George V of Hanover
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George V, King of Hanover and 2nd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, Georg Friedrich Alexander Karl Ernst August (27 May 1819 – 12 June 1878) was the only son of Ernst August I, King of Hanover and 1st Duke of Cumberland (fifth son of King George III of the United Kingdom) and his wife Princess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was a first cousin of Queen Victoria. He was the last sovereign ruler of the Kingdom of Hanover and descendant of the German branch of the House of Hanover.
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[edit] Early life
His Royal Highness Prince George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus, KG, was born in Berlin. Originally styled Prince George of Cumberland, he spent his childhood in Berlin and in Britain. He lost the sight of one eye during a childhood illness, and the other in an accident in 1833. His uncle, King William IV, created him a Knight of the Garter on 15 August 1835.
[edit] Crown Prince
Upon the death of William IV and the ascension of Queen Victoria, the 123-year personal union of the British and Hanoverian thrones ended because of the operation of Salic Law in the German states. The Duke of Cumberland succeeded to the Hanoverian throne as King Ernst August I and Prince George of Cumberland became the Crown Prince of Hanover. As a legitimate male-line descendant of George III, he remained a member of the British Royal Family and was second in line to the British throne until the birth of Queen Victoria's first child, Victoria, Princess Royal, in 1840. Being totally blind there were doubts whether the Crown Prince was qualified to succeed to the government of Hanover; but his father decided that he should do so.
[edit] King of Hanover
The Crown Prince succeeded his father as the King of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, as well as Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (in the Peerage of Great Britain) and Earl of Armagh (in the Peerage of Ireland), on 18 November 1851, assuming the style George V. From his father and from his maternal uncle, Prince Charles Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1785—1837), one of the most influential men at the Prussian court, George had learned to take a very high and autocratic view of royal authority. During his fifteen-year reign, he engaged in frequent disputes with the Hanoverian Landtag (parliament). Having supported Austria in the Diet of the German Confederation in June 1866, he refused, contrary to the wishes of his parliament, to assent to the Prussian demand that Hanover should observe an unarmed neutrality during the Austro-Prussian War. As a result, the Prussian army occupied Hanover and the Hanoverian army surrendered on 29 June 1866, the king and royal family having fled to Austria. The Prussian government formally annexed Hanover on 20 September, but the deposed king never renounced his rights to the throne nor acknowledged Prussia's actions. From exile in Gmunden, Austria, he appealed in vain for the European great powers to intervene on behalf of Hanover.
The king supported industrial development. In 1856 the "Georgs-Marien-Bergwerks- und Hüttenverein" was founded which was named after him and his wife. The company erected an iron and steel works which gave the city Georgsmarienhütte it's name.
[edit] Marriage
George married, on 18 February 1843, at Hanover, Her Highness Princess (Alexandrine) Marie of Saxe-Altenburg (14 April 1818-9 January 1907), the eldest daughter of Josef, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, by his wife Duchess Amelia of Württemburg.
[edit] Later life
King George V died in Paris in June 1878. He was buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
[edit] Titles, Styles, Honours & Arms
[edit] Titles
- 1819-1837: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cumberland
- 1837-1851: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Hanover
- 1851-1878: His Majesty The King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale
[edit] Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Augustus II of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland | 21 September 1845 | 14 November 1923 | married Her Royal Highness Princess Tyra of Denmark; had issue |
| Princess Frederica of Hanover | 9 January 1848 | 16 October 1926 | married Alfons, Baron von Pawel-Rammingen; had issue |
| Princess Marie of Hanover | 3 December 1849 | 4 June 1904 |
[edit] See also
| House of Hanover Born: 27 May 1819 Died: 12 June 1878 |
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|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ernest Augustus I |
King of Hanover 1851-1866 |
Succeeded by Kingdom abolished |
| Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale 1851-1878 |
Succeeded by Ernst Augustus II |
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| * NOT REIGNING * King of Hanover (1866-1878) |
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Ernest Augustus II of Hanover (1878-1919) · George V of Hanover (1851-1878) · Ernest Augustus I of Hanover (1771-1851) · Prince Henry Frederick (1766-1790) · Prince William Augustus (1726-1765) · George of Denmark (1683-1708) · Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1644-1682)
