Nicholas Macdonald Sarsfield Cod'd facts for kids
Nicholas Macdonald Sarsfield Cod'd (born around 1778) was an Irish man who made some big claims! He said he was connected to old Irish kings and even to the last ruling family of the Byzantine Empire, called the Palaiologos dynasty. This empire was a powerful ancient Greek kingdom.
In 1830, Sarsfield used his claimed connection to the Palaiologos family to try and become king of the new Kingdom of Greece. He wrote to important people in the United Kingdom, including King William IV. He might have even tried to contact other kings and queens. But sadly for him, no one supported his claim.
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About Nicholas Sarsfield
Nicholas Macdonald Sarsfield Cod'd was born in Ireland around 1778. Before 1820, it seems he lived in France for a while.
Asking for Irish Lands
On May 18, 1823, Sarsfield wrote a letter to the British Home Office. This is a government department in charge of things like security and immigration. In his letter, he asked for "certain titles and dominions in Ireland" to be given back to him. He said these lands belonged to him because of his family history. However, his letter didn't lead to anything.
His Big Dream: King of Greece
In 1830, Sarsfield was living in Wexford, Ireland. He sent letters to two important British lords, Lord Aberdeen and Lord Palmerston. He wanted them to help him claim the throne of the newly formed Kingdom of Greece.
Greece had just won its independence after ten years of fighting the Ottoman Empire. The throne had been offered to a young prince named Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
In his letters, Sarsfield called himself "the Comte de Sarsfield." He said he was the rightful heir to the "Constantines," who were the last emperors of Greece before the Turks took over Constantinople. He even included a huge family tree! This tree showed his connections to the Palaiologos dynasty, the last ruling family of the Byzantine Empire. It also showed his link to an old Irish king, Diarmaid mac Murchadha. Sarsfield believed he was the true senior heir, even though his claim came through the female side of the family.
Why His Claim Was Unusual
Sarsfield's attempt to become king of Greece was quite interesting. Many European nobles, including Prince Leopold (who later became the king of Belgium), had actually turned down the Greek throne. They thought it was too risky to rule such a new and possibly unstable country. Greece was very tired after so much fighting in the Greek War of Independence.
Sarsfield sent his letter to Lord Aberdeen on May 29 and to Lord Palmerston on December 24. Both letters had some unusual capitalization and not much punctuation. In his letters, he hoped the lords would send his request to the Greek government. He wanted the Greek people to think about him as their king. His letter to Lord Palmerston also included good reviews and recommendations from people he knew, including some priests.
Writing to Kings and Queens
Sarsfield was annoyed that the lords didn't reply to his request. So, he wrote directly to the king, William IV, but he didn't get a response from him either. He also planned to write to the king of France, Charles X, the Russian emperor, Nicholas I, the Prussian king, Frederick William III, and even the Pope, Pius VIII. We don't know if he ever sent those letters.
In his letter to King William IV, Sarsfield wrote that the kings and queens of Europe had acted wrongly. He felt they tried to force someone else (Prince Leopold) onto the Greek people, instead of him. But he also said that Leopold had done the right thing by giving up the throne.
Nicholas Sarsfield was never meant to become "Nicholas I of Greece." King William IV never replied, and neither did any other leader he might have contacted.
A Forgotten Story
Sarsfield's letters to Lords Aberdeen and Palmerston were found again in 1931. A historian named Arthur Charles Frederick Beales published them. He thought it was sad that Sarsfield would probably be seen as "a huge joke" again, just like he might have been seen by people in his own time.
