5 ‘The unfortunate whose kingdom is not of this world’ – political impostures
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Tobias B. Hug
Abstract
This chapter focuses on political impostors, or people who assumed the identity of a royal personage in order to achieve either a personal goal or that of a political faction, in early modern England. These people were either genuine members of the royal dynasty or ordinary men or women who claimed to be the real heir to the throne and therefore challenged the legitimacy of the current ruler. The former are often labelled as pretenders or claimants. The chapter discusses various circumstances of a vacuum of power, including political or succession crisis, which provided fertile ground for their claims.
Abstract
This chapter focuses on political impostors, or people who assumed the identity of a royal personage in order to achieve either a personal goal or that of a political faction, in early modern England. These people were either genuine members of the royal dynasty or ordinary men or women who claimed to be the real heir to the throne and therefore challenged the legitimacy of the current ruler. The former are often labelled as pretenders or claimants. The chapter discusses various circumstances of a vacuum of power, including political or succession crisis, which provided fertile ground for their claims.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Abbreviations xi
- Introduction 1
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Part I Identifying impostures in early modern England
- 1 Counterfeit beggars, bogus cunning folk and bigamists 17
- 2 Tricksters and officialdom – bogus officials and forgers 34
- 3 Quacks – all notorious medical impostors? 48
- 4 Prophets and visionaries, possessed and exorcists – all religious impostors? 64
- 5 ‘The unfortunate whose kingdom is not of this world’ – political impostures 87
- 6 Ethnic impostors 110
- 7 Gentleman impostors 130
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Part II Imposture and autobiography
- 8 The self-representation and self-perception of William Fuller (1670–1733) 155
- Conclusion 204
- Bibliography 211
- Index 237
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Abbreviations xi
- Introduction 1
-
Part I Identifying impostures in early modern England
- 1 Counterfeit beggars, bogus cunning folk and bigamists 17
- 2 Tricksters and officialdom – bogus officials and forgers 34
- 3 Quacks – all notorious medical impostors? 48
- 4 Prophets and visionaries, possessed and exorcists – all religious impostors? 64
- 5 ‘The unfortunate whose kingdom is not of this world’ – political impostures 87
- 6 Ethnic impostors 110
- 7 Gentleman impostors 130
-
Part II Imposture and autobiography
- 8 The self-representation and self-perception of William Fuller (1670–1733) 155
- Conclusion 204
- Bibliography 211
- Index 237
