Monday, July 31, 2006

This Day in Jacobite History: Death of Queen Anne; George, Elector of Hanover, Becomes King - 1 August 1714

On this day 292 years ago - 1 August 1714, died Queen Anne, ungrateful daughter of James II and VII and last member of the House of Stuart to sit on the thrones of England and Scotland (which, under Anne's rule became the throne (singular) of England and Scotland via the Act of Union).

Rather than crown the rightful claimant, Anne's half-brother, the Catholic Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, Parliament grasped at straws to ensure a Protestant succession by naming Georg Ludwig Guelph, the Elector of Hanover, as King George I.
The Wee German Lairdie

Wha the de'il ha'e we gotten for a king,
But a wee wee German lairdie
And when we gaed to bring him hame
He was delving in his kail yairdie.
He was sheughin' kail and laying locks
Without the hose and but the breeks,
And up his beggard duds he cleeks,
This wee wee German lairdie.

An he's clappit down in our gudeman's chair
The wee wee German lairdie
And he's brought forth o' foreign trash,
And dibbled them in his yairdie,
He's pu'd the rose o' English loons,
And broken the harp o' Irish clowns,
But our Scots thistle will jag his thumbs,
The wee wee German lairdie.

Come up amang our Highland hills
Thou wee wee German lairdie,
And see how the Stuart's lang kail thrive,
They dibbled in our yairdie:
And if a stock thou daur to pu'
Or hand the yokin' o' a plough,
We'll break your sceptre owre your mou'
Thou wee bit German lairdie.

Auld Scotland thou'rt owre cault a hold
For nursin' siccan vermin;
But the very dogs o' England's court
They bark and howl in German.
They keep thy dibble in thy ain hand,
They spade but and thy yairdie,
For wha' the de'il now claims your land
But a wee wee German lairdie!

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
This Day in Jacobite History: Mary Queen of Scots Deposed - 24 July 1567

This Day in Jacobite History: The Battle of Killiecrankie - 27 July 1689

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home

hit counter for blogger