The Throne of England is the throne of the

Monarch of England This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Kingdom of Wessex, Wessex, one of the heptarchy, seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled ...

. "Throne of England" also refers

metonymically Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

to the office of monarch, and monarchy itself.Gordon, Delahay. (1760)
''A General History of the Lives, Trials, and Executions of All the Royal and Noble Personages, that Have Suffered in Great-Britain and Ireland for High Treason, Or Other Crimes: From the Accession of Henry VIII. to the Throne of England, Down to the Present Time,'' p. 55.
/ref> The term "Throne of Great Britain" has been used in reference to Sovereign's Throne in the House of Lords, from which a monarch gives his or her speech at the State opening of Parliament.

History

The English Throne is one of the oldest continuing hereditary monarchies in the world. In much the same sense as The Crown, the Throne of England becomes an abstract metonymic concept that represents the legal authority for the existence of the government. It evolved naturally as a separation of the literal throne and property of the nation-state from the person and personal property of the monarch. According to tradition, the roots of British monarchy extend into legends before the ninth-century king

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who b ...

. On 1 May 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain was created by the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. In this period, the "Throne of the United Kingdom" was merged in usage with the "Throne of England." The modern King or Queen is a

constitutional monarch A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

, and the 20th century governmental policies of devolution have accorded new emphasis on the Throne of England and the Throne of Scotland. The fungible meanings of "Throne of England" encompass the modern monarchy and the chronological list of legendary and historical monarchs of England, Scotland and the United Kingdom.

Rhetorical usage

This flexible English term is also a rhetorical

trope Trope or tropes may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Trope (cinema), a cinematic convention for conveying a concept * Trope (literature), a figure of speech or common literary device * Trope (music), any of a variety of different things ...

. Depending on context, the Throne of England can be construed as a metonymy, which is a rhetorical device for an allusion relying on proximity or correspondence, as for example referring to actions of the king or queen or as "actions of the throne." The throne is also understood as a synecdoche, which is related to metonymy and metaphor in suggesting a play on words by identifying a closely related conceptualisation, e.g., * referring to a part with the name of the whole, such as "the throne" for the mystic process of transferring monarchic authority. * referring to the whole with the name of a part, such as "the throne" for the serial symbols and ceremonies of enthronement. * referring to the general with the specific, such as "the throne" for kingship. * referring to the specific with the general, such as "the throne" for the short reign of

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...

or equally as well for the ambit of the British monarchy.Russell, John. (1844)
''History of England: With Separate Historical Sketches of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar Until the Accession of Queen Victoria to the British Throne,'' p. 153.
/ref>

Notes

References

* Gordon, Delahay. (1760). ''A General History of the Lives, Trials, and Executions of All the Royal and Noble Personages, that Have Suffered in Great-Britain and Ireland for High Treason, Or Other Crimes: From the Accession of Henry VIII. to the Throne of England, Down to the Present Time.'' London: J. Burd
OCLC 22644648
* Jeudwine, John Wynne. (1912). ''The First Twelve Centuries of British Story: A Slight Sketch and Criticism of the Social and Political Conditions in the British Islands (herein Called Britain) from the Year 56 B.C. to the Accession of Henry II to the Throne of England in 1154 A.D.'' London: Longmans, Green
OCLC 1356980
* Russell, John. (1844). ''History of England: With Separate Historical Sketches of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar Until the Accession of Queen Victoria to the British Throne.'' Philadelphia: Hogan & Thompson
OCLC 31202216
* Shawcross, William. (2002). ''Queen and Country: The Fifty-year Reign of Elizabeth II.'' New York:

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

. {{ISBN, 978-0-7432-2676-9 * Williams, David. (1858). ''The preceptor's assistant, or, Miscellaneous questions in general history, literature, and science.'' London: By Simpkin, Marshall
OCLC 63065688
Monarchy Thrones National symbols of England

History

Rhetorical usage

See also

Notes

References