Pretender

This article is about the term "pretender" as applied to monarchies. For other uses, see Pretender (disambiguation).
James Francis Edward Stuart, later known as the Old Pretender, depicted c. 1703, having been recognised in 1701 by King Louis XIV of France as the rightful claimant to the English, Irish, and Scottish thrones

A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government.[1] The term may often be used to either refer to a descendant of a deposed monarchy or a claim that is not legitimate.[2][3]

In addition, it may also refer to that of a deposed monarch, a type of claimant referred to as head of a house.[4] In addition, it may also refer to a former monarchy.

Queen Anne popularized this word, using it to refer to her Roman Catholic half-brother James Francis Edward Stuart, the Jacobite heir, in an address to Parliament in 1708: "The French fleet sailed from Dunkirk ... with the Pretender on board."[5]

In 1807 the French Emperor Napoleon complained that the Almanach de Gotha continued to list German princes whom he had deposed.[6] This episode established that publication as the pre-eminent authority on the titles of deposed monarchs and nobility, many of which were restored in 1815 after the end of Napoleon's reign.

  1. ^ "pretender" Archived 2015-11-14 at the Wayback Machine, MacMillian Dictionary. "someone who claims to be the true king, queen, or leader of a country, when another person holds this position."
  2. ^ Curley Jr., Walter J. P. Monarchs-in-Waiting. New York, 1973, pp. 4, 10. ISBN 0-396-06840-5.
  3. ^ "pretender" Archived 2021-06-24 at the Wayback Machine, Merriam-Webster, "a claimant to a throne who is held to have no just title."
    "pretender", Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford Dictionaries, 1989. "applied to a claimant who is held to have no just title."
  4. ^ Almanach de Gotha uses the "head of the house" terminology. It lists Karl von Habsburg as "Head of the Imperial House of Austria". It lists many others in the form "head of the royal house of [name]". (James, John. Almanach de Gotha 2016: Volume I Parts I & II) The classic 1944 edition Archived 2022-10-21 at the Wayback Machine uses "chef de la maison" (p. 104).
  5. ^ "pretender", Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford Dictionaries, 1989. Stuart had earlier been referred to as "the pretended prince of Wales".
  6. ^ Napoleon wrote to his foreign minister, 20 October 1807: "Monsieur de Champagny, this year's Almanach de Gotha is badly done. I protest. There should be more of the French Nobility I have created and less of the German Princes who are no longer sovereign. Furthermore, the Imperial Family of Bonaparte should appear before all other royal dynasties, and let it be clear that we and not the Bourbons are the House of France. Summon the Minister of the Interior of Gotha at once so that I personally may order these changes."