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The Hanoverians
The Hanoverians
Royal Pavillion, Brighton
The Hanoverian monarchs, installed by Parliament, where power now rested, settled into their increasingly ceremonial role. George the First was 52nd in line to the throne, but he was the nearest protestant to the throne following the death of Queen Anne, the last safely protestant Stuart available. George the First began a period of relative stability for Britain, a stability enhanced by the longevity of the Hanoverian kings. From 1714 to 1832 there were only five kings, and one of those, George the Third, remains the longest living king in British history. Then after William the Fourth's short reign, Victoria continued this stability with a reign of sixty four years, from 1837 until 1901, the longest reign of any British monarch. This stability, might ironically have contributed to one of the most profound changes the country has ever gone through, the transformation of the Industrial Revolution.
This was the period of Empire, and yet it was ironically the time when British people began to discover their own country. Until now most trips people took outside their immediate area were either pilgrimages or journeys made necessary by work. From the late 1700s tourism within the UK began, with guide books on Scotland, Wales and the Lake District selling in huge quantities. This was the age of the Romantic movement in literature where nature and man's relationship with it became a central concern. Because man's influence over nature had become so all-pervasive people were no longer frightened of nature, and travelled long distances to see what they began to consider to be beautiful, natural scenery. Windsor Great Park was created for the Hanoverian kings, a vast park land area that appeared natural but was nevertheless carefully planned and managed. Regent's Park, Green Park and St James's Park were all remodelled by John Nash in the same way. The Industrial Revolution was now well underway and parks became idealised refuges of countryside in the new towns and cities.
The Hanoverians had their huge park in which to enjoy themselves, but from the beginning Parliament was in charge. Sir Robert Walpole, known as Britain first "Prime Minister" dominated government from 1720 until 1742. George the First was German, spoke little English, did not understand British government, and so was forced to defer to ministers. His son, George the Second had similarly little influence, but he was the last monarch to fight alongside his soldiers, at the Battle of Dettingen in Germany, against the French. George the Second's reign saw the deposed Stuart line attempting to win back the throne. Prince Charles, "Bonnie Prince Charlie", grandson of James the Second, was defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which put an end to the hopes of the Stuarts.
George the Third was perhaps the most energetic of the Georgian kings. He read all government papers, and sometimes annoyed ministers by taking such an interest in government business. This was not his job. George the Third is sometimes remembered as the king who lost the American colonies, but he did not develop any of the policies that led to the American War of Independence and the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Parliament did this. Nevertheless the force of George's personality meant that on occasion his political influence was real: he was able to bring about the resignation of Pitt the Younger in 1801 following a dispute over the granting of full civil rights to Roman Catholics. George took his oath to Defend the Faith, the Protestant faith, seriously.
Kew Palace
In the last decade of his life George the Third was mentally unfit to rule, suffering from what some medical historians believe was a blood disorder called porphyria. He spent much of his time at Kew Palace in Kew Gardens, where the history of this sad time in his life can be explored. His eldest son acted as Prince Regent from 1811, and became George the Fourth on his father's death in 1820. George the Fourth lacked the political influence of his father, illustrated by the fact that much against his will, Roman Catholics were finally granted the civil rights that his father had blocked. George the Fourth spent much of his reign eating, womanising, collecting works of art, and directing grand building schemes. He had the fantastical Royal Pavilion built in Brighton, and to a large extent transformed Windsor Castle into the building we see today.
Natural History Museum
George the Fourth's reign was followed by the short reign of William the Fourth, who fully accepted a more limited monarchy: "I have my view of things, and I tell them to my ministers. If they do not adopt them I cannot help it. I have done my duty." William was succeeded by Victoria in 1837. Victoria took the throne in the same year as that the social commentator Malthus died. Victoria and the Prime Minister Lord Melbourne looked into a frightening future where Malthus had predicted a dark fate of human population growth outstripping the ability to supply food. Charles Darwin was aboard HMS Beagle even as the coronation took place, and later in Victoria's reign the full force of his ideas would become apparent. The Industrial Revolution was changing the world. Through the fears and upheavals of this time the monarch as a symbol of stability was to give reassurance. Victoria was not a great intellect, which in reality suited her for the limited role she had to play. Her husband, Prince Albert Saxe Coburg und Gotha, was, however, a genuinely intelligent and cultured man. The marriage took place at St James's Palace in 1840, and the writer Stanley Weintraub has said that Prince Albert's virtue "was indeed appalling; not a single vice redeemed it." (Albert, Uncrowned King P6) Albert, realising that the symbolic role of the royal family could be combined with social leadership, was a major driving force behind the Great Exhibition of 1851. This event which took place in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park was a huge success. The profits went into building a great cultural complex in south Kensington which people continue to enjoy today - Imperial College, the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Royal Albert Hall. He also directed the building of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, and Balmoral in Scotland, two places where the new public monarchs could have some time off in beautiful surroundings. While Albert understood the new role of monarchs and worked to do his best within its confines, Victoria still had delusions of grandeur. She tried to influence the selection of prime ministers, but failed. She had an intense dislike for William Gladstone, who was Prime Minister four times between 1868 and 1894. Victoria complained that Gladstone "addresses me as though I were a public meeting." It is sometimes said that Victoria neglected her duties in the middle part of her life, after withdrawing from public view on the early death of Prince Albert in 1861. In reality her retreat following the loss of Albert probably contributed to the survival of the royal family at a time when so many other European monarchs were being overthrown. Her presence in the background was what was needed. A.N Wilson doesn't mince his words in the Victorians:"... the widow of Windsor, living as a virtual recluse for years and performing almost no constitutional function, helped to lead the monarchy into a position where it was not worth abolishing." (P244) Victoria never fully recovered from the death of Albert, and wore black for the rest of her life. It wasn't until the 1870s that Victoria began to resume her public duties, which she continued to the end, visiting Dublin in 1900. Victoria died at her family home, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight in 1901. She was buried at the Royal Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor, alongside her beloved Albert.
Victoria was the last of the Hanoverians. Her eldest son Edward became Edward the Seventh, and took his father's name of Saxe Coburg. He had a racy reputation, indulging in numerous extra marital affairs and being named in a number of divorce cases. He was the antithesis of his domineering mother. Edward ruled only until 1910, when his second son succeeded as George the Fifth. This was the monarch who decided, due to the outbreak of war with Germany, that a German name was not a good idea for the royal family. He made a list of possible alternatives, and settled on Windsor. The royal family has been Windsor ever since.