Usurpers are those who successfully or otherwise claim the throne of an existing state, with the intention of establishing themselves as monarchs. When successful - as for example with Colonel Reza Pahlavi who in 1925 deposed the reigning Shah of Persia and established himself the following year as Shah - a new dynasty may be founded. When unsuccessful, as with most such attempts, they generally lose their lives or disappear into permanent exile. One such was the claim to the throne of Araucania by Orelie-Antoine de Tounens. Even more bizarre is the revival of the so-called Kingdom of Sedang, without even a claimant to the non-existent throne. Imposters are those who attempt to supplant the reigning Monarch by claiming to be the "real" claimant, or descended from such a claimant. Two early examples of pseudo-princes were Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, who challenged the power of Henry VII of England. Simnel (c. 1475-1535) was a dupe of Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, sister of King Edward IV and an Oxford priest, Richard Symonds who had him crowned in Dublin as Edward VI in 1486 (claiming that he was Edward, Earl of Warwick, heir of the unfortunate Princes in the Tower). Simnel's birth as the son of a joiner rendered him singularly unqualified to act the role of a great noble and it seems few who had any contact with him were long convinced by the claims made on his behalf. After a crushing defeat at the battle of Stoke, during which the rebel commander, the Earl of Lincoln, was killed, Simnel and Symonds were captured and imprisoned. While Symonds remained in the Tower, Simnel was released and allowed to work in the royal kitchens. Illegal Claimants are those generally junior, illegitimate or morganatic members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty who claimed the succession by right of a reinterpretation of the laws of succession. Such claims have bedeviled the European Monarchies and whether successful or otherwise, their legacy caused civil wars in Spain, Portugal and Serbia in the last century and several dynastic disputes in this one. One of the most complex, and continuing disputes, is that which has divided the Two Sicilies dynasty since 1960. Another such claimant is Paul Hohenzollern (ex-Lambrino), self-styled H.R.H. Prince Paul of Romania. Fantasy Royalty. The world of self-delusion has for long been inhabited by a variety of pretenders to long-extinct or invented thrones. While sometimes motivated by political ambition - either their own or others - more often these individuals are con-men or fantasists, living in a world of delusion and make-believe. http://www.chivalricorders.org/royalty/fantasy/fantasy.htm Sally Rolls Pavia sallyavia2001@yahoo.com "You cannot unsay a cruel word." List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"