“An awareness of our past is essential to the establishment of our personality and our identity as Africans.” – Haile Selassie
As a child, I was fascinated with monarchs and kingdoms. I experienced that space until I began to mature and conduct my own research about the royal families. Curiosity drove me to dive into the establishment and wealth of various monarchs. Today, my focus is the British Monarchy.
Just a disclaimer: The below mentioned are individuals who were systematically white-washed in portraits and in history. Through ancestry and genealogy, we now have proof they existed.
Born of Moorish ancestry, Queen Philippa of Hainaut’s year of birth is recorded as 1310. She was born in the County of Hainaut in the Low Countries of northern France. Her parents were William I, Count of Hainaut and Joan of Valois, Countess of Hainaut. She married King Edward III of England and became the first Black Queen of England. Together they had eight sons and five daughters. They were married for 41 years. Queen Philippa died on August 15, 1369.
In 1566 King James IV of Scotland original royalty was born to a colored mother, Queen Mary of Scots and a black father, Henry Lord Darnley. James’ ancestry is traced to the Black Israelites from the House of Jacob. In 1589, King James married Queen Anne of Denmark. They were married for 30 years, and together they had nine children. Queen Anne died in 1619.
In 1603, James I of England became the first black king to sit on three thrones at once. He was the king of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. He would go on to unite these warring territories to become Great Britain.
Also, in that same year, he gathered and authorized 54 of the world’s most learned scholars, many who were black experts in various languages, to work on his seven-year translation of the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
In 1611, James’ presented to the world his greatest gift. His monumental contribution was a completed translation of the 1611 King James bible, including the missing Apocrypha. King James accomplished his purpose by providing a bible for every church and household for the common people. He passed away on March 27, 1625.
After the death of King James I, an Anglo-Saxton and embittered political enemy vowed vengeance against him. Anthony Weldon sought to murder the king’s legacy by publishing a book titled “Court and Character of King James.” Sir Weldon even went to great lengths to attack the king’s integrity, race and sexuality. His publication inflicted insurmountable damage to the image of the king even up to the 20th century. None of his accusations were ever proved. Godfrey Goodman condemned the book as “a despicable tissue of filth and obscenity, of falsehood and malignity.”
A little-known fact is during the reign of King James I of England there were many black kings and rulers in Scotland and in Ireland.
According to the official website of the UK Royals, “Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz” was born on May 19, 1774. Charlotte was the youngest daughter of Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elizabeth Albertina of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
On September 8, 1761, she married King George III of England. Queen Charlotte descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a Black branch of the Portuguese Royal House. Six different lines can be traced back to Margarita. King George and Queen Charlotte had 15 children, and their marriage lasted 57 years. She died on November 17, 1818.
Are you ready for the question? Is Queen Elizabeth II a descendant of King James I?
The fact is Queen Elizabeth’s parents shared a common ancestor with Robert II, King of Scotland. Through her father, King George VI, she is a direct descendant from King James VI of Scotland.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip broke with protocol by bowing before the real original African Royalty. Empress Menen Asfaw and her husband Emperor Ras Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. As far as I know, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip have NEVER bowed before anyone else.
When it comes to the Blackness of the Crown, I humbly rest my case.
The Traveler Weekly 