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Wednesday, May 1, 2019

dividing on religious lines ~ Act of Settlement 1701


Be it a Saturday, Sunday or a Holiday ~ you tune the channels – might end up watching Baahubali (either the Beginning or Conclusion) in Hindi, Telegu or any other language ! ~ as Vadivelu would exclaim ‘varalaru mukkiuam amaichare !’ [வரலாறு முக்கியம் அமைச்சரே !!  ~  history is important!] ..  In history books we read, United Kingdom to be the monolithic Empire ~ there was a time when Sun never set ! – and they are most pragmatic.  Is it a democracy or kingdom ? – and how much power do the Royal family exercise ?


Baahubali ran full houses attracting people, with its storyline, the cast, settings, music, songs and more .. ..  there was the depiction of kingdoms.  ‘mahismati samrayjam’ was the central theme.  Mahishmati, historically was an ancient city in present-day central India. It was located in present-day Madhya Pradesh, on the banks of Narmada River, although its exact location is uncertain.It is mentioned in several ancient texts, and is said to have been ruled by the legendary Haihaya ruler Kartavirya Arjuna. Mahishmati was the most important city in the southern part of the Avanti kingdom, and later served as the capital of the Anupa Kingdom. The city flourished for centuries before getting wiped out with passage of time. 

Now people can only think and see this in the fiction land – the magnificent sets of 'Baahubali', transformed into an exclusive attraction have been a massive draw for the tourists. The multi-lingual franchise and the country’s biggest blockbuster shot over 600 days at Ramoji Film City has captured the fancy of cinema lovers and general public from all over the country. Crowds flock Ramoji film city to recall the magnificent recreation of the fictional Mahismati and Kunthala kingdoms, showcasing supreme imagination.

Miles away in the land which ruled us for over 3 centuries, divided and created differences is mired deeply in religious rules .. .. .. which they highlight to be the disadvantages in Hinduism and elsewhere in many other countries that were its dominion a few decades ago ! – just read this :

If a person not native to England comes to the throne, England will not wage war for "any dominions or territories which do not belong to the Crown of England, without the consent of Parliament". This was far-sighted, because when a member of the House of Hanover ascended the British throne, he would retain the territories of the Electorate of Hanover in what is now Lower Saxony, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. This provision has been dormant since Queen Victoria ascended the throne, because she did not inherit Hanover under the Salic Laws of the German-speaking states.

Not archaic – the Act of Settlement is an Act of the Parliament of England that was passed in 1701  to settle the succession to the English and Irish crowns on Protestants only. The  Protestant in line to the throne was the Electress Sophia of Hanover, a granddaughter of James VI of Scotland and I of England. After her the crowns would descend only to her non-Roman Catholic heirs.   Sophia of Hanover (1630 – 1714) was the Electress of Hanover from 1692 to 1698. As a granddaughter of James I, she became heir presumptive to the crowns of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Ireland under the Act of Settlement 1701. After the Acts of Union 1707, she became heir presumptive to the unified throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain. She died less than two months before she would have become queen succeeding her first cousin once removed, Queen Anne, and her claim to the throne passed on to her eldest son, George Louis, Elector of Hanover, who ascended as George I in Aug 1714.

Protestantism is the most popular religion practiced in the United Kingdom. For centuries, it has played a primary role in shaping political and religious life throughout the region. A German, Martin Luther, was responsible for the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation in the early 16th century, the United Kingdom, and especially England. Protestantism influenced many of England's monarchs in the 16th and 17th centuries. Violence was commonplace, and persecution was largely dependent on whether the monarch was Catholic or Protestant.

George VI  was the last Emperor of India and the first Head of the Commonwealth. As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne and spent his early life in the shadow of his elder brother, Edward.  In the mid-1920s, he had speech therapy for a stammer, which he never fully overcame. George's elder brother ascended the throne as Edward VIII upon the death of their father in 1936. However, later that year Edward revealed his desire to marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. British prime minister Stanley Baldwin advised Edward that for political and religious reasons he could not marry a divorced woman and remain king. Edward abdicated to marry Simpson, and George ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor.

If you think – all that is story of the past, read this too. .. .. Edward Edmund Maximilian George Windsor, Lord Downpatrick,  known professionally as Eddy Downpatrick, is an English fashion designer and former financial analyst. He is the co-founder and creative director of the British fashion label FIDIR. Downpatrick is a relative of the British royal family. As second-in-line to the Dukedom of Kent, he uses one of his grandfather's subsidiary titles, Baron Downpatrick, by courtesy.

In 2003, following the example of his grandmother the Duchess of Kent and uncle Lord Nicholas Windsor, Lord Downpatrick, who was baptized in the Church of England, was confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church and therefore was barred from the line of succession to the British throne according to the Act of Settlement 1701. In 2008 his sister Lady Marina followed suit. As a first cousin twice removed of Queen Elizabeth II, Downpatrick is the most senior person excluded from the line of succession for being a Roman Catholic; in April 2018, he would have been 37th in line.

[வரலாறு முக்கியம் அமைச்சரே !!  ~  history is important!]

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
30th Apr 2019.




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