The Edward VIII abdication crisis occurred in the British Empire in 1936, when the desire of King-Emperor Edward VIII to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite, caused a constitutional crisis. The marriage was opposed by the King's governments in the United Kingdom and the Dominions. Religious, legal, political, and moral objections were raised. Mrs Simpson was perceived to be an unsuitable consort because of her two failed marriages, and it was widely assumed by the Establishment that she was driven by love of money or position rather than love for the King. Despite the opposition, Edward declared that he loved Mrs Simpson and intended to marry her whether the governments approved or not. The widespread unwillingness to accept Mrs Simpson as the King's consort, and the King's refusal to give her up, led to Edward's abdication on 11 December 1936. He was succeeded by his brother Albert as George VI. Edward was given the title His Royal Highness the Duke of Windsor following his abdication, and he married Mrs Simpson the following year. They remained married until his death 35 years later.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII_abdication_crisis> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1626: Director-General of New Netherland Peter Minuit bought Manhattan from Native Americans in exchange for trade goods valued at 60 guilders. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Minuit> 1738: At a Moravian Church meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, John Wesley experienced a spiritual rebirth, leading him to launch the Methodist movement. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley> 1822: Ecuadorian War of Independence: Troops led by Antonio José de Sucre secured the independence of Quito from Spain at the Battle of Pichincha. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pichincha> 1883: New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, at the time the longest suspension bridge in the world, was opened. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge> 1956: The first ever competition of the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest> 1988: Section 28 of the United Kingdom Local Government Act of 1988, an amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, was enacted, generating so much controversy that it was eventually repealed fifteen years later. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: heuristic (adj): 1. Relating to general strategies or methods for solving problems. 2. Of a method that is not certain to arrive at an optimal solution <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heuristic> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Every failure is a step to success. Every detection of what is false directs us towards what is true: every trial exhausts some tempting form of error. --William Whewell <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Whewell> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
