TOPIC:

Hey there,

I have to do some research regarding a cartoon by Johan Braakensiek published 30 March 1902 in the dutch weekly magazine 'de Amsterdammer' (still exists as 'de Groene Amsterdammer'):

[King Edward VII (to the angel of peace): Please, could you polish my crown?
Angel to king: First you have to wipe the blood off...]

By reading contemporary newspapers it has come to my attention that king Edward wanted his coronation delayed until the Boer wars would be over, although it is denoted as a rumor in said newspapers (still looking for some official source to confirm this).
There seems to have been a great deal of grudge towards Edward in dutch newspapers, he is often depicted as merciless and hearthless.

Translated from an article of March 25 1902:

It's no surprise that the fat king is beeing mocked almost all over the world. One still waits for the first sign of benevolence, generosity or chivalry, since he, now 14 months ago, ascended the throne. Since he has not used the distinguished right of the crown, the right of pardon, with the scandalous death penalty conducted against commander Scheepers (Gideon), we have to despair of Edward VII. If the hearth makes no sound at such a moment it has to be dead.

I have reached a brick wall concerning Edward's involvement in the Boer wars besides dutch contemporary sources. Most literature about Edward appears to be of gossip-like quality, about his loose lifestyle and such (eg. 'The playboy prince'), and is probably of low value for my assignment.
If anyone could give me a push in the right direction concerning the following topics, it would mean a great deal to me (any literature, articles, ...):
1. What was Edward's role in the Boer war
2. Why was Edward denounced so heavily in Holland? After all, the war started under the reign of his mother, queen Victoria. Are there any specific events leading on to this denounciation?
3. Was he just seen as the representation of all English horribilities in South Africa (like the concentration camp deaths) and therefor renounced? (so more like a generalising grudge than a personal one?)
...

Any tips on sources are welcome, keep in mind that I have a limited time span though.
Thanks!

B999,

Welcome to the forum and for an interesting first question.

You started me thinking how much I know about Edward's role in the Boer War. The answer is that I know very little. Edward did not feature very prominently. There are account of him supporting the war effort, raising money for those affected by the war etc but little on his views.

Papers like The Times will tell you what he was doing during the war but will be less clear on his personal views.

I would think that as monarch, he was blamed by national and international critics for the continuation of the war and for seeing it through to the end, with all the consequences that had for those involved.

It will be interesting to see what others think.

Good luck with your work
David

PS I took the liberty of changing the title from Henry VII to Edward VII.

Thanks for your fast response David, and thanks for changing the title

I have just found another cartoon by the same author, as a response to the King's speech in the House of Lords on Jan. 16 1902:

[Edward reading his speech while beeing haunted by dead Boers: "In spite of the tedious character of the campaign, My soldiers have throughout displayed a cheerfulness in the endurance of the hardships incident to guerilla warfare, and a humanity, even to their own detriment, in the treatment of the enemy, which is deserving of the highest praise."]
Full speech can be found here: www.ukpol.co.uk/2016/04/27/king-edward-vii-1902-kings-speech/

If the general public was already informed about the mass deaths in the concentration camps and the scourged earth tactics I can imagine them to be thunderstruck by such a negligent speech! Any records of when these events came in the media would be helpful.

I forgot to mention in my first post that I'm a complete novice on the subject, if anyone could advice a not-too-big, explanatory book on the Boer wars in general that would be helpful, although a book that includes some contemporary perception abroad would be even better.
In 2013 the dutch writer Martin Bossenbroek won a prize with his book 'de Boerenoorlog', but according to the index Edward's name is only mentioned six times in the book, so I'm not sure if it fits my assignment.
I don't have a lot of time, it would be a pity to waste it on the wrong literature!

Thanks again

Hey there,

Does perhaps anyone happen to know whether Edward ever granted a pardon during the war to a captured Boer commander?

You can disregard all my previous questions as my paper is due for tommorow.

Thanks!