Britain’s Worst Monarch?
Friday July 25, 2008
There has been a trend in European media recently for competitions to find the "best" individual to have come from a nation. Well, someone has begun to do the opposite, as English Heritage have started a debate over which monarch should be considered the biggest failure. The BBC ran a tie in this week on both web and email, resulting in their own list, naming an obvious contender like Charles I, who managed to get himself beheaded, alongside a perhaps surprising nominee like Henry VIII, who is often in "best of" lists as well. Mary I rounds out the public voting, and historians suggested Edward II, Mary Queen of Scots and George IV. There’s a summary of the arguments against each on the BBC’s website.
Comments
Ah, if only it was as easy as picking out the worst U.S. president ever. It’s really no contest, W. wins hands down!
I will have to read the BBC summary and find out what was so terrible about the two Marys. I always get them confused, anyway, so it will be a good reason to brush up. Thanks!
Do yo mean the worst monarch who rulled in Britain or the worst monarch who ruled Britain. You seem to forget that some if not most of your examples are English monarchs and some are Scottish monarchs. Charles I was king of Scotland and England while George IV was king of UK of Great Britain and Ireland!
‘King John was not a good man,
And no good friends had he.
He stayed in every afternoon…
But no one came to tea.
‘
AAMilne
Thomas Cromwell and Bloody Mary but like to say as a wife,”Off with his head”,HenryVIII !
Henry VIII womanising, syphilitic, murderous bastard!!!!!!!!
Henry VIII, no doubt about that!!!