THE HOUSE OF HANOVER

by Alvin Redman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 15, 1961

From the accession of George I in 1714 to the death of Victoria in 1901 the Hanovers ruled England; this book by an English publisher gives a compressed account of the dynasty, together with the story of their forebears and family connection, their consorts and mistresses, children and ministers -- and that of the England over which they reigned for some 200 years. It is a confused tale but from it the Hanovers emerge: the first two Georges, with their untidy morals and fat mistresses; the demented and stubborn George III, tyrannizing over his vast family and losing America; George IV, debauched, broadminded, intelligent, with his incredible wife Caroline; his brother, William IV, The Sailor King, profane and jovial; his niece Victoria. Inheriting the family tendency to tyranny but not its sketchy morals, Victoria married Albert of Saxe-Coburg, bore him nine children, submitted reluctantly to the advice of her ministers, and ruled for 64 years, leaving England mistress of an Empire and giving her own name to her era. There is much more in the book than the Hanoverians: long accounts of family history and of the Saxe-Coburgs; tales of John Wilkes and of children in mines; stories of Prime Ministers, prostitutes, and generals. Too long for easy reading and at times a jumble of names and details, this book will appeal to addicts of 18th and 19th-century English history and politics; with its excellent bibliography it should be a valuable reference text for students and teachers.

Pub Date: Feb. 15, 1961

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Coward-McCann

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1961

Categories: NONFICTION