The Guelphs take Britain's throne

A German on the British throne? Today unthinkable. But that was possible a good 300 years ago. Georg Ludwig, then Elector of Hanover, was crowned King of Great Britain on October 20, 1714. The ceremony for George I, as he now called himself, took place in London's Westminster Abbey.

Blood and religion determine the line of succession

The fact that the rulers from the Lower Saxon provinces became masters of a world empire was due to a chain of traditional connections, rules of succession and destiny. Three kingdoms existed in the British Isles in the late 17th century:England, Wales and Scotland. England, which successfully traded with overseas colonies, dominated economically and culturally. London rose to become the most important banking center in the world.

In 1707 Scotland gave in to pressure from England and both kingdoms were united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. The first common queen was the English ruler Anne Stuart, who took the title from her deceased brother-in-law Wilhelm III. had inherited. Now Scotland and England had to agree on a common regulation on the succession to the throne. Since, despite numerous pregnancies and births, no child of Queen Anne survived, the English Parliament chose Sophie von der Pfalz as his successor - the last granddaughter of King James I of the House of Stuart. Not only the blood relationship played a role, but also the religion. Although there would have been closer relatives, they were Catholic. However, it was imperative that the new queen be Protestant in order to limit the influence of Catholics in England.

The connection to Hanover is active

With this election, the connection to the ancient noble family of the Guelphs was created, because Sophie's husband was Ernst August, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1660 their first son was born, Georg Ludwig, who later ascended the British throne. After the death of his father in 1698, he inherited numerous estates, resided in the Leine Castle in Hanover, today's state parliament building, and at his summer residence in Herrenhausen.

Two crucial deaths

In 1714 events came to a head. Sophie von der Pfalz, also known as Sophie von Hannover, died in Hanover in June. Her claim to the British throne passed to her son Georg Ludwig. A few weeks later, the predictable event occurred:The Queen of Great Britain, Anne Stuart, died without leaving an heir to the throne. Now the power-political foresight of the English Parliament, which had enacted the "Act of Settlement" in 1701, which regulated the succession to the throne, was evident. It stipulates that only Protestant descendants of the House of Stuart are entitled to the English throne. After the death of his mother, only Georg Ludwig from the House of Guelphs fulfilled these conditions. The great majority of the Stuarts were Catholics.

Power and influence for more than 100 years

This began an era of Guelphs on the British throne that lasted 123 years. The family from Lower Saxony presented five kings. Wilhelm IV died on June 20, 1837 without leaving a male heir to the throne. This ended the personal union, because unlike in Great Britain, according to the rules of inheritance of the Welfs in Hanover, no woman could succeed to the throne. The new queen became 18-year-old Viktoria, daughter of Wilhelm's brother Eduard August, who died in 1820. She brought the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to great power and established the Victorian era. Viktoria married her cousin Albert from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, which later renamed itself Windsor and is still at the head of the monarchy in Great Britain.

And in Hanover? While King George I often traveled to Hanover and took care of official business as elector, his successors mostly stayed in London. Business at home was run by high officials. It was only after the death of Wilhelm IV that Queen Victoria's uncle, Ernst August, ascended the throne in Hanover and ruled from there.