The House of Hanover: Difference between revisions

{{Useful Notes}}

 

Originated from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (also known as Hanover, the largest city in it), in what is now essentially the [[The Sixteen Lands of Deutschland|German state of Lower Saxony]].

 

 

George I (German: ''Georg'') did not become King of Great Britain and Ireland until the age of 54, and had possibly less interest in ruling the country than any other actual monarch before or since. During his early life, he'd served in a couple of wars that had expanded the Holy Roman Empire, married his first cousin. She later cheated on him. Her lover was killed, possibly with George's knowledge and she was placed in a [[Luxury Prison Suite]].

George, not having been anywhere near close to succeeding to the British throne until during his late forties, did not speak English, found communication with his British ministers difficult, and generally preferred Hanover to Britain anyway. Therefore, during his reign, Parliament became the dominant body in British government and the first "Prime Minister" (a title not yet in formal existence) emerged, Robert Walpole.

 

Proving that speculation is nothing new...

 

 

George was often ridiculed in England for his wooden mannerisms and supposed inability to speak English (he handled royal business in French, and may have picked up the language later in life), but by and large, contemporary accounts held him to be a better choice than the Stuarts.

 

 

Perhaps best known for the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 when Bonnie Prince Charlie marched a Scottish army as far as Derby before turning back and being defeated at Culloden.

 

 

Eventually living to the age of 77, George became at this point the longest-lived monarch the land had ever seen. As holder of this record he was succeeded, as on the throne, by:

 

 

 

{{quote|''"I glory in the name of Britain"''.}}

 

A perhaps atypically-successful family man for a British monarch, George and his queen Charlotte had a happy marriage (despite first meeting only on their wedding day, when he was already King) and 15 children, of whom eleven lived to the age of at least 60. A man of great personal piety (spending hours in prayer daily) and morality (never taking a [[The Mistress|mistress]] and abhorring [[Really Gets Around|the habits]] of his brothers and, later, his sons), he is generally remembered as a good king in Britain (the Americans [[The American Revolution|have another perspective]], but even then most historians believe him to be [[Misblamed]]). It's worth noting that after the USA achieved independence, he commented that "I was the last person to consent to the separation [of America and Britain], but I will be the first to accept the friendship of the United States as an independent power." He opposed Catholic Emancipation, but only because he believed it would violate the coronation oath he took to 'defend the (Protestant) faith'. Alas, he is also remembered for going quite insane (probably due to porphyria), leading to...

 

 

In 1811, it was thought best that His Majesty, having gone completely cuckoo (this was not the first time, mind), should be quietly removed from power. His son, the Prince of Wales (Prinny), took over and was the nominal monarch for the next nine years. (It should be noted that from the Civil War onwards, Parliament had been growing in power - over the last century or so it had blossomed. Prinny, thankfully, did not have all that much power.)

The setting of a million historical romance novels. It's something about the tight trousers.

 

 

Prinny officially got the job in 1820. Once known as the First Gentleman of Europe, he had largely degenerated into an obese [[Dirty Old Man]] whose main preoccupation was depriving his wife, Caroline, of her rights as queen. His daughter and heir, Charlotte, had died in childbirth in 1817, so at least part of his reign was spent watching his brothers scramble to produce a viable heir of the next generation.

 

The only other remotely noteworthy aspect of George IV's reign was his about-face on the Catholic Question: after being very supportive of Catholic emancipation earlier in his life (and secretly marrying one), George publicly announced his opposition to the Catholic Relief Act of 1829 (which gave Catholics the vote). Fortunately, Parliament forced it through anyway.

 

 

 

"Sailor Billy", as he was known, was actually the third son of George III (the second son [[wikipedia:Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany|Frederick, or the literal Grand Old Duke of York]], had died some years previously) and, as such, originally went into the Navy. William was notorious for his casual manners, not to mention that he preferred to walk rather than take the royal carriage anywhere. He shocked society by openly living with his mistress and acknowledging her children - one of whom was the maternal ancestor of future Prime Minister [[David Cameron]]. In his youth, he also sparked political controversy by attacking government policy in the House of Lords, in which he was entitled to sit as the Duke of Clarence; while no-one could have predicted he would become King years later, it did not seem appropriate for a royal.

 

 

William IV is of interest for another reason - he remains the last British monarch to actually use his "reserve powers" without the permission of Parliament, in this case appointing a Prime Minister against their will. This wasn't the flourish of remaining monarchical authority it seemed, though, since he actually didn't do this on his own steam but in response to a request from other powerful political figures. Even in the 19th century, the political fuss this act caused showed just how much the reality of the monarch as 'ruler' had been shattered.

 

 

 

* ''[[The Madness of King George]]''

* ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]''

 

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