House of Hanover
| House of Hanover | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Hannover COA.png Armorial of Hannover | |||
| Country | Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, United Kingdom, Kingdom of Hanover | ||
| Parent house | House of Welf | ||
| Titles | |||
| Founder | Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg | ||
| Current head | Ernst August, Prince of Hanover | ||
| Founding year | 1679 | ||
| Ethnicity | Lombardic, German (see details) | ||
The House of Hanover is a royal and noble house founded in the 17th century by Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose father George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg from the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg had moved his family seat to Leineschloss, Hanover in 1636. Their paternal ancestors are thought to have been Lombards in origin, as they descend from the famous and ancient Welf dynasty who historically provided Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Germany. The Hanoverians continues to this day, with Ernst August, Prince of Hanover as their head, although he no longer sits on the throne. Today the head of the House of Hanover is also the head of the entire Welf dynasty.
History
Due to the Act of Settlement 1701 which excluded Catholics from the throne, George I, who had fought at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, as the nearest Protestant successor, became the first Hanovarian monarch of Great Britain and Ireland in 1714. Due to unfamiliarity with British culture, the first monarch was fairly unpopular and also had to contend with Jacobite risings from legitimists. On the side of Prussia, the Seven Years' War with Bourbon France gained New France, Bengal and Florida for Hanoverian Britain. The anthem God Save the King was adopted in the reign of George II.
The reign of George III and his Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger was highly eventful. The modern United Kingdom was founded by a union of Great Britain and Ireland. Much of North America was lost with the advent of the Revolution in America, which led to the founding of the United States.
In Europe, following the Revolution in France a series of conflicts took place which eventually ended with the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815. The reign of George III also saw the king move closer to the Tories, rather than the Whigs who were largely responsible for bringing them to the throne originally.
After the death of William IV whose reign saw several reforms, the personal union between Britain and Hanover was broken due to the latter's succession laws. Queen Victoria became British monarch, while her uncle Ernest Augustus I became the Hanoverian monarch. The Victorian era saw arguably the peak of the British Empire, known as the Pax Britannica, with Victoria herself crowned Empress of India. After her death, the British crown passed to the Windors, a branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
Hanover's kingdom was annexed by Prussia during the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. They later inherited the Duchy of Brunswick, but Prussian obstruction meant they had to wait until 1913 before Ernest Augustus became Duke of Brunswick and by 1918 the monarchy was abolished.
List of monarchs
Kings of Great Britain and Ireland, Elector of Hanover
| Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:George I of Great Britain.png | George I of Great Britain | 1 August 1714 | 11 June 1727 | Act of Settlement 1701 as closest Protestant heir, son of Sophia of Hanover, who was the granddaughter of James I of England. |
| File:George II of Great Britain.png | George II of Great Britain | 11 June 1727 | 25 October 1760 | son of George I of Great Britain. |
Kings of the United Kingdom, Kings of Hanover
| Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:George III of the United Kingdom.png | George III of the United Kingdom | 25 October 1760 | 29 January 1820 | son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, grandson of George II of Greart Britain. |
| File:George IV of the United Kingdom.png | George IV of the United Kingdom | 29 January 1820 | 26 June 1830 | son of George III of the United Kingdom. |
| File:William IV of the United Kingdom.png | William IV of the United Kingdom | 26 June 1830 | 20 June 1837 | brother of George IV of the United Kingdom, son of George III of the United Kingdom. |
Queen of the United Kingdom, Empress of India
| Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Victoria of the United Kingdom.png | Victoria of the United Kingdom | 20 June 1837 | 22 January 1901 | daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, niece of William IV of the United Kingdom. |
Kings of Hanover
| Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Ernest Augustus I of Hanover.png | Ernest Augustus I of Hanover | 20 June 1837 | 18 November 1851 | brother of William IV of the United Kingdom, son of George III of the United Kingdom. |
| File:George V of Hanover.png | George V of Hanover | 18 November 1851 | 12 June 1878 | son of Ernest Augustus I of Hanover. |
