Who is the Hanover family today?
Today, Prince Ernst August of Hanover is the head of the House of Hanover. While the family no longer sits on any nation’s throne, they still maintain a status among European aristocracy and are connected to the British royal family through their ancestor, Queen Victoria.
What ancestry is the House of Hanover?
The House of Hanover has solid German roots, originating from the Electors of Hanover in Lower Saxony, Germany. The family descended from German nobility and gained prominence as rulers in the Holy Roman Empire before ascending to the British throne.
Where was the House of Hanover located?
The House of Hanover was located in the Hanover region in Lower Saxony, Germany. Its members were the Electors of Hanover before gaining the British throne. The family maintained estates and influence in Hanover even after ruling Britain from 1714 until the two crowns separated in 1837.
When did the Hanovers become Windsors?
The Hanovers did not become the Windsors but rather became the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1901 when Queen Victoria died and her son assumed the throne. The name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was changed to Windsor in 1917.
Why did the house change from Hanover to Windsor?
The British House of Hanover did not change from Hanover to Windsor. First, Hanover became Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the German family name of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert. The royal family’s name was changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor by King George V during World War I to distance the family from Germany.
How did Hanover become British?
Hanover became connected to Britain in 1714 when George Louis, the Elector of Hanover, inherited the British throne as King George I after Queen Anne of Britain died without an heir. George was her closest Protestant relative, meeting the requirements of British succession laws.
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Origins of the House of Hanover
The House of Hanover was founded in 1635 in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a territory within the Holy Roman Empire in what is now modern-day Germany. Europe was divided into smaller principalities at the time, each ruled by different noble families. The Hanovers were one such family.
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was the founder of the House of Hanover and played a vital part in establishing the family’s foundations of power. He was the son of William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and his wife, Dorothea of Denmark. His father’s frequent fits of madness in his later rule had weakened the family’s position in the region; George was left to pick up the pieces. As the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, George strengthened his family’s position through his political savvy and several strategic alliances.
Most significantly, George reestablished his family’s influence by securing the Principality of Calenberg during a division of land from the Welf duchy in 1635. He also constructed the Leine Palace and was the first of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg to reside in Hanover proper, thus establishing the official House of Hanover.
The strategic marriages of George’s five children maintained the House of Hanover’s relevance after his death. His heir, Christian Louis, married a noblewoman from the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. His second son married a minor French noblewoman. George’s third and fourth sons married princesses from the House of Palatinate-Simmern, and his daughter married into the Danish royal family.
The duchy was part of the larger Holy Roman Empire, and by carefully managing the land and resources of Brunswick-Lüneburg, George helped the family gain influence in this fragmented but powerful network of principalities.
The Hanoverian Ascent to the British Throne
The House of Hanover gained the British throne in 1714 and ruled the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until 1901, when Queen Victoria, the last of the House of Hanover, died.
George I
In 1714, George I ascended to the British throne thanks to the Act of Settlement (1701), which decreed that only Protestants could inherit the crown, excluding Roman Catholics from the line of succession.[1]
This act favored the Protestant Hanovers over the Catholic House of Stuart by legally barring Catholics, including the Stuart claimants, from inheriting the British throne. George’s arrival on the throne further stoked a religious divide in British politics and maintained Protestant rule for generations.[2]
George faced noteworthy challenges adapting to his new role in Britain. Not only was he not born in England, but he also spoke little English and struggled with British customs and politics. His German upbringing made it difficult for him to connect with the British public, and he relied heavily on advisors to manage the difficulties of British governance.
This disconnect would become a recurring theme throughout his reign, and he spent much of his time in Hanover. This only fueled British criticism that he and his family were “foreigners” ruling a distant land.
George II and George III
During the reign of George II, who also grew up outside of Britain in Hanover, the British expanded their influence worldwide, particularly throughout India and North America.
However, conflicts such as the Jacobite rebellion in 1745, led by “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” meant a focus on internal challenges, as supporters of the exiled House of Stuart sought to reclaim the throne, though they were ultimately defeated.[3]
The reign of George III, the longest of the Hanoverian rulers, is remembered for both its length and its impact on British and global history. His time on the throne saw the loss of the American colonies following the American Revolution, which was a major blow to Britain’s global influence.
Domestically, George’s reign also included political and social changes, including the growing influence of Parliament, which shifted the balance of power away from the monarchy. His struggles with mental health and the eventual appointment of a regent represented a turbulent period in British history.
Later Hanoverian Monarchs in Britain
Later Hanoverian rulers in Great Britain and Ireland oversaw a period of consequential political and social change. They ruled during the tumultuous era of the Industrial Revolution, which witnessed unforeseen urbanization and a stark class divide following the rapid development of various industries.
George IV (1820–1830) and William IV (1830–1837)
The reign of George IV is often remembered for his extravagant lifestyle and love of luxury. Known for his lavish spending on art, architecture, and fashion, his tastes made a lasting impression on British culture.
However, his reign also came during a time of political tension, as his indulgent ways were criticized by both the public and Parliament.
His successor, William IV, took a more practical approach, focusing on reform. During his reign, important political changes took place, including the passing of the Reform Act of 1832, which expanded the electorate and made Parliament more representative.[4]
Victoria and the End of the Hanoverian Line in Britain (1837–1901)
The reign of Queen Victoria marked the final chapter of the House of Hanover in British history. Her marriage to Prince Albert of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha shifted the royal lineage, blending the Hanoverian and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasties through their progeny.
At the time of Victoria’s birth, the members of the House of Hanover had been monarchs of the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland for over a century. Victoria was a Hanover through her father, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. Through her mother, Marie Louise Victoria, the future Queen Victoria was related to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, known as Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld until 1826. Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, was her first cousin from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, which made her children members of the German noble house.
Although Victoria was from the House of Hanover, her descendants would inherit a new family name, marking the end of the Hanoverian line on the British throne. After Victoria died in 1901, the throne passed to her son, King Edward VII, thereby officially introducing the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as the new royal house of Great Britain.
During the First World War, due to anti-German sentiment, the royal family renamed itself the very English-sounding House of Windsor in 1917—and so it remains to this day.
The House of Hanover in Europe
The House of Hanover maintained strong ties to its German roots, continuing to rule the Kingdom of Hanover in Europe while reigning over Great Britain and Ireland. Its influence beyond Britain extended to the Holy Roman Empire and later German principalities.
Hanover as a Kingdom
The Kingdom of Hanover was established by the Congress of Vienna in 1814 following the defeat of Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars. George III of England—then head of the House of Hanover—had his Hanoverian landholdings reinstated. With the creation of the Kingdom of Hanover, the Electorate of Hanover ended and the coveted region gained more autonomy within the German Confederation.
For a time, the Kingdom of Hanover was ruled by a viceroy representing the King of England. The English monarch’s recognized rule over Hanover ended when Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 since women, under Title LIX of the Salic law, could not inherit land.[5] Her uncle, Ernest Augustus, instead became the King of Hanover; from that point forward, Hanover and Great Britain remained separate entities.
Hanover as a kingdom existed from 1814–1866. It was briefly a Prussian province before being dissolved into the broader German Empire in 1871.
King Ernest Augustus I
King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, also known as the Duke of Cumberland, became a noteworthy figure in Hanoverian history when he assumed the throne in 1837. His reign included the split between the crowns of Great Britain and Hanover, as the line of succession rules in Hanover differed from Britain’s, preventing a shared monarch.
Known for his conservative views, Ernest Augustus was a defender of royal authority and resisted many liberal reforms sweeping Europe at the time.
Impact of German Unification
The Hanovers sided with Austria during the 1866 Austro-Prussian War. Unfortunately for Hanover, Prussia emerged victorious, and as a result, Hanover was annexed by Prussia. This annexation marked the end of Hanover’s sovereignty and integration into the expanding Prussian state.
Hanover, once an independent kingdom, was now just a province within Prussia, without political independence and royal authority. This led to a movement for German unification, which sought to consolidate the many German-speaking states under Prussian leadership. The unification movement reshaped the landscape of German politics, pushing former independent states like Hanover into a new national framework.
Modern Descendants
The modern head of the House of Hanover is Prince Ernst August of Hanover, a direct descendant of the Hanoverian royal line through his father, Ernst Augustus. He holds the unrecognized title of Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and remains a prominent figure among European nobility. His family still owns several properties in Germany, although they no longer hold political power. Ernst August is married to Princess Caroline of Monaco.
In 2017, Prince Ernst August’s son, Prince Ernst August Jr, married Ekaterina Malysheva, a former Russian fashion designer.[6] Together, the couple shares four children. The modern members of the House of Hanover continue the family’s rich legacy by remaining active in aristocratic circles and participating in various cultural and charitable events.
The Hanover family is well connected with European aristocracy, with links to royal families in Spain, Denmark, and beyond. Despite their royal roots, the House of Hanover’s position today is symbolic, maintaining its historical significance rather than holding any ruling political authority.
Wrapping Up the House of Hanover Royal Family Tree
The House of Hanover began in Germany and went on to shape politics in culture on the Continent and in Britain. Though its direct rule ended with Queen Victoria in 1901, the Hanoverian influence continues through its descendants and their ties to modern European royalty.
References
- Bretaña, Gran. n.d. “Act of Settlement 1701.” Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes. Accessed November 14, 2024.
https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/act-of-settlement-1701–0/html/ffd48cde-82b1-11df-acc7-002185ce6064_1.html.
- The Royal Mint. n.d. “The Arrival of the House of Hanover in Britain.” Accessed November 14, 2024.
https://www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-bonnie-prince-charlie-and-the-jacobites/.
- History Extra. n.d. “Your guide to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite Rebellion, plus 10 facts you might not know.” Accessed November 14, 2024.
https://www.royalmint.com/british-monarchs/house-of-hanover/the-arrival-of-the-house-of-hanover-in-britain/.
- UK Parliament. n.d. “The Reform Act 1832.” Accessed November 14, 2024.
https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/houseofcommons/reformacts/overview/reformact1832/
- Henderson, Ernest F. 1896. “Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages.” In The Avalon Project: The Salic Law. George Bell and Sons. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/salic.asp.
- Mundy, Carlos. September 25, 2024. “Ernst August of Hanover: The Good Man Behind the Headlines.” Metaphor Magazine.
https://metaphoremagazine.com/ernst-august-of-hanover-the-good-man-behind-the-headlines/.