royal touch royal touch known king touch form laying hands french english monarchs touch subjects regardless social classes intent cure diseases conditions touch commonly applied people suffering better known exclusively 16th century onwards disease rarely resulted death went giving impression monarch touch cured claimed power notably exercised monarchs sought demonstrate legitimacy reign newly founded origins kings queens england kings france christian rulers claimed divine gift cure touching special thought evidence god high esteem agreed predecessors ability conferred england said monarch possess healing power royal touch french normally traced origins monarchs divine gift philip denied royal touch insisted english monarch claim ability henry touching politically influenced imitation gift granted exclusively french monarchs physician claimed king touched argued probably scholars notably agree french practice likely originated earliest direct evidence royal touch england financial records dating reign edward edward arrive england custom giving penny patient established suggesting practice dated reign father known insisting arbitrary decisions loved public displays pious beloved brother law makes likely introduced practice england england henry successors consider royal touch fundamental reducing application ritual remained marginal aspect 17th century appeal grew unprecedented proportions suddenly object scrutiny literature reign monarchs presented gold medal known touch piece hung subject neck reverse medal depicted ship showed michael dragon led medal popularly referred angel instructed wear medal constantly ensure success treatment people embraced notion royal touch medals simply eager obtain medal sold market procedure henry vii tudor english throne preoccupied reign firmly established procedure relying heavily precedent set predecessors consisted distinct elements monarch touched alternatively face neck infected person monarch hung medal person neck passages gospel mark gospel john read mark contains themes confirm monarchs immunity infectious diseases shall drink deadly thing shall hurt shall lay hands sick shall recover mark prayers offered english reformation prayers addressed god saints touch originally meant cure commonly referred reign elizabeth touch applied people suffering practice rarely modified changes minor elizabeth sign cross infected person head successor james motions instead actually touching frequency ritual normally performed easter cold weather likely contract disease infected subject believed treatment likely successful performed holy day english monarchs generally touched frequently french counterparts edward touched people annually touch frequent military campaigns abroad immediate successors followed similar pattern touched seven infected people annually intervals lasting years perform ritual henry_viii touched people early january late december protestant apparently perform ritual catholic mary took somewhat seriously early reign protestant elizabeth reluctant participate ritual probably doubted resumed practice roman_catholic_church alleged lost healing power elizabeth decisively role healing surgeon asserted royal touch proved legitimacy claimed elizabeth heal foreigners citing example strictly protestant james wished end practice found having touch increasing number people practice spread scotland james reigned resided scots started believing king king england possessed ability heal charles issued plenty attempt growing public demand december touched people palace frequency ritual reached climax reign charles_ii english monarch applied royal touch french kings people touched annually skeptical ritual deposed refused considered subject asked touch william said god grant better health better sense anne reintroduced practice soon ascended touching people october december took seriously day march performed ritual time people anne touched day george permanently discontinued practice exiled heirs claimed ability physician sir praised george abandoning insignificant ceremony believed plot glorious revolution subsequent abandonment idea divine right kings rendered royal touch unnecessary means proving monarch legitimacy reports touch rebuffed contributor throne little pious prove divine right crown act noble principles want support throne ceremony finally disappeared book common prayer france late middle ages royal touch integral coronation french monarch rite included king hands believed ability cure coronation immediately followed journey site shrine patron saint people pilgrimage completed newly crowned king deemed possess sacred power touch deathbed reportedly instructed son heir healing touch king sought demonstrate shared powers sovereign cousins ancestors proving rightful heir touched people january june come brittany boasted dead french monarchs heal believed 16th century healing power retained arm preserved order touched french king people traveled far present day italy spain 13th century foreigners ranked specific order spanish taking precedence king subjects coming wars religion idea royal touch promoted power monarchy ceremony seldom performed 16th century french wars religion conditions helped spread interest disease steadily increased started propaganda claiming unable heal touch assassination accession protestant henry league warned god gift french accepted protestant sovereign cured converting catholicism establishing authority hailed kingdom french throne decided advantage ability attributed predecessors use confirm legitimacy reign situation crowned cathedral visit shrine maintained royal touch handed predecessors god grace ability conferred rite coronation henry decided exhibit divine gift immediately coronation february instead decided save element entry paris march weeks event easter henry exercised healing power time determined skepticism ritual fearing cast doubt sincerity conversion decision practice served visual evidence subjects god approved reign royal physicians witnessed ceremonies insisted half people touched healed days ceremonies took place cities times year easter saints day christmas touched persons complained hours long ceremony exhausted continued practice consistently gave impression concern subjects ceremony performed presence princes blood physicians presented henry patients proceeded sign cross subject touched subject king touches god french roy decline practice actively took touching ceremonies touched people wrote lost confidence royal touch hearing mistress died despite touched king sentence king touching infected changed hopeful king touches god heal french roy new formula implying god inevitably grant monarch wish prayer result cure skeptical royal touch performed early reign caused scandal failed summon touched custom suspended years revived coronation june touching people probably time touched coronation touched subjects royal touch employed legacy comparisons royal touch healing power attributed european rulers members believed able cure mouth kiss medieval monarchs reputed possess ability demons making sign cross calling god hungarian counterparts supposedly cured similarly english monarchs distributed rings said cure early form introduced england reign george definite end royal touch kingdom royal family strongly supported controversial medically politically medicine historian described whig equivalent stuart practice touching divine powers based hereditary right deployed natural powers man monarch participant scholars held different opinions royal touch ranging 19th early 20th century sympathetic treatment whig politician lord ridiculed absurd pre age medicine professor sir published study revealing fascination dubious exotic practice study french historian followed practice agreed lord assessment grounded form mass recently historians avoided popularity royal touch masses british historian discussed royal touch context religion magic colleague attributes survival practice 18th century notion divine right kings
Royal touch