In celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III, we are delving into the past to discover some of the treasures in the Hall’s collections made in the lifetimes of King Charles I, King Charles II and King Charles III. We will also explore how these momentous and often tumultuous periods shaped the Hall you see today.
From a Queen who married her husband by proxy to the carved graffiti of an English Civil War prisoner: join us in this first blog as we explore the reign of King Charles I.
Portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria, early 18th century
Queen Henrietta Maria was the youngest daughter of King Henry IV of France and was born in 1609 at the Palais du Louvre, now part of the world-famous Louvre Museum. She married King Charles I of England in 1625 at the age of 15. What was slightly unusual, although not unheard of was that she married a stand-in! Claude du Lorraine, Duke of Chevreuse stood in for the groom during the marriage ceremony on 1st May 1645 and it was another month before the bride and real groom spent any time together.
The portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria was painted in the early 18th century and is a copy of a famous painting by Anthony Van Dyck. The Queen is pregnant in the portrait and is seen cradling her abdomen – the crown on the table beside her signifies her rank.
English Civil War (1642-1652) Graffiti – Great Hall
The portrait of Queen Henrietta Maria is said to commemorate a visit to the Hall during the English Civil War by Queen Henrietta Maria where she observed the squalid conditions of Parliamentarian prisoners and gave money from her own purse for their relief.
During this time of war and turmoil, the Hall was used for the detention of soldiers on both sides of the English Civil War. Very little evidence survives from this period apart from the initials of a prisoner carved into one of the oak posts in the Great Hall. A solitary reminder of a period of bloody battles and great social upheaval across many parts of England.
Child’s High Chair – 1642
This period also produced great creativity; before, during and after the Civil War. The Hall has a significant collection of 17th century furniture including this rare highchair. Made in 1642 and likely made to celebrate a new arrival into a wealthy family, the oak chair is carved with a date and the initials of the child.
Kwa heshima ya kuapishwa kwa Mfalme Charles III, tunachunguza historia ya zamani ili kugundua baadhi ya hazina katika makusanyo ya Jumba la Maonyesho yaliyofanywa wakati wa maisha ya Mfalme Charles I, Mfalme Charles II na Mfalme Charles III. Pia tutajifunza jinsi kipindi hicho muhimu na chenye msukosuko kilivyofanyiza Jumba unaloona leo. Kuanzia kwa Malkia aliyeolewa na mume wake kwa wakala hadi kwa mchoro wa mfungwa wa Vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe vya Uingereza, jiunge nasi katika blogi hii ya kwanza tunapochunguza utawala wa Mfalme Charles wa Kwanza. "Mfalme Henrietta Maria wa Ufaransa, ambaye alikuwa ""mwanamke wa kwanza"" wa Mfalme Henry IV wa Ufaransa, alizaliwa mnamo 1609 katika Jumba la Louvre, sasa sehemu ya Jumba la Makumbusho la Louvre." Alimwoa Mfalme Charles wa Kwanza wa Uingereza mwaka 1625 akiwa na umri wa miaka 15. Jambo lisilo la kawaida, ingawa halikuwa lisilo la kawaida, lilikuwa kwamba aliolewa na mtu wa pili! Claude de Lorraine, Duke wa Chevreuse, alisimama kwa ajili ya bwana harusi wakati wa sherehe ya ndoa tarehe 1 Mei 1645, na ilikuwa mwezi mwingine kabla ya bibi harusi na bwana harusi halisi alitumia muda wowote pamoja. Picha ya Malkia Henrietta Maria ya mwaka wa 18 iliyochorwa na Anthony Van Dyke Malkia ni mjamzito katika picha na anaonekana cradling tumbo lake <unk> taji juu ya meza kando yake inaonyesha cheo chake. Waraka wa Waraka wa Wenyewe kwa Wenyewe (1642-1652) - Picha ya Malkia Henrietta Maria ilitolewa kwa ajili ya kuadhimisha ziara ya Malkia Henrietta Maria katika ukumbi huo wakati wa Vita vya Wenyewe kwa Wenyewe ambapo aliona hali mbaya ya wafungwa wa Bunge na kutoa pesa kutoka mfukoni mwake kwa ajili ya misaada yao. Wakati huo wa vita na msukosuko, Jumba hilo lilitumiwa kuwashikilia askari-jeshi wa pande zote mbili za Vita vya Wenyewe kwa Wenyewe vya Uingereza. Kuna uthibitisho mdogo sana wa kipindi hicho, isipokuwa maandishi ya kwanza ya jina la mfungwa yaliyochongwa kwenye mojawapo ya nguzo za mwaloni katika Jumba Kuu. Ni kumbukumbu ya kipindi cha mapigano ya damu na msukosuko mkubwa wa kijamii katika sehemu nyingi za Uingereza. Childs High Chair 1642 - Kipindi hiki pia ilizalisha ubunifu mkubwa; kabla, wakati na baada ya Vita vya wenyewe kwa wenyewe. Nyumba hiyo ina makusanyo makubwa ya fanicha ya karne ya 17 ikiwa ni pamoja na kiti hiki cha juu cha nadra. Msimamo wa mti wa mwaloni uliotengenezwa mwaka 1642 na uwezekano mkubwa wa kusherehekea kuwasili mpya katika familia tajiri, umechongwa na tarehe na herufi za kwanza za mtoto.