House of Hanover

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Template:House of Hanover The House of Hanover (the Hanoverians) were a German royal dynasty which succeeded the House of Stuart as kings of Great Britain in 1714. They also ruled Hanover in Germany, their original possession. They are sometimes referred to as the House of Brunswick, Hanover line. The House of Hanover is a younger branch of the House of Welf, which in turn is a branch of the House of Este.

1 History
2 Trivia
3 Further reading
4 See also
5 External links

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History

George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, is considered the first member of the House of Hanover. When the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg was divided in 1635, George inherited the principalities of Calenberg and Göttingen, and in 1636 he moved his residence to Hanover. His son, Duke Ernest Augustus, was elevated to prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire in 1692. Ernest Augustus' wife, Sophia, was declared heiress of the throne of Great Britain by the Act of Settlement of 1701, which decreed Roman Catholics could not accede to the throne. Their son, George I — who would otherwise have been the 52nd in line to the throne — became the first British monarch of the House of Hanover. <ref>Picknett, Lynn, Prince, Clive, Prior, Stephen & Brydon, Robert (2002). War of the Windsors: A Century of Unconstitutional Monarchy, p. 13. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 1-84018-631-3.</ref>

The dynasty provided six British monarchs:

Of the Kingdom of Great Britain:

George I (r. 1714-1727)
George II (r. 1727-1760)
George III (r. 1760-1820)<ref>The Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland merged in 1801 forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.</ref>

Of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland:

George I, George II, and George III also served as electors and dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, informally called electors of Hanover (see Personal union). Beginning in 1814, when Hanover was made into a kingdom, the British monarch served jointly as king of Hanover. The thrones of the United Kingdom and Hanover diverged in 1837 as the throne of Hanover, unlike that of the U.K., was under the Salic law, and so did not pass to Queen Victoria and instead passed to her uncle, the Duke of Cumberland. <ref>Picknett, Prince, Prior & Brydon, pp. 13, 14.</ref>

When Victoria died, the name of the Royal House changed to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, after her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, as her son, Edward VII took the surname of his father. <ref>Picknett, Prince, Prior & Brydon, p. 14.</ref>

After the death of William IV, the following kings of Hanover continued the dynasty:

Ernest Augustus I (r. 1837-1851)
George V (r. 1851-1866)

The Kingdom of Hanover came to an end in 1866 when it was annexed by Prussia. The later heads of the House of Hanover were:

George V (1866-1878)
Ernest Augustus, 3rd Duke of Cumberland (1878-1923)
Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1923-1953)
Ernest Augustus IV, Prince of Hanover (1953-1987)
Ernest Augustus V, Prince of Hanover (1987-present)

In 1884, the senior branch of the House of Welf became extinct. The House of Hanover, as the only surviving branch, inherited the Duchy of Brunswick, but was kept from taking rule until 1913, when Ernest Augustus III ascended and ruled until monarchy was abolished in 1918. Under Salic law, the current head of the House is Ernest Augustus V, Prince of Hanover, known for his marriage to Caroline, Princess of Hanover.

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Trivia

The streets of Brisbane's Central Business District are named after members of the House of Hanover. Streets running parallel with Queen Street are named for female members, with streets running perpendicular named after male members.

Hanover Square in downtown New York City is also named for the family, as is the province of New Brunswick in Canada, and several other towns in the eastern United States and Canada.

It is also that Adelaide in Australia is named after Adelaide, the consort wife of William IV, thus after a member of the House of Guelph.

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