The House of Hanover

Here’s a great documentary that’s quite informative for Janeites, the House of Hanover episodes that are part of David Starkey’s great Monarchy series that was shown on England’s Channel 4. It follows the long line of monarchs that succeeded the House of Stuart (Queen Anne died without any surviving children), beginning with George I in 1714 and successive Georges all the way to the Prince Regent, who later became George IV; William IV; and finally Queen Victoria, ending with her death in 1901. Because of her marriage to Albert and the ascension of her son, Edward VII, the current royal family is technically of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

A war with Germany and the fact that Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is a mouthful prompted George V (Edward’s son) to declare in 1917 that the British royal family was now the House of Windsor, for which we’re all grateful.

So the Georgian period, which encompassed Jane Austen’s entire life, went from 1714 to the death of George IV in 1830. About half of the documentary covers the Georgian period. Here are links to the other nine parts of the documentary on YouTube:

1.            The House of Hanover – David Starkey (2/10)         
   
2.            The House of Hanover – David Starkey (3/10)         
3.            The House of Hanover – David Starkey (4/10)         
4.            The House of Hanover – David Starkey (5/10)         
5.            The House of Hanover – David Starkey (6/10)         
6.            The House of Hanover – David Starkey (7/10)         
7.            The House of Hanover – David Starkey (8/10)         
8.            The House of Hanover – David Starkey (9/10)         
9.            The House of Hanover – David Starkey (10/10)         

If you want just a quick look at the four Georges, I again offer this Horrible Histories take: