The Kings and Queens of England. The Hanoverians, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the house of Windsor
By anastasion
-
George I (1714 -1727)
Son of Sophia and the Elector of Hanover, great-grandson of James I. The 54 year old George arrived in England able to speak only a few words of English with his 18 cooks and 2 mistresses in tow. George spent little time in England – he preferred his beloved Hanover, although he was implicated in the South Sea Bubble financial scandal of 1720. -
George II (1727 – 1760)
Only son of George I. He was more English than his father, but still relied on Sir Robert Walpole to run the country. George was the last English king to lead his army into battle at Dettingen in 1743. He is primarily known for his poor relationship with his father and with his own son and heir, Frederick, Prince of Wales. His reign was also notable as a time of imperial expansion for Britain. -
George III (1760 – 1820)
He was a grandson of George II and the first English-born and English-speaking monarch since Queen Anne. In 1773 the ‘Boston Tea Party’ was the first sign of the troubles that were to come in America. The American Colonies proclaimed their independence on July 4th 1776. George was well meaning but suffered from a mental illness due to intermittent porphyria and eventually became blind and insane. His son ruled as Prince Regent after 1811 until George’s death. -
George IV (1820 – 1830)
Known as the ‘First Gentleman of Europe’. He had a love of art and architecture but his private life was a mess, to put it mildly! He married twice, once in 1785 to Mrs. Fitzherbert, secretly as she was a Catholic, and then in 1795 to Caroline of Brunswick. Mrs. Fitzherbert remained the love of his life. Caroline and George had one daughter, Charlotte in 1796 but she died in 1817. George was considered a great wit, but was also a buffoon and his death was hailed with relief! -
William IV (1830 – 1837)
Known as the ‘Sailor King’, he was the third son of George III. Before his accession he lived with a Mrs. Jordan, an actress, by whom he had ten children. When Princess Charlotte died, he had to marry Adelaide of Saxe-Coburg in 1818 in order to secure the succession. He had two daughters but they did not live. He hated pomp and wanted to dispense with the Coronation. The people loved him because of his lack of pretension. During his reign Britain abolished slavery in the colonies in 1833. -
Victoria (1837 – 1901)
Victoria was the only child of Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Edward Duke of Kent.The throne Victoria inherited was weak and unpopular. In 1840 she married her cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg who exerted tremendous influence over the Queen and until his death was virtual ruler of the country. When Victoria died in 1901, the British Empire and British world power had reached their highest point. She had 9 children, 40 grand-children and 37 great-grandchildren, scattered all over Europe. -
Edward VII (1901 – 1910)
A much loved king, the opposite of his dour father. He loved horse-racing, gambling and women! Edward had all the social graces and many sporting interests. Edward married Alexandra of Denmark in 1863 and they had six children. The eldest, Edward Duke of Clarence, died in 1892 just before he was to marry Princess Mary of Teck. When Edward died in 1910 it is said that Queen Alexandra brought his current mistress Mrs. Keppel to his bedside to take her farewell. -
George V (1910-1936)
When his elder brother died George became the heir-apparent. He married Princess Mary of Teck, his dead brother’s fiancee. His years on the throne were difficult; the First World War and the troubles in Ireland which lead to the creation of the Irish Free State were considerable problems. During his reign women were allowed to vote for the first time. His latter years were overshadowed by his concern about the Prince of Wales and his infatuation with Mrs. Simpson. -
Edward VIII (June 1936 – Dec 1936)
Edward was the most popular Prince of Wales Britain has ever had. Consequently when he renounced the throne to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson the country found it almost impossible to believe. Edward abdicated in favour of his brother and took the title, Duke of Windsor. He went to live abroad. -
George VI (1936-1952)
George was a shy and nervous man with a very bad stutter, the exact opposite of his brother. He was very popular and well loved by the British people. The prestige of the throne was low when he became king, but his wife Elizabeth and his mother Queen Mary were outstanding in their support of him. He became inspirational figures for Britain during World War Two. The monarch visited his armies on several battle fronts. The post-war years of his reign were ones of great social change. -
Elizabeth II (1952 – 2022)
Elizabeth became Britain’s longest serving monarch. She married her cousin Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and they had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. When her father George VI died, Elizabeth became Queen of seven Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka). Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised -
Charles III (2022- )
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles succeeded to throne at the age of 73, taking the title King Charles III, his wife Camilla becoming Queen Consort. Charles is the oldest heir apparent to succeed to the British throne.
