The House of Hanover

"On a dark wet day, in 1714, the scion of a small German noble house arrived in England. For the court and people of England, this was no casual visitor. The gross figure which set foot at Greenwich and was bumped along to London was George Louis of Hanover, the new King of England. His arrival on the throne was the result of com- plicated arrangements and scheming and his coronation began a dynasty which would include a dazzling history of accomplishments and an outrageous array of lunatics and incompetents. The reign of the House of Hanover which began in the mist at Greenwich would end in the glaze of Victoria's glory. The hatred for the first Hanoverian king would become the adoration of the Empire for the Queen on whose flag the sun never set"--(Front flyleaf of paper cover). The Hanover monarchs of England were: George I (1660-1727), reigned 1714-1727; George II (1683-1760). reigned 1727-1760; George III (1738-1820), reigned 1760-1820; George IV (1762-1830), reigned 1820-1830; William IV (1765-1837), reigned 1830-1837; Queen Victoria (1819-1901), reigned 1837-1901.

The Hanover family of England held many noble titles. The Dukedom of Hanover antedated George I as the English King (i.e. the Dukedom of Hanover was of the German nobility rather than the English). Within England, the heir to the throne was the Prince of Wales, and later generations in the family held the Dukedom of Gloucester, the Dukedom of Cambridge, and the Dukedom of York.