrated his Diamond Jubilee as King.