But Prince Edward being Born, while the Stall was possessed by Charles V. it chanc’d likewise that the King of the Scots died, which caus’d King Henry VIII. to reserve his Stall for that Prince, although he never had Possession of it, or was elected into the Order, though we find him once registred in a Scrutiny. King Henry VIII. dying, Prince Edward became, both by Inheritance and Succession, Sovereign of this most Noble Order.
From this Time, to the eighth Year of King James I. there was no Prince of Wales, who finding the Prince’s Stall vacant, at his entrance upon the English Throne, did in a Chapter in the first Year of his Reign, advance the French King Henry IV. from the second Stall on the Sovereign’s side, into it; and appointed Prince Henry to be installed in that King’s void Seat, where he continued till Anno 3 Jac. I. that Christierne IV. King of Denmark, came to be installed by Proxy, and the Prince was moved lower to make way for him, though he was Senior both by Election and Installation. Anno 9 Jac. I. upon the Death of the French King, not the Prince, whose Right it was, since he was created Prince of Wales, but the said King of Denmark, was translated to the vacant Stall; and hereupon Prince Henry was returned again to the second Stall on the Sovereign’s side, which he enjoyed as long as he survived, and upon his Death, Prince Charles was removed into it, and there remained all King James’s Reign.
When King Charles II. came to be installed, the Sovereign finding him prevented from assuming the Prince’s Stall, the King of Denmark being yet alive, assigned to him the second Stall on the Sovereign’s side, (wherein himself sat whilst Prince of Wales,) and where hitherto his Plate remains as a fixed Memorial of his Installation therein.
Although it has been made apparent, that the Knights-Companions, at their Election or Installation, succeeded the immediate defunct Knight in his Stall, yet we may observe, that sometimes after Installation, as an especial signal of Favour and Indulgence, the Sovereign hath been pleased, though very rarely, to advance a Knight-Companion to a higher Stall than that wherein he was first placed; and though there be no such Permission granted by the Law of the Order, yet we find John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, removed from the seventh Stall on the Prince’s side, to the Prince’s Stall it self, and it’s said to be done by the Decree of the Sovereign and the Knights-Companions. And no doubt but as this was done by so good Authority, and so upon no less enducements to the Sovereign, and the whole Society. We shall here mention a few of these extraordinary Cases. William Henalt, Earl of Ostervant, was advanced by King Richard II. from the eleventh Stall on the Sovereign’s side, to the Duke of Britain’s, being the second on the Prince’s side. Humphry Duke of Gloucester, in the Reign of King Henry VI. was removed from the eleventh Stall on the Sovereign’s side, to the second on the same side; and Richard Nevil, Earl of Warwick, by the Consent of the Knights-Companions in Chapter, Anno 39 Henry VI. was translated to the Duke of Buckingham’s Stall; the Lord Bonvil, to the Lord Scales’s Seat; Sir Thomas Kyriell, to the Place of the Earl of Shrewsbury; and the Lord Wenlock, to the Stall of Viscount Beaumont. But King Henry VIII. thinking it requisite for the Sovereign of this most Noble Order, to be impowered by a General, how to Act that at Pleasure, which the former Sovereigns did not, but by the Power of particular Acts, or Orders, in the Chapter; after he had confirmed the ancient Law of succeeding in the Stall of the immediate Predecessor, and not to suffer an alteration without the Sovereign’s Licence, in the next Article he established this Privilege upon Himself and Successors: That if there were any Place or Stall void, the Sovereign, at his own Pleasure, might Advance and Translate any Knight of the Society into the void Stall, so that it were higher than that, wherein he sate before.
This in Effect did vacat the ancient Law of succeeding in Stalls, though at the same Time he seem’d to Confirm it to the Knights-Subjects, for afterwards Translations preceeding to Installations, became so frequent, that the Right an elect Knight had to his Predecessor’s Stall, was seldom enjoyed. However, hereby he confirmed a Power to gratify such of the Knights-Companions, as he shou’d think fit to advance, without having recourse to a Chapter; and from hence began the Custom to Issue out Warrants, under the Sovereign’s Sign Manual, for the Translation of Stalls, and consequently the alteration and removal of such of the Knights-Companions Helms, Crests, Banners, and Plates, who shou’d receive a higher Exaltation.
Besides the Power established upon the Sovereigns of this most Noble Order, of translating Stalls, when a vacancy happened, they farther added this larger Prerogative: That the Sovereign, once in his Life, might, if it pleased him, make a general Translation of all the Stalls at his Pleasure, except of Emperors, Kings, Princes, and Dukes, who shou’d keep their Stalls and Places, unless advanced to a higher Room and Stall. In which Translation, the long continuance in the Order, and the Praises, Worthiness, and Merits of the Knights-Companions, were to be considered and remembred.
But this Branch of the Sovereign’s Prerogative, as far as we can find, was never put in Execution, though the Translation, Anno 27 Henry VIII. border’d something upon it, perhaps lest it might raise too great Feuds among the Knights-Subjects; forasmuch as that of translating only, (when there happened a vacancy,) begot great Emulations, which at length introduced a Change, to which we shall pass, after we have taken notice of a Clause added in the twenty second Article of King Henry VIII’s Statutes, relating to Princes.
It is observable the ancient Law of succeeding in Stalls, in relation to them, was wholly altered. For King Henry VIII. upon the Establishment of his Body of Statutes, not only appointed those Strangers, then present of the Order, to be seated next himself; but that all Emperors, Kings, and Princes, should hold their Stalls after their Estates, and the very next unto the Sovereign, tho’ Knights-Subjects, upon vacancy, become removable at Pleasure.
For this reason, the Emperor Maximilian II. and after him Rudolph II. his Son, had the Prince’s Stalls assigned them after their Election into the Order; and several of the Kings of France were placed in the next below, being the second on the Sovereign’s side. And when there chanced to be more than one King at a time in the Order, the second Stall on the Prince’s side was assigned him; for Precedency was measured now by Dignity and State, and not by the Antiquity of the Order; As appears from the King of Bohemia, Anno 19 Henry VIII. and the King of Spain, Anno 8 Elizabeth, Princes Strangers, according to their regality, and illustrious extraction, had their Scituation next to Kings, as is manifest from the Dukes of Savoy, Montmorency, and Holstein, Anno 3 Elizabeth, and Frederick Prince Palatine, and Maurice Prince of Orange, Anno 11 Jac. I.
But notwithstanding these Assignments of Stalls to Strangers, they were nevertheless subject to removal, sometimes to Stalls higher than their own, upon the Death of a Stranger, who died possessed of a superior one; and sometimes again to others lower, for the advancing a Knight of greater Degree and Distinction, where the upper Stalls were already supplied; else they could not be so ranked, according to their respective Quality, as the Statutes enjoyn; nor indeed wou’d any Stranger King have accepted of an Election, unless he was placed in a distinguishable Stall, suitable to his Dignity. Ferdinand, Emperor of Germany, is an instance of Advancement in translation of Stalls; for after the Death of the Emperor Charles V. his Brother, he was advanced from the second Stall on the Prince’s side, into the Prince’s Stall. And Henry IV. of France, from the second on the Sovereign’s side, to the Prince’s Stall, and Christierne IV. King of Denmark, Anno 9 Jac. I.