Sobieski Stuarts facts for kids
The Sobieski Stuart brothers, John and Charles Allen, were two English brothers who lived in the 1800s. They moved to Scotland and changed their names to John Sobieski Stuart and Charles Edward Stuart. Around 1839, they started claiming that their father, Thomas Allen, was actually the secret son of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie) and his wife.
They said that Thomas was born in Italy and secretly brought to England to protect him from being kidnapped or harmed. They claimed he was adopted by their grandfather, Admiral John Carter Allen. This meant, according to them, that Thomas was the rightful king of England instead of Queen Victoria.
Even though their story was called "an impudent fabrication" and "an unblushing fraud" by historians, they managed to convince some people that they were royalty. This shows how much people in Britain were still fascinated by the Stuart royal family.
The brothers also published two books: Vestiarium Scoticum (1842) and The Costume of the Clans (1845). Historians have described these books as full of made-up stories and fakes. However, these books have been widely used by the Scottish tartan industry, influencing many of the tartan patterns we see today.
Contents
Who Were the Sobieski Stuarts?
The brothers' grandfather was John Carter Allen (1725–1800), a British navy admiral. He had three children, including Thomas Allen (1767–1852), who was the father of John and Charles.
For a long time, people wondered about Thomas's birth. Later research in 2014 showed that Admiral John Carter Allen did not marry until 1780. This meant his three children, including Thomas, were born before he was married. They were called "natural children" in a will, meaning they were born outside of marriage. The identity of their mother is still unknown.
There was often tension in the family. At one point, the youngest son, John, was heard saying about Thomas, "he is no brother of mine." This uncertainty about their family history and the romantic stories surrounding them greatly influenced the two brothers, John and Charles.
Thomas Allen's Life
Thomas Allen was a Lieutenant in the Navy and retired in 1798. His life after that is not very clear, and it's uncertain how much he approved of his sons' later claims.
Thomas married Catherine Matilda Manning in 1792. They had three children:
- John Carter Allen (born 1795)
- Matilda Allen (born 1799)
- Charles Manning Allen (born 1802)
Around 1807, Thomas started a relationship with a much younger woman named Ann. They had five children together, but they were not married. Thomas also faced increasing money problems. In 1818, he was even put in Fleet Prison because he owed money. He was released in 1819 but continued to live in fear of his creditors (people he owed money to).
Thomas's desire to stay hidden was likely due to his own birth outside of marriage and his relationship with Ann. His two legitimate sons, John and Charles, did not get along well with him. They also looked down on Ann because they felt she was from a lower social class than their mother.
Thomas died in 1852. His son Charles later tried to distance himself from his father, even claiming his father had a different name and died earlier.
The Brothers' Royal Claims
John and Charles claimed that the secret of their royal background was revealed to them around 1811. They even said they fought for Napoleon in famous battles like Dresden, Leipzig, and Waterloo, and that they learned Gaelic in London. However, we now know that Charles Manning Allen was not even born until 1802, making his claims of fighting in these battles impossible.
In 1822, Charles Manning Allen married Anna Gardiner. They moved to Scotland, and their first child, Anna Marie Stuart, was born there. John Carter Allen, calling himself John Hay Allan, had already been in Scotland for some time. He published a book of poems in 1822, hinting at his claimed royal descent.
From 1826 to 1829, John joined his brother Charles in Morayshire, Scotland. They lived under the support of the Earl of Moray. Later, Lord Lovat built a special house for them on an island called Eilean Aigas. There, from 1838 to 1845, they lived like royalty, always wearing Stuart tartan and being known as "the Princes."
In 1845, John married Georgina Kendall in London. He told a friend that she had a good amount of money, but it turned out her family's wealth was much less than he thought.
Their Published Works
In 1829, John showed a manuscript with tartan patterns to Sir Thomas Dick-Lauder, who was impressed. However, Sir Walter Scott, a famous writer, warned that the brothers were "men of warm imaginations" and not always honest about old historical matters. Sir Walter Scott believed that the idea of different clans having their own specific tartans was a modern invention, not an ancient tradition. He thought the brothers' manuscript was a complete fake.
Calling himself John Sobieski Stuart, the elder brother then published the expensive book Vestiarium Scoticum in 1842. This book claimed to be a reproduction of an old manuscript from 1571, with colorful pictures of tartans. John said this manuscript had been passed down from Prince Charles Edward Stuart to his father Thomas. However, a letter from his father about the book seems to have been made up.
In 1845, the brothers published The Costume of the Clans. This book also received a lot of criticism for its historical accuracy.
Using the names John Sobieski Stuart and Charles Edward Stuart, they then published Tales of the Century in 1847. In this book, they told three stories that hinted at their supposed royal connection. The stories suggested that their father, Thomas Allen, was actually the secret son of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and Louise of Stolberg. This would mean he was the rightful king of England.
However, a strong attack on both Vestiarium Scoticum and Tales of the Century soon followed. An article in the Quarterly Review in 1847 completely disproved the brothers' claims. The article concluded that the Vestiarium was a "fabrication" and that any idea of Prince Charles Edward Stuart having a secret son was "the silliest of dreams."
After this, three of their supporters died in 1848, and the brothers were so discredited that Charles moved to Prague, and John followed. John's wife died in 1862, and the brothers did not return to England until 1868. In London, they became well-known figures at the British Museum, often wearing Highland dress or military uniforms.
John, who called himself 'The Chevalier John Sobieski Stewart' and 'Count d'Albanie', died in 1872. He had no children. His brother Charles then took the title of Count of Albany. Charles died in 1880. His son, Charles Edward Stuart Allen, was the last person to call himself Count of Albany. He died in Jersey in 1882 and also had no children.
Images for kids
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The gravestone of Charles Edward Louis Casimir Stuart and Lady Alice Hay shows the pretended title of Comte d'Albanie
