Moments in Royal History: January 20

1265 – The first English parliament conducts its first meeting held by Simon de Montfort in the Palace of Westminster.

Westminster Hall, the venue of the first English parliament.

     The Parliament was summoned on December 14, 1264 by Simon de Montfort, the French-born nobleman who was the leader of a rebellion against King Henry III, and who was against the King's use of near absolute power without the council of the wider community of the realm. De Montfort had defeated Henry at the Battle of Lewes earlier that year, captured his son Edward, and forced him to become a king in name only whilst De Montfort and his government of barons ruled in the King's name.

     Previous parliaments and assemblies had been gathered beforehand, but this Parliament was the first to include elected representatives for the counties and boroughs, which expanded its membership beyond the titled nobility. Although it was not summoned or sanctioned by the King, it is considered to be the first meeting of Parliament as we know it today.

1356 – Edward Balliol gives up his claims to the Scottish Crown.

Arms of the Kingdom of Scotland

     Balliol was the son of John Balliol, the deposed and disgraced King of Scotland. Edward III of England - whose grandfather Edward I had all but placed John Balliol on the Scottish throne - backed Edward's attempt to seize the throne from David II of Scotland, who was still a child upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce. Taking advantage of the unstable political environment, Balliol took the Crown and managed to briefly rule Scotland from 1332 to 1336, when he was deposed by forces loyal to King David. Balliol lived for the rest of his life on an English pension in obscurity.

1649 – Charles I of England, Scotland, and Ireland goes on trial for treason and other "high crimes".

Trial of King Charles I

     The trial was conducted by the Rump Parliament of England, which had expelled members who were allies of the King, or at least willing to negotiate with him over the Church, taxation, the army, and other issues over which Parliament had been fighting the King for several years. 

It declared itself the supreme power of the land, with the right to make laws without the consent of the King or the House of Lords, and its members viewed Charles as a treasonous tyrant who must pay for his crimes against England. The King's "crimes" were numerous, including the accusations that he attempted to rule with the consent of Parliament, but what broke the camel's back for some parliamentarian's was Charles's collusion with the Scots, who had invaded England to help place Charles back on his throne and to wipe out the Parliamentarian-backed New Model Army.

     The King refused to recognize the trial, believing it to be illegitimate on the grounds that as King, he was answerable only to God and that an earthly court had no jurisdiction. However the court responded that has King, he was entrusted with limited power according to the laws of the land. The eventual result of the trial was the King's conviction and execution on January 30, 1649.

1936 - George V dies and his eldest son becomes Edward VIII becomes King of the United Kingdom.

George V

     At his beloved estate at Sandringham, the King - who had celebrated his Silver Jubilee during the previous year - went to bed on the 15th of January complaining about a cold. He grew weaker and slipped in and out of consciousness over the next couple of days, during which he asked his secretary: "How is the Empire?" The secretary replied: "All is well, sir, with the Empire", and the King gave a smile before becoming unconscious again. On the night of the 20th, the King bellowed "God damn you!" to his nurse as she was giving him sedative, in what would be his last words, before passing away just before midnight.

In 1986, it was revealed that the leading physician, Lord Dawson, had hastened the King's death by injecting him with cocaine and morphine. Dawson, whose wrote this and other information about that night in his diary, explained that this was done to prevent more stress on the royal family and to ensure that the death occurred at around 11:55 PM so that it would be featured in The Times and other respectable morning publicans, as opposed to what he termed "less appropriate ... evening journals."

Edward VIII as Prince of Wales in 1919.

     Upon George's death, his eldest son Edward, Prince of Wales became Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, the British Dominions, and Emperor of India. Edward would abdicated before the year was out, and was succeed by his brother Albert, Duke of York, who became George VI. Thus did 1936 became known as the Year of the Three Kings.

1965 – Birth of Sophie, Countess of Wessex

HRH The Countess of Wessex

     Today, the Countess of Wessex, wife of Prince Edward - the youngest child of the Queen - turns 49 years old. 

     Sophie is the daughter of a tire salesman and a secretary, and after completing her schooling, she worked in the public relations industry for several years. She met Prince Edward in 1993, and the couple were married in 1999 at a ceremony in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. They have two children: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn. 

     Since becoming a full-time working member of the Royal family in 2002, she has gradually come into her own as important part of the monarchy with her brand of grace and charm. Her public profile has increased as she hosted numerous receptions, including one at Buckingham Palace last year to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Doctor Who television series. The Countess has also made several official visits - either solo or with Edward - to represent the Queen, as well as herself, and in October of last year, she became the first Global Ambassador of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award while in South Africa, where she was learning how the award's scheme was helping to improve the prospects of young people in a local community.

     Sophie is said to be on very good terms with the Queen. They share an interest in history (especially military history in Sophie's case), and have been known to spend hours together in the archives under Windsor Castle. According to Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, courtiers report that the Countess fills in the gap of female companionship left by the late Princess Margaret - the Queen's only sibling - and her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.