William, Duke of Gloucester
William, Duke of Gloucester (born July 24, 1689 in Hampton Court Palace , London , † July 30, 1700 in Windsor Castle , Windsor (Berkshire) ) was an English heir to the throne .
He was the only son of Princess Anne , the future Queen of Great Britain, and George, Prince of Denmark , who survived childhood and could have secured the line of succession to the House of Stuart . He was, however, developmentally retarded, had epileptic fits and hydrocephalus .
Before his mother came to power, he died at the age of eleven of an infectious disease, possibly smallpox . His body was buried in Henry VII's Chapel in Westminster Abbey . His death forced the English parliament to establish the succession to the throne in a legally binding manner in order to prevent there being another Catholic king. It did so with the Act of Settlement in 1701.
From birth he held the courtesy title of Duke of Gloucester ; his early death, however, preceded an official award of this title. On January 6, 1696 he was accepted as a Knight Companion in the Order of the Garter.
Individual evidence
- ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 39.
Web links
- William Henry Oldenburg, Duke of Gloucester on thepeerage.com
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Gloucester, William, Duke of |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English heir to the throne |
DATE OF BIRTH | July 24, 1689 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Hampton Court Palace , London |
DATE OF DEATH | July 30, 1700 |
Place of death | Windsor Castle , Windsor |