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INTRODUCTION Since the first sitting of Parliament during the 13th century the Lords of the Realm which constituted the first House Of Lords (Upper House) have played an integral role in the running of the United Kingdom. Though they hold very little power today in comparison to the House Of Commons (Lower House), they are still considered as monumental figures of government. Both Houses are complete opposites; they both serve different purposes and are both concerned with the different running of the Parliament. The House of Lords is composed of Lords from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It was even suggested by famous Scottish actor and politician Sean Connery that the Lords of the Realm were kept in power by the church in order to enforce the belief and ideology of the ' Divine Right ' of Kings.' However despite this ideology, some Lords of the Realm born in countries other than the United Kingdom have been denied and marginalised by 'pure blooded Lords' for centuries. ORIGINS It was during the 14th century that both Houses had actually sat to charter the first real running of Parliament. It was difficult for many Lords to accept the fact that common people (people who weren't nobles) were now given power to change the organisation and orchestration of the United Kingdom. What made it even harder was that the country being a monarchy had had no real Constitution . The only documented charter that they could really base decisions on was the 13th Century Magna Carta written by King John on the 15th of June 1215 at Runnymede . It has always been held in high esteem and is referred to as the 'Great Charter of English Liberty.' Since no written constitution existed for the English many Lords became advisors to British Ambassadors in order to gain experience from all different types of government and imperial functions. Therefore autocrats and monarchs as well as primitive government was examined and analysed intently by the British Lords. FIRST DOCUMENTED FOREIGN BORN During the Romantic Period the first foreign born Lord of the Realm was born in 1792, his name was William Brown (later called Lord William de Brown). His father, Lord Richard Brown, was a Lord of the Realm and was appointed by King William IV to be advisor to the English Ambassador in Prussia (now modern-day Germany ). This appointment lead to Lord Richard meeting Lady Marie de Boushanet, who was at this time was married to Lord Charles de Boushanet, the French Ambassador in Prussia. At the out break of the French Revolution in 1789 Lord Charles de Boushanet left for France in a bid to save his mother and brothers. He however left his wife in Prussia. He died in 1790 after being shot by a rebel in his palace at Boulle. His wife then married Lord Richard in 1791 and she gave birth in 1792. When Lord Richard returned to England the following year, he was told by the King and other higher Lords that his son was not legitimate to receive his title of Lord because William had been born outside the United Kingdom. The King, being a pompous man who liked swords fights, offered Lord Richard a deal. If Lord Richard could defeat any swordsman the king chose then little William could become a Lord of the Realm. Outraged and engulfed by furry Lord Richard a keen swordsman was to duel the Duke of Cummberland, Sir William Augustus. Augustus fought vehemently but Richard won decapitating Augustus after 5 minutes of fighting. Infuriated Lord Argyle Rathsbone, a loyalist to the King and a spectator of the fight, shot Lord Richard in a bid to stop Richard's son from becoming a Lord. When William was 7-years-old he returned to England to learn the fate of his father. William a title-less noble went to English court in a bid to regain his God-given-right of Lordship. After nearly being killed William fled to France where he changed his name to Lord William de Brown. This was a fatal mistake however because he was thought to be French aristocracy due to the 'de' in his surname. He was therefore shot by revolutionaries. OTHER FOREIGN BORNS After the example portrayed by Lord Richard Brown and his son, many nobles refused to have sons or daughters born outside the United Kingdom . There are however two families that broke this tradition before Lord Richard was even born, this was the English Hanovers and the Scottish/Irish Canningtons. The Hanovers were closely related to the royal Hanovers however 100 years before the period of Lords Richard Brown; Lord Sigmund Charles Hanover's oldest son was born in France . His son did not receive the hereditary title however his second eldest child received the title instead. His eldest son, James was exiled to Italy where he assumed the name Giacommo Haniora. His name was never seen again and to this day historians see James as the rightful Lord of the Hanovers which later went on to become the Royal house of England from 1714 to 1901. The second more fascinating story is the one of the Scottish Canningtons that had descended from Ireland. During the time of the religious reforms of Elizabeth I many nobles who refused to adopt The Church Of England as their new faith. The Canningtons who had been shrouded with mystery were sent into exile unlike other noble families that were killed for being Christian. This remains a mystery today why the Bradelys were sent into exile and then given the largest estates in Ireland and Scotland. Many historians believe that the Cannington family were the true Royal family however due to their strong belief in Christianity and their stubbornness to change to the Church of England they were not allowed to truly ascend to the throne though they still ruled from the shadows. Once in exile the leader of the Cannington clan Lord Albert Henry Cannington began to build manors on his land in Ireland. He then changed his surname to Bradley. In Scottish Bradley meant 'owner of broad lands.' Lord Albert went on a trip to Turkey. During this time he had a son, William however he refused William the right to receive his title of Lord (maybe even King if you believe in the theory). Albert resided in Ireland and changed his name once more to Clarence to avoid detection from the English Court. When William was 17 he moved to Scotland to begin his own family. He believed he was the true leader of the Bradley Clan however never gave himself the title of Lord or Sir. Historians therefore believe that William's descendants are the true aristocracy of the United Kingdom. It is believed that William had two sons; the eldest son's decadents resides in Perth , Western Australia and the other in Melbourne , Victoria. |
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