Names of Thrones—of Kings and Queens
On May 14, 2020 by Tayo Enahoro-Bowyer
'The time has come,' the Walrus said,
'To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings.'
The Walrus and the Carpenter
By Lewis Carroll
I love poetry, and any excuse for a bit of Lewis Carroll… ?
Okay, the connection between the verse above and this post is tenuous; in fact, it's wafer-thin, so if you dislike poetry, you may have to excuse me. (The connection is that the verse contains the word 'kings'. Ahem.)
Her Brittanic Majesty is Queen Elizabeth II. The II (two) is her regnal number, and the entire monicker, Elizabeth II, is her regnal name. All monarchs choose a regnal name upon ascension to their throne. As far as I know, the tradition is pretty much universal right across the world. But–how do these rulers choose their regnal name? Are monarchs free to choose their names? Are regnal names and numbers limited solely to monarchs? (Hint: they're not.)
This post is an introduction to the FULL article which you can read by pressing the button below.
I know that finding a good article does not come by so easily so i must commend your effort in creating such a beautiful website and writing an article to help others with useful information like this,wow although its a short one we have here but there's also a take home lesson,but i really wanna know the answers to those questions,please do u mind sharing with us am also a fan of poetry.
Hello Wilson.
"although it is a short one". Actually, this web page is a post to introduce the full article here: I, Tayo: English Language Tutor.
If you are a fan of poetry, you will enjoy this: The Chaos.
I believe that you'll find those links useful. Please drop me a comment on any of the web pages to let me know if I am right.
Have a marvellous day,
Tayo
This is quite impressive Tayo. I have in many occasions wonder how and why kings and queens bear the common names with numbers attached too. I also saw it is universal just as you have mentioned (In England, Egypt and many African countries etc). You certainly made me understand what I could call those (regnal names and regnal number). It's truly interesting to me.
Hi there.
I'm glad you enjoyed the post, but did you realise that it is merely an introduction to the full article here: I, Tayo: English Language Tutor?
If you would like to understand this further, please follow the link above. If you have any other questions, do feel free to ask me on that web page.
Cheerio and have a nice day.
Tayo
Hey nice article you have there. Thanks for bringing such an historical monarch topic to the public. Your lines are quite amazing. I am glad I stumbled into this article today, as I have been pondering over some questions about queen Elizabeth, question that seek for answers to me is that, why is it that all monarchs are compelled to choose a Regnal name?.
Hello.
This post is only an introduction to the full article which you can read here: I, Tayo: English Language Tutor.
Regnal names are the official name of a monarch or pope. Until crowned, the monarch doesn't exist, so in a sense, it is as if he or she is 'born anew'. The new name, the regnal name, reflects that.
Thanks.
Hello there, thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful piece of information here with us. I must say i really did enjoyed going through your review. Well your review has already made me curious so i would be visiting the link you drop so i can learn more. Thanks for sharing
Hello Philebur.
This post introduces regnal names. The actual article is on my website I, Tayo: English Language Tutor. To read the full article, please visit my English Language Tutor website.
Thanks.
Names of Thrones – well that made me smile off the bat! I had wondered about Popes names – they do seem slightly random but now all is clear. So the next monarch, if we don't fall into anarchy and declare a republic, could be Arthur II – I like the sound of that. I doubt if Prince Charles would go for it. But when was Arthur I? Thanks for the interesting regnal tour!
Hi Michael.
Arthur of Arthurian legend was Arthur I. The regnal number one seems optional, so for instance I think it is Pope John Paul rather than Pope John Paul I.
You're right. Arthur II seems improbable, but it has a nice–if somewhat fantastical–ring to it.
Thanks for visiting.
Regards,
Tayo