The House of Hanover: Difference between revisions

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 II (1727-1760)'''

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.

'''George IV (1820-1830)'''

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.

'''William IV (1830-7)'''

"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.

William IV outlived both of his legitimate children, so when he died, the Crown came to his niece, Victoria. Her reign was long and eventful; she became both the longest-lived British sovereign (the third time this had occurred in the last five monarchs), still outlived only by the present Queen Elizabeth II, and remains the longest-reigning monarch in British history. See [[Queen Vicky]], [[Victorian Britain]], and [[Victorian London]] for more on this period. Her eldest son, Edward VII, marked the beginning of The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (from the surname of Prince Albert), known today as [[The House of Windsor]].