Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland facts for kids
The Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland was a special group formed in 1891. It was started by Herbert Vivian, Melville Henry Massue, and Ruaraidh Erskine. This group supported the Jacobite cause. Jacobites believed that the old royal family, the House of Stuart, should rule Britain again. The League was an important part of the Neo-Jacobite Revival in the 1890s, which was a time when interest in the Jacobite cause grew again.
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History of the League
Early Jacobite Supporters
Jacobites wanted the House of Stuart family to be kings and queens of England, Scotland, and Ireland again. After the Jacobite rising of 1745 (a big rebellion), Jacobite ideas were put down in Britain. So, Jacobite supporters met in secret clubs to talk about their beliefs. One famous club was the "Cycle of the White Rose," also known as the Cycle Club. It started in 1710 and met until the 1860s.
The Order of the White Rose
In 1886, a man named Bertram Ashburnham looked for other Jacobite supporters. Melville Henry Massue was one of the people who responded. Together, they created the Order of the White Rose. This new group was like a modern version of the old Cycle Club. The Order officially began on June 10, 1866.
How the League Started
Bertram Ashburnham was mostly interested in the art and culture of the Jacobite movement. He was in charge of the New Gallery in London. In 1889, the gallery held a large exhibition about the House of Stuart. Even Queen Victoria loaned items for the show! Other royal family members and families with Jacobite ties also shared their treasures. This exhibition was very popular. It made many people interested in the Stuarts and the Jacobite cause again.
However, some members of the Order of the White Rose wanted more than just art. They wanted to start a political movement. Their goal was to replace the current British monarchy with the descendants of Charles I of England. In 1890, Herbert Vivian and Ruaraidh Erskine started a newspaper called The Whirlwind. It strongly supported Jacobite political ideas.
In 1891, Vivian, Erskine, and Melville Henry Massue decided to leave the Order. They couldn't convince Ashburnham to focus on politics. So, they formed their own new group: the Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland. Other Jacobite groups also formed around this time. People often found these groups amusing, but they were serious about their goals.
What the League Did
The League held protests and special ceremonies.
In late 1892, the League asked the government for permission to place wreaths at the statue of Charles I in Charing Cross. They wanted to do this on the anniversary of his execution. The government said no. But the League tried to lay their wreaths anyway on January 30, 1893. Police tried to stop them. After some discussion, the League members, led by Vivian, were allowed to finish their ceremony. The League used this event to get a lot of attention in the newspapers. Even though many articles made fun of them, they got their message out.
This protest led to an annual wreath-laying event by the League. But in 1901, they were refused permission again. A question was even asked in Parliament about it! The reason given was that Queen Victoria had recently passed away. So, out of respect, the usual ceremony was not allowed that year.
Melville Henry Massue was the President of the League in 1893, 1894, and 1897.
In 1897, Lady Helen Clifford Mellor, whose husband was a League delegate, became famous for a moment. On June 19, she met Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria at Victoria Station. She gave him a bouquet of white roses. Rupprecht was a descendant of Charles I of England. Many Jacobites believed he was the rightful heir to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Herbert Vivian Leaves
In June 1893, there was a disagreement between Massue and Vivian. Vivian tried to keep the League going with other members, but it didn't work out. Vivian left the League in August 1893. However, he continued to promote strong Jacobite political ideas on his own.
The End of the League
In 1914, the First World War began. Prince Rupprecht, whom the League supported, appeared in a German army uniform. He supported the German Emperor. Public opinion quickly turned against the Neo-Jacobites. Many supporters left the League. Because of this, the Legitimist Jacobite League stopped existing shortly after.
What the League Believed
The League's main ideas are well explained in a quote from their 1910 calendar. They believed that the Jacobite party existed to support the idea of a hereditary right to the throne. This means that the right to rule should pass down through families, not be decided by Parliament. They felt that a king or queen should get their right to rule from God, not just from a piece of paper that could be changed. The League wanted to teach people where to find a ruler with this "God-given" claim. They also wanted to bring back loyalty and chivalry, which they felt were missing in their time. They opposed ideas of "liberty and equality" that they thought were wrong.
