HARK! THE HERALDS FROM THE KING

Coronations being so scripted and tradition-bound, it was often not until the next major gathering of the court - usually the Christmas immediately following a coronation - that the monarch had the opportunity to flex his or her muscles in a manner that would define the style of his or her reign.

Of course, for William the Conqueror, the distinction was moot, but he chose another English Christmas court in which to announce one of the most profound and far-reaching decisions of his reign. In 1085 at Gloucester, the Bastard commissioned England's first nation-wide census of all landowners and their holdings, a work of mammoth scope known to history as the Domesday Book.

For Henry III, the wait between his coronation at age nine and his first official Christmas as an adult monarch must have seemed insufferably long. Despite the sensible guidance of his Protector, William Marshal, discontent and political sniping was rampant at court in the days preceding Christmas 1223. At Northampton, young Henry took matters in his own hands, finally assuming possession of the royal seal and declaring himself to be the true and total king. He arrived at the castle on December 23, according to a contemporary source, with "so many bishops, earls, barons and armed knights, neither in the days of the (king's) father, nor afterwards, is such a feast known to be celebrated in England." The rumblings were quieted - if only for a very brief time.

Not surprisingly, the religious controversies of the day took center-stage during Elizabeth's first Christmas at Whitehall in 1558. Despite specific orders by the queen to the contrary, the Bishop of Carlisle proceeded to elevate the Host during celebration of the Mass, a symbol of transubstantiation, which Protestants found distasteful. The new queen stormed from her chapel rather than be subjected to papist customs. Two days later, she issued her first proclamation on religious matters, declaring that specific parts of the mass be spoken in English (rather than Latin), and banning all sermons until parliament could further address the issue.