The Hanoverian Succession

The historiography of the Anglo-Hanoverian Personal Union has experienced a remarkable sea change in recent years. Long considered at best a quirk of eighteenth-century dynastic politics and at worst a nuisance that committed Britain to the defence of Hanover when her true interests lay overseas, the Hanoverian succession to the English throne (1714–1837) now appears in a more colourful light. Newer scholarship emphasises not only the multifaceted nature of Anglo-Hanoverian relations in this period but also points to socio-cultural interactions outside the purview of traditional diplomacy, notably in the spheres of religion, the arts and sciences. The high-profile commemorations of the Personal Union’s tercentenary on both sides of the Channel in 2014 has done much, in turn, to bring these cultural transfers to the attention of a wider public. The collection of essays edited by Andreas Gestrich and Michael Schaich forms part of the commemorative wave generated by the tercentenary. Although the subtitle of their volume at first glance promises a rather conventional, elite-focused approach to the subject, the editors in fact aim to illuminate the Georgian monarchy ‘from a slightly different angle’ (p. 6). Their focus rests on the ways in which the Guelphs responded to the challenges arising from the heterogeneity of their territories and the competing claims that were made on them. True to the stated objective, the introduction provides an excellent overview of the relevant scholarship and the contribution that the volume makes to the field. In the next section, Ronald Asch examines the legacy of Stuart kingship while Martin Wrede offers a complementary account of the Guelphs’ skilful exploitation of Austro-French rivalry in the Holy Roman Empire, which facilitated their stellar rise from ducal to electoral and finally royal status at the turn of the eighteenth century. However, Wrede’s contention that the honour of the dynasty was uppermost on their mind remains unsubstantiated. As he himself admits, the senior branch of the family in Brunswick was jealous enough of their Hanoverian cousins to conclude an alliance with France to undermine their elevation to the rank of elector by the Habsburgs. Clearly other factors beside the aggrandisement of dynastic prestige and personal ambition paved the way for the Hanoverian succession

Diplomacy · Elite · Historiography · Monarchy · Political science · Politics · Scholarship · Sociology · Throne · Classics · European Political History Analysis · Historical Economic and Social Studies · History · Law · Scottish History and National Identity