John Conroy

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Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet, 1837

Sir John Conroy, 1st Baronet KCH (born October 21, 1786 in Caerhun ( Caernarvonshire ), Wales , † March 2, 1854 in Arborfield Hall , Berkshire ) was a British soldier who served as administrator of Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn , had a significant influence on the childhood and adolescence of the future British Queen Victoria .

Origin and education

He was born in 1786, one of six children to John Ponsonby Conroy and Margaret Wilson. Both parents were from Ireland . His father, who was a lawyer, had the boy privately tutored by private tutors. On September 8, 1803, he entered the Royal Artillery as a lieutenant and was promoted to first lieutenant on September 12 of the same year . In 1805 Conroy enrolled at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich . He made a career during the Napoleonic Wars . He himself did not take part in the Battle of Waterloo and the wars on the Iberian Peninsula .

He was married to Elizabeth Fisher, the daughter of Colonel Benjamin Fisher.

Conroy's Influence on the Duchess

John Conroy served as personal assistant ( Equerry ) to Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. The Duke of Kent was one of the sons of George III. who married after the death of Princess Charlotte Augusta , the heiress presumptive and only legitimate descendant of the British royal family. From the duke's marriage to Victoria von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld , Princess Victoria emerged, who at the time of her birth was fifth in the line of succession.

In 1820, almost eight months after the birth of his daughter, the Duke of Kent died. He left behind such a mountain of debt that the Duchess had to turn down her late husband's inheritance. It was only thanks to the financial support of her brother Prince Leopold that she was able to continue living in Kensington Palace in London. The Duke of Kent had appointed John Conroy as administrator. He gained increasing influence in the duchess household. John Conroy presumably considered it increasingly unlikely that the marriages of the Duke's older brothers would produce legitimate offspring. Princess Victoria would succeed to the British throne. In view of Wilhelm IV's old age and poor health , this would probably take place at a time when the princess would not have reached the age of majority. In this case, the Duchess of Kent would presumably exercise the rule in place of her daughter and John Conroy would gain power and influence over her. But this also presupposed that the Duchess and her daughter would have as little contact as possible with the British royal court.

Princess Victoria with her Spaniel Dash, 1831 by George Hayter

The environment that John Conroy established for this reason is sometimes referred to as the Kensington system . The Duchess of Kent was also increasingly financially dependent on John Conroy, who pledged his personal assets to help out the Duchess financially. In the Duchess's household there were almost exclusively people selected by Conroy. The princess was not prepared for the role of a British monarch. The educator was Louise Lehzen , who due to her education was not able to do justice to this task.

In 1827 King George IV elevated him to the personal nobility of the Kingdom of Hanover as Knight Commander of the Guelph Order .

As it became increasingly apparent that the princess would have reached the age of majority by the time she ascended the British throne, John Conroy tried in the course of 1835 to force the princess to sign a document that would make him the queen's private secretary after her accession to the throne assured. The role of private secretary in a royal household was one of the most influential positions a commoner or petty aristocrat could attain at the time. With the support of her tutor Louise Lehzen, the princess opposed this signature, which led to the princess breaking up with her mother.

After the accession to the throne, John Conroy was not given a post at the court of the British Queen. However, Queen Victoria could not prevent John Conroy from continuing to belong to her mother's court. He only gave up this post two years later.

On July 7, 1837 Victoria bestowed on him the hereditary title of Baronet , of Llanbrynmair in the County of Montgomery .

He also received the following foreign awards:

Rumors about the person of John Conroys

The role of John Conroy in the life of the future Queen Victoria and her mother has repeatedly given rise to speculation. This includes the rumor that the Duchess and John Conroy had a love affair. There is also speculation that John Conroy was the princess' father and not the Duke of Kent. The latter is considered very unlikely. Victoria von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld became pregnant immediately after the marriage when John Conroy had not yet played a role in her life.

family

Conroy married in Dublin on December 12, 1808 Elizabeth Fisher (1791 - April 9, 1861), the daughter of Benjamin Fisher. They had six children:

  • Elizabeth Jane Conroy (born May 13, 1811 - May 1, 1855)
  • Sir Edward Conroy, 2nd Baronet (1812 - November 3, 1869) ∞ Alicia Parsons (1815 - January 21, 1885)
  • Arthur Benjamin Conroy (7 May 1813 - 24 May 1817)
  • Stephen Rowley Conroy (August 15, 1815 - September 9, 1841)
  • Henry George Conroy (June 4, 1817 - October 5, 1890)
  • Victoria Maria Louisa Conroy (August 12, 1819 - February 9, 1866) ∞ Sir Wyndham Edward Hanmer, 4th Baronet.

In the movie

There are numerous film adaptations about the life of Queen Victoria in which the person of John Conroy is embodied:

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The London Gazette : No. 18390, p. 1805 , August 24, 1827.
  2. ↑ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch for the Kingdom of Hanover. Berenberg, Hannover 1854, p. 66.
  3. ↑ a b c Annual Register. Volume 96, Rivington, London 1855, p. 285.
  4. ^ The London Gazette: 19514, 1626 , June 27, 1837.
predecessor title successor
New title created Baronet, of Llanbrynmair
1837-1854 		Edward Conroy
personal data
SURNAME Conroy, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Conroy, Sir John, 1st Baronet
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Equerry of the Duke of Kent and Strathearn
DATE OF BIRTH October 21, 1786
PLACE OF BIRTH Caerhun ( Caernarvonshire ), Wales
DATE OF DEATH March 2, 1854
Place of death Arborfield Hall , Berkshire