十八至十九世紀初不列顛王室婚姻與憲政之演變

The Evolution of the Royal Marriages and Constitution in the Eighteenth to Early Nineteenth-Century Britain

本文旨在討論與呈現1760至1830年不列顛王室婚姻與憲政的發展與連繫。1772年，喬治三世因兄弟格洛斯特和愛丁堡公爵威廉之婚姻選擇不當而頒布《王室婚姻法》，從而規限王室成員婚姻與配偶選擇。然而，法案頒布後王室成員的個人行為和婚姻規範是否取得成效？至喬治四世時期，其婚姻選擇造成1820年喬治四世與卡洛琳王后的離婚事件，此事引起不列顛政府、王室與民眾的抨擊；同時讓國內因這起離婚事件分為兩大陣營，對不列顛憲政產生重要影響。本文透過討論與還原這些歷史事件，使我們能重新思考日後不列顛王室婚姻與憲政的緊密關係。

This Article discusses how the royal marriages between 1760 and 1820 affected the development of Constitution in England. In 1772, George the third proposed the Royal Marriage Act due of his two brother's scandalous marriage choices. However, had the members of the royal family changed their behaviours and marriage choices because of the Royal Marriage Act? Despite the Marriage Act, George the fourth had a string of affairs with different women and tried to force the Parliament to pass the Bill of Pains and Penalties in order to seek a divorce with Queen Carloine in 1820, which provoked criticism from the public and further divided the nation. By investigating the historical background of the Royal Marriage Act and the influence it brought to royal marriages. The article aims to further the knowledge of the relationship between Marriage and British Constitution.