Misplaced Pages

#39960

185-529: It was first used in 1795 shortly after the formation of the Orange Order and was the original system put together by the founding members of the Orange Order. The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland disliked the ritualism and tried to suppress it as early as 1798 however, the main reason for the opposition to the Royal Arch Purple Degree was that many rural Lodges were practising other degrees in addition to

370-526: A "strong push" and carefully wrote his name on the certificate under the Queen's, so close to his wife's as to leave no space for the King's signature. The King apparently held no grudge, as he invited the prince for a stroll in the park. When Albert demurred on the grounds that they might be jostled by crowds, the King replied, "When I lived here I was quite as unpopular as you are and they never bothered me." Shortly after

555-501: A British subject left the question of his precedence unresolved. Matters came to a head when Ernest returned for what would prove to be his only visit to England as King of Hanover, in 1843. He was welcomed warmly, everywhere but at the Palace. At the wedding of Princess Augusta of Cambridge , he attempted to insist on a superior place to that of Prince Albert. The prince, 48 years Ernest's junior, settled things with what Albert described as

740-566: A Catholic emancipation bill to conciliate the Irish. Disregarding a request from Wellington that he remain abroad, Ernest returned to London and was one of the leading opponents to the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 , influencing George IV against the bill. Within days of his arrival, the King instructed the officers of his Household to vote against the bill. Hearing of this, Wellington told the King that he must resign as Prime Minister unless

925-613: A crash be ruined." In January 1780, 7,000 British troops under General Sir John Vaughan were transported to the West Indies. Nonetheless, opposition to the costly war was increasing, and in June 1780 contributed to disturbances in London known as the Gordon riots . As late as the siege of Charleston in 1780, Loyalists could still believe in their eventual victory, as British troops inflicted defeats on

1110-642: A friend with his friend, that he did not try to make mischief between them." According to Bird, Ernest was the most unpopular man in England. The Duke's influence at court was ended by the death of George IV in June 1830 and the succession of the Duke of Clarence as William IV. Wellington wrote that "the effect of the King's death will ... be to put an end to the Duke of Cumberland's political character and power in this country entirely". King William had no legitimate children (two daughters having died in infancy) and Ernest

1295-593: A generally successful fourteen-year reign but excited controversy near its start when he voided the liberal constitution granted before his reign and dismissed the Göttingen Seven , including the Brothers Grimm , from their professorial positions for protesting against this decision. In 1848, the King put down an attempted revolution . Hanover joined the German customs union in 1850 despite Ernest's reluctance. Ernest died

1480-429: A good shot. After only two months of training, Freytag was so impressed by the prince's progress that he gave him a place in the cavalry as captain. Ernest was supposed to receive infantry training, but the King, also impressed by his son's prowess, allowed him to remain with the cavalry. In March 1792, the King commissioned Prince Ernest Augustus as a colonel into the 9th Hanoverian Light Dragoons. The prince served in

1665-693: A healthy, reserved and shy child. The family moved to Leicester Square , where George and his younger brother Edward (later Duke of York and Albany ) were educated together by private tutors. Family letters show that he could read and write in both English and German, as well as comment on political events of the time, by the age of eight. He was the first British monarch to study science systematically. Apart from chemistry and physics, his lessons included astronomy, mathematics, French, Latin, history, music, geography, commerce, agriculture and constitutional law, along with sporting and social accomplishments such as dancing, fencing and riding. His religious education

1850-526: A landing, I shall certainly put myself at the head of mine, and my other armed subjects, to repel them." After Admiral Lord Nelson 's famous naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar , the possibility of invasion was extinguished. In 1804, George's recurrent illness returned; after his recovery, Addington resigned and Pitt regained power. Pitt sought to appoint Fox to his ministry, but George refused. Lord Grenville perceived an injustice to Fox, and refused to join

2035-618: A large territory, and his conduct was far less ruthless than contemporaneous monarchs in Europe. After Saratoga, both Parliament and the British people were in favour of the war; recruitment ran at high levels and political opponents, though vocal, remained a small minority. With the setbacks in America, Lord North asked to transfer power to Lord Chatham , whom he thought more capable, but George refused to do so; he suggested instead that Chatham serve as

SECTION 10

#1732855024040

2220-486: A letter to me expressing his opinion, I would have had no cause to take exception to their conduct. But to call a meeting and publish their opinions even before the government had received their protest—that is what they have done and that I cannot allow." Ernest received a deputation of Göttingen citizens who, fearing student unrest, applauded the dismissals. However, he was widely criticised in Europe, especially in Britain. In

2405-404: A lung injury at the age of 44, and his son George became heir apparent to the throne and inherited his father's title of Duke of Edinburgh . The King now took more interest in his grandson and created him Prince of Wales three weeks later. In the spring of 1756, as George approached his eighteenth birthday, the King offered him a grand establishment at St James's Palace , but George refused

2590-594: A majority in the House of Commons, and could not be displaced easily. He was further dismayed when the government introduced the India Bill, which proposed to reform the government of India by transferring political power from the East India Company to Parliamentary commissioners. Although George actually favoured greater control over the company, the proposed commissioners were all political allies of Fox. Immediately after

2775-420: A motion condemning the influence of the monarch in parliamentary voting as a "high crime" and Temple was forced to resign. Temple's departure destabilised the government, and three months later the government lost its majority and Parliament was dissolved; the subsequent election gave Pitt a firm mandate. Pitt's appointment was a great victory for George. It proved that the King could appoint prime ministers on

2960-550: A new law that essentially forbade members of the royal family from legally marrying without the consent of the sovereign. The subsequent bill was unpopular in Parliament, including among George's own ministers, but passed as the Royal Marriages Act 1772 . Shortly afterwards, another of George's brothers, Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh , revealed he had been secretly married to Maria, Countess Waldegrave ,

3145-789: A peer to interfere in an election to the House of Commons, there was considerable controversy and the government sent Ernest to Europe as an observer to accompany Hanoverian troops, which were again engaged in war against France . Though he saw no action, Ernest was present at the Battle of Leipzig , a major victory for the Allies. Following this, Ernest received ultimate promotion, to Field Marshal , on 26 November 1813. Ernest met and fell in love in mid-1813 with his first cousin, Duchess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , wife of Prince Frederick William of Solms-Braunfels and widow of Prince Louis of Prussia . The two agreed to wed if Frederica became free to marry. Her marriage to Frederick William had not been

3330-539: A relapse into his mental disorder and became dangerously ill. In his view, the malady had been triggered by stress over the death of his youngest and favourite daughter, Princess Amelia . The princess's nurse reported that "the scenes of distress and crying every day   ... were melancholy beyond description." George accepted the need for the Regency Act 1811 , and the Prince of Wales (later George IV ) acted as regent for

3515-411: A resolute decision of character, which, however unfortunately it may have operated under different conditions, appeared to extraordinary advantage at the crisis of continental thrones. Bewildered by the revolutionary din, and oscillating ignominiously between fear and rage, resistance and concession, the clique of crowned heads suffered greatly by contrast with a Sovereign who at least knew his own mind and

3700-531: A square named after him in front of Hanover Central Station , inscribed with his name and the words (in German) "To the father of the nation from his loyal people." It is a popular meeting place; in the local phrase, people arrange to meet unterm Schwanz or "under the tail". Although The Times denigrated Ernest's career as Duke of Cumberland, it did speak well of his time as King of Hanover and of his success in keeping Hanover stable in 1848: Above all, he possessed

3885-750: A subordinate minister in North's administration, but Chatham refused; he died later in the same year. North was allied to the "King's Friends" in Parliament and believed that George III had the right to exercise powers. In early 1778, Louis XVI of France (Britain's chief rival) signed a treaty of alliance with the United States. The French fleet outran the British naval blockade of the Mediterranean and sailed to America. The conflict now affected America, Europe, and India. Charles III of Spain had misgivings because of his own colonies but decided to side with France in

SECTION 20

#1732855024040

4070-409: A success; her husband, seeing the marriage was beyond hope, agreed to a divorce, but his sudden death in 1814 removed the necessity. Some considered the death too convenient and suspected Frederica of poisoning her husband. Queen Charlotte opposed the marriage: before Frederica had married Frederick William, she had jilted Ernest's younger brother, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, after the engagement

4255-496: A sufficient number of deputies had been appointed for the King to summon Parliament, which met for two weeks in August, approving a modified version of the 1819 constitution, passing a budget and sending a vote of thanks to the King. The Parliament met again the following year, passed a three-year budget and adjourned again. At the time the King took the throne, the city of Hanover was a densely packed residential town and did not rise to

4440-496: A suitable wife intensified: after giving consideration to a number of Protestant German princesses, George's mother sent Colonel David Graeme with, on her son's behalf, an offer of marriage to Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz . Charlotte accepted. While a royal household and staff were assembled for Charlotte in London, Lord Harcourt , the royal Master of the Horse , escorted her from Strelitz to London. Charlotte arrived in

4625-502: A time, and his vocabulary became "more complex, creative and colourful", possible symptoms of bipolar disorder. His doctors were largely at a loss to explain his illness, and spurious stories about his condition spread, such as the claim that he had shaken hands with a tree in the mistaken belief that it was the King of Prussia . Treatment for mental illness was primitive by modern standards; George's doctors, who included Francis Willis , treated

4810-599: A year, while learning German, he attended lectures at the university. Though King George ordered that the princes' household be run along military lines and that they follow the university's rules, the merchants of the Electorate proved willing to extend credit to the princes and all three fell into debt. In 1790, Ernest asked his father for permission to train with Prussian forces. Instead, in January 1791, he and Prince Adolphus were sent to Hanover to receive military training under

4995-704: Is conspiring to lower us in the eyes of Europe. The King died on 18 November 1851 after an illness of about a month. He was mourned greatly in Hanover; less so in the United Kingdom, where The Times omitted the customary black border to its front page and claimed "the good that can be said of the Royal dead is little or none." Both he and Queen Frederica rest in a mausoleum in the Berggarten of Herrenhausen Gardens . A large equestrian statue of King Ernest Augustus may be found in

5180-649: Is constructed along Christian lines, with Christian faith, hope and charity being commended to the new brother. To be a Royal Arch Purpleman, one must be a professing reformed Christian, sober and temperate, not prone to cursing or swearing, and a faithful attender in his Church. Marksman for example within the Royal Arch Purple refers to the Israelites who marked the location of the Ark of the Covenant . The Royal Arch Purple Degree

5365-444: Is literally—the door-keeper of course excepted—the first man in the House and the last out of it. And this not merely generally, but every night." Grant, in his observations of the leading members of the House of Lords, indicated that the Duke was not noted for his oratory (he delivered no speech longer than five minutes) and had a voice that was difficult to understand, though "his manner is most mild and conciliatory". Grant denigrated

5550-715: Is now established as a separate Order, in Ireland at least, and has over 30,000 members. The collarette of a Royal Arch Purpleman is a collarette of Orange and Purple in which the colour purple predominates. The Royal Arch Purple Degree is now established as a separate Order and is widely practised as a natural step of advancement from the Orange Institution to the Royal Black Institution . Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover Ernest Augustus ( German : Ernst August ; 5 June 1771 – 18 November 1851)

5735-564: Is so close that the Arch Purple can be considered to be a Protestant form of Freemasonry. although this has been repeatedly disputed, with overwhelming evidence proving the degree to be descended from the Orange Boys of the Dyan (prevalent around the early 1790s), which in turn based their degrees on the early Boyne Societies which dated from the late 17th century. The Royal Arch Purple Degree itself

Royal Arch Purple - Misplaced Pages Continue

5920-537: Is some indication the rumours began with Princess Lieven , wife of the Russian ambassador. Newspapers also reported, in July 1829, that the Duke had been thrown out of Lord Lyndhurst 's house for assaulting Lyndhurst's wife Sarah. In early 1830, a number of newspapers printed articles hinting that Ernest was having an affair with Lady Graves, a mother of fifteen, now past fifty. In February 1830, Lord Graves , Ernest's lord of

6105-462: Is to have a life more, whether male or female, between the succession and the King of Hanover." Almost immediately upon going to Hanover, the King became involved in a dispute with his niece. Queen Victoria had a strained relationship with her mother Victoria, Duchess of Kent , and wanted to give the Duchess accommodation near her, for the sake of appearances—but not too near her. To that end, she asked

6290-570: The Steuerverein , which Hanover and other western German states had formed in 1834. When the Steuerverein treaties came up for renewal in 1841, Brunswick pulled out of the union and joined the Zollverein , greatly weakening Hanover's position, especially since Brunswick had enclaves within Hanover. Ernest was able to postpone the enclaves' entry into the Zollverein and, when a trade war began,

6475-731: The Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The Second Continental Congress sent petitions to the Crown for intervention with Parliament , but the King and Parliament ignored them. George declared the American leaders to be traitors and a year of fighting ensued. Thomas Paine 's book Common Sense referred to George III as "the Royal Brute of Great Britain". The colonies declared their independence in July 1776, listing twenty-seven grievances against

6660-500: The Crown Estate to Parliamentary control in return for a civil list annuity for the support of his household and the expenses of civil government. Claims that he used the income to reward supporters with bribes and gifts are disputed by historians who say such claims "rest on nothing but falsehoods put out by disgruntled opposition". Debts amounting to over £3 million over the course of George's reign were paid by Parliament, and

6845-649: The Duke of Clarence , supported the efforts of the London Society of West India Planters and Merchants to delay the abolition of the British slave trade for almost 20 years. William Pitt the Younger conversely wished to see slavery abolished but, because the cabinet was divided and the King was in the pro-slavery camp, Pitt decided to refrain from making abolition official government policy. Instead, he worked toward abolition in an individual capacity. On 7 November 1775, during

7030-764: The English Channel . George III said that Britain was confronted by the "most serious crisis the nation ever knew". In August, 66 warships entered the English channel, but sickness, hunger, and adverse winds forced the French-Spanish armada to withdraw, ending the invasion threat. In late 1779, George III advocated sending more British warships and troops across the Atlantic to the West Indies. He boldly said: "We must risk something, otherwise we will only vegetate in this war. I own I wish either with spirit to get through it, or with

7215-617: The Georgian and Regency eras. At the time of his death, he was the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch , having reigned for 59 years and 96 days; he remains the longest-lived and longest-reigning male monarch in British history. George was born in Norfolk House in St James's Square , London, on 4 June 1738. He was a grandson of King George II and the eldest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales , and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha . As he

7400-544: The Great Exhibition of 1851 : The folly and absurdity of the Queen in allowing this trumpery must strike every sensible and well-thinking mind, and I am astonished the ministers themselves do not insist on her at least going to Osborne during the Exhibition, as no human being can possibly answer for what may occur on the occasion. The idea ... must shock every honest and well-meaning Englishman. But it seems everything

7585-586: The Hereditary Princess of Hesse-Kassel (his father's cousin, for whom the Countess of Egremont stood proxy). After leaving the nursery, he lived with his two younger brothers, Prince Adolphus (later Duke of Cambridge) and Prince Augustus (later Duke of Sussex), and a tutor in a house on Kew Green , near his parents' residence at Kew Palace . Though the King never left England in his life, he sent his younger sons to Germany in their adolescence. According to

Royal Arch Purple - Misplaced Pages Continue

7770-563: The Intolerable Acts by the colonists: the Port of Boston was shut down and the charter of Massachusetts was altered so that the upper house of the legislature was appointed by the Crown instead of elected by the lower house. Up to this point, in the words of Professor Peter Thomas, George's "hopes were centred on a political solution, and he always bowed to his cabinet's opinions even when sceptical of their success. The detailed evidence of

7955-512: The King's German Legion , composed mostly of expatriates from French-occupied Hanover, he accepted the post. The Duke of Cumberland increased the defences on the South Coast, especially around the town of Weymouth , where his father often spent time in the summer. The Acts of Union 1800 had given Ireland representation in Parliament, but existing law prevented Irish Catholics from serving there because of their religion. " Catholic emancipation "

8140-622: The Orange Lodges two years later. The Duke repeatedly sought a post with Allied forces fighting against France, but was sent to the Continent only as an observer. In 1807, he advocated sending British troops to join the Prussians and Swedes in attacking the French at Stralsund (today, in northeastern Germany). The Grenville government refused to send forces. Shortly afterwards, the government fell and

8325-592: The Peace of Paris which ended the war, Lord Bute resigned, allowing the Whigs under George Grenville to return to power. Britain received enormous concessions, including West Florida . Britain restored to France lucrative slave-sugar islands in the West Indies , including Guadeloupe and Martinique . The treaty also ended French control over nearly all of New France ; Canada was ceded to Britain in its entirety, while Louisiana

8510-570: The Queen of Prussia to visit Charlottenburg Palace , near Berlin. He visited Mecklenburg for the christening of the Grand Duke's son and Lüneburg to inspect his old regiment. In June, Ernest celebrated his 80th birthday by playing host to the King of Prussia . Late that summer, he visited Göttingen, where he opened a new hospital and was given a torchlight procession. The King continued his interest in British affairs and wrote to Lord Strangford about

8695-561: The Slave Trade Act 1807 , which passed both houses of Parliament with large majorities. George was conciliatory towards Fox, after being forced to capitulate over his appointment. After Fox's death in September 1806, the King and ministry were in open conflict. To boost recruitment, the ministry proposed a measure in February 1807 whereby Roman Catholics would be allowed to serve in all ranks of

8880-533: The Stamp Act , which levied a stamp duty on every document in the British colonies in North America. Since newspapers were printed on stamped paper, those most affected by the introduction of the duty were the most effective at producing propaganda opposing the tax. Meanwhile, George had become exasperated at Grenville's attempts to reduce the King's prerogatives, and tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade William Pitt

9065-480: The grand strategic plan of invading from Canada and cutting off New England failed with the surrender of British Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne following the battles of Saratoga . Prime Minister Lord North was not an ideal war leader, but George III managed to give Parliament a sense of purpose to fight, and North was able to keep his cabinet together. North's cabinet ministers the Earl of Sandwich , First Lord of

9250-741: The "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland". George used the opportunity to abandon the title "king of France", which English and British sovereigns had maintained since the reign of Edward III . It was suggested that George adopt the title " Emperor of the British Isles ", but he refused. As part of his Irish policy, Pitt planned to remove certain legal disabilities that applied to Roman Catholics . George III claimed that to emancipate Catholics would be to violate his coronation oath , in which sovereigns promise to maintain Protestantism. Faced with opposition to his religious reform policies from both

9435-456: The 1760s, a series of acts by Parliament was met with resistance in Britain's Thirteen Colonies in America. In particular they rejected new taxes levied by Parliament, a body in which they had no direct representation. The colonies had previously enjoyed a high level of autonomy in their internal affairs and viewed Parliament's acts as a denial of their rights as Englishmen . Armed conflict began between British regulars and colonial militiamen at

SECTION 50

#1732855024040

9620-564: The Act were so popular in America that statues of them both were erected in New York City . Lord Chatham fell ill in 1767, and Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton , took over the government. Grafton did not formally become prime minister until 1768. That year, John Wilkes returned to England, stood as a candidate in the general election , and came top of the poll in the Middlesex constituency . Wilkes

9805-407: The Admiralty, and Lord George Germain , Secretary of State for the Colonies, proved to lack leadership skills suited for their positions. George III is often accused of obstinately trying to keep Great Britain at war with the rebels, despite the opinions of his own ministers. In the words of British historian George Otto Trevelyan , the King was determined "never to acknowledge the independence of

9990-635: The American War of Independence, John Murray, Lord Dunmore , issued a proclamation that offered freedom to the slaves of rebel masters if they enlisted to put down the colonial rebellion. Dunmore was the last Royal Governor of Virginia , appointed by King George III in July 1771. Dunmore's Proclamation inspired slaves to escape from captivity and fight for the British. On 30 June 1779, George III's Commanding General Henry Clinton broadened Dunmore's proclamation with his Philipsburg Proclamation . For all colonial slaves who fled their rebel masters, Clinton forbade their recapture and resale, giving them protection by

10175-422: The Americans, and to punish their contumacy by the indefinite prolongation of a war which promised to be eternal." He wanted to "keep the rebels harassed, anxious, and poor, until the day when, by a natural and inevitable process, discontent and disappointment were converted into penitence and remorse". Later historians defend George by saying that, in the context of the times, no king would willingly surrender such

10360-448: The British House of Commons, MP Colonel Thomas Perronet Thompson proposed to Parliament that if the as-yet-childless Queen Victoria died, making Ernest the British king, Parliament should declare that King Ernest had forfeited all rights to the British throne by his actions. A more significant protest against the revocation of the 1833 constitution was the refusal of a number of towns to appoint parliamentary deputies. However, by 1840

10545-441: The British and Hanoverian thrones as George IV. George III's fourth son, the Duke of Kent, died six days before his father, but left a daughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent . With the death of George III, Ernest became fourth in line to the British throne, following the Duke of York (who died without legitimate issue in 1827), the Duke of Clarence and Princess Alexandrina Victoria. Returning to England, his political power

10730-511: The British forces on the Continent, even threatening to join the Yeomanry as a private, but both the King and the Duke of York refused him permission. Ernest did not want to rejoin the Hanoverian forces, as they were not then involved in the fighting. In addition, Freytag was seriously ill and Ernest was unwilling to serve under his likely successor, Count von Wallmoden . On 23 April 1799, George III created Prince Ernest Augustus Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale and Earl of Armagh , and Ernest

10915-407: The British king and legislature while asking the support of the populace. Among George's other offenses, the declaration charged, "He has abdicated Government here ... He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people." The gilded equestrian statue of the King in New York was pulled down. The British captured the city in 1776 but lost Boston, and

11100-449: The British military. Approximately 20,000 freed slaves joined the British, fighting for George III. In 1783, given British certificates of freedom, 3,000 former slaves, including their families, settled in Nova Scotia . Between 1791 and 1800, almost 400,000 Africans were shipped to the Americas, by 1,340 slaving voyages, mounted from British ports, including Liverpool and Bristol . On 25 March 1807 George III signed into law An Act for

11285-412: The British public to spurn slavery. According to the historian Andrew Roberts , "George never bought or sold a slave in his life. He never invested in any of the companies that did such a thing. He signed legislation to abolish slavery." George wrote a document in the 1750s "denouncing all of the arguments for slavery, and calling them an execration and ridiculous and 'absurd ' ", but the King and his son,

SECTION 60

#1732855024040

11470-414: The British succession, especially after she married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in 1816. Both the Prince Regent and the Duke of York were married but estranged from their wives, while the next two brothers, Prince William, Duke of Clarence , and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn , were unmarried. On 6 November 1817, Princess Charlotte died after delivering a stillborn son. King George

11655-438: The Continental forces at the Battle of Camden and the Battle of Guilford Court House . In late 1781, the news of Lord Cornwallis 's surrender at the siege of Yorktown reached London; North's parliamentary support ebbed away and he resigned the following year. George drafted an abdication notice, which was never delivered. He finally accepted the defeat in America and authorized peace negotiations. Britain formally recognized

11840-541: The Crown Prince with him. This would leave the country at the mercy of expansionist Prussia and the threat put an end to the agitation. Afterwards, the King granted a new constitution, somewhat more liberal than the 1819 document. Ernest Augustus is supposed to have asked the advice of the Duke of Wellington as to what course he should take after Victoria's accession, with Wellington supposedly saying "Go before you are pelted out." However, Bird dismisses this story as unlikely, given Wellington's customary respect to royalty and

12025-399: The Duke cuckolding Sellis, with the attack as retaliation, or Sellis killed for finding Ernest and Mrs. Sellis in bed together. Others suggested that the Duke was the lover of either Sellis or Neale, and that blackmail had played a part in the death. Both Roger Fulford and John Van der Kiste, who wrote books about George III's children, ascribe part of the animus and fear towards the Duke to

12210-406: The Duke during the period of over a decade when he resided in Germany; it was only when he announced his intention to return to Britain that "a campaign of unparalleled viciousness" began against him. The Duke of Wellington once told Charles Greville that George IV had said of Ernest's unpopularity, "there was never a father well with his son, or husband with his wife, or lover with his mistress, or

12395-406: The Duke responsible for the suicide—or guilty of a second murder. The Duke later stated that he had been "accused of every crime in the decalogue ". Ernest's biographer Anthony Bird states that while there is no proof, he has no doubt that the rumours against the Duke were spread by the Whigs for political ends. Another biographer, Geoffrey Willis, pointed out that no scandal had attached itself to

12580-428: The Duke's intellect and influence, but stated that the Duke had indirect influence over several members, and that "he is by no means so bad a tactician as his opponents suppose". Controversy arose in 1836 over the Orange Lodges. The lodges (which took anti-Catholic views) were said to be ready to rise and try to put the Duke of Cumberland on the throne on the death of King William. According to Joseph Hume , speaking in

12765-487: The Elder to accept the office of prime minister. After a brief illness, which may have presaged his illnesses to come, George settled on Lord Rockingham to form a ministry, and dismissed Grenville. Lord Rockingham, with the support of Pitt and the King, repealed Grenville's unpopular Stamp Act. Rockingham's government was weak, and he was replaced as prime minister in 1766 by Pitt, whom George created Earl of Chatham . The actions of Lord Chatham and George III in repealing

12950-400: The English. John Wilkes , a member of parliament, published The North Briton , which was both inflammatory and defamatory in its condemnation of Bute and the government. Wilkes was eventually arrested for seditious libel but he fled to France to escape punishment; he was expelled from the House of Commons and found guilty in absentia of blasphemy and libel. In 1763, after concluding

13135-491: The French, and in 1802 signed the Treaty of Amiens . George did not consider the peace with France as real; in his view it was an "experiment". The war resumed in 1803, but public opinion distrusted Addington to lead the nation in war, and instead favoured Pitt. An invasion of England by Napoleon seemed imminent, and a massive volunteer movement arose to defend England against the French. George's review of 27,000 volunteers in Hyde Park, London , on 26 and 28 October 1803 and at

13320-577: The Hanoverian government. William IV had given his consent to a new constitution in 1833; the Duke of Cumberland's consent was neither asked nor received, and he had formally protested against the constitution's adoption without his consent. One provision of the constitution transferred the Hanoverian Domains (the equivalent of the British Crown Estate ) from the sovereign to the state, eroding

13505-549: The House of Commons passed it, George authorised Lord Temple to inform the House of Lords that he would regard any peer who voted for the bill as his enemy. The bill was rejected by the Lords; three days later, the Portland ministry was dismissed, and William Pitt the Younger was appointed prime minister, with Temple as his secretary of state. On 17 December 1783, Parliament voted in favour of

13690-467: The House of Commons, Victoria was to be passed over on the grounds of her age, sex, and incapacity. The Commons passed a resolution calling for the dissolution of the lodges. When the matter reached the Lords, the Duke defended himself, saying of Princess Victoria, "I would shed the last drop of my blood for my niece." The Duke indicated that the Orange Lodge members were loyal and were willing to dissolve

13875-400: The House of Lords flooded with Whig peers. His unpopularity was deepened by the suggestion that he favoured the creation of Orange lodges in the army. Ernest was the subject of more allegations in 1832, when two young women accused him of trying to ride them down as they walked near Hammersmith . The Duke had not left his grounds at Kew on the day in question and was able to ascertain that

14060-592: The Irish Republican Defenders and they refused, almost certainly saying that that would be against Masonic principles. As a result of that refusal and left without any alternative after the Battle of the Diamond the four men formed the Orange Order. They had no other template on which to base the proposed ritual and procedure but that of Freemasonry. That is why Orange ritual and most particularly Arch Purple ritual somewhat resembles that of Freemasonry. In fact it

14245-545: The King and the British public, Pitt threatened to resign. At about the same time, George had a relapse of his previous illness, which he blamed on worry over the Catholic question. On 14 March 1801, Pitt was formally replaced by the Speaker of the House of Commons , Henry Addington . Addington opposed emancipation, instituted annual accounts, abolished income tax and began a programme of disarmament. In October 1801, he made peace with

14430-502: The King by forcibly restraining him until he was calm, or applying caustic poultices to draw out "evil humours". In the reconvened Parliament, Fox and Pitt wrangled over the terms of a regency during the King's incapacity. While both agreed that it would be most reasonable for the Prince of Wales to act as regent, Fox suggested, to Pitt's consternation, that it was the Prince's absolute right to act on his ill father's behalf with full powers. Pitt, fearing he would be removed from office if

14615-449: The King could assure him of complete support. The King initially accepted Wellington's resignation and Ernest attempted to put together a government united against Catholic emancipation. Though such a government would have had considerable support in the House of Lords, it would have had little support in the Commons and Ernest abandoned his attempt. The King recalled Wellington. The bill passed

14800-513: The King had Ernest conduct the negotiations which led to the formation of the Addington government . In February 1802, King George granted his son the colonelcy of the 27th Light Dragoons, a post which offered the option of transfer to the colonelcy of the 15th Light Dragoons when a vacancy arose. A vacancy promptly occurred and the Duke became the colonel of the 15th Light Dragoons in March 1802. Although

14985-480: The King increased when he refused, and advised his two surviving brothers to refuse as well, to give precedence to her intended husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . Ernest argued that the standing of the various royal families had been settled at the Congress of Vienna and that the King of Hanover should not have to yield to one whom he described as a "paper Royal Highness". The act which naturalised Albert as

15170-477: The King to give up his apartments at St James's Palace in favour of the Duchess. The King, wishing to retain apartments in London in anticipation of frequent visits to England and reluctant to give way in favour of a woman who had frequently fought with his brother, King William, declined and the Queen angrily rented a house for her mother. At a time when the Queen was trying to pay off her father's debts, she saw this as an unnecessary expense. Her ill-feeling towards

15355-433: The Lords and became law. The Wellington government hoped that Ernest would return to Germany, but he moved his wife and son to Britain in 1829. The Times reported that they would live at Windsor in the "Devil's Tower"; instead, the Duke reopened his house at Kew. They settled there as rumours flew that Thomas Garth , thought to be the illegitimate son of Ernest's sister Princess Sophia , had been fathered by Ernest. It

15540-576: The Lords, "No, I shall not, unless the Devil prompts me!" The Queen also recorded that though the King greatly enjoyed listening to the debates, he did not himself speak. The King made a point of welcoming British visitors to Hanover and when one Englishwoman told him that she had been lost in the city, the King denied that this was possible, as "the whole country is no larger than a fourpenny bit ." The monarchs engaged in one more battle—over jewels left by Queen Charlotte. Queen Victoria, who possessed them, took

15725-620: The Low Countries in the War of the First Coalition , under his elder brother Prince Frederick, Duke of York , then commander of the combined British, Hanoverian and Austrian forces. Seeing action near the Walloon town of Tournai in August 1793, he sustained a sabre wound to the head, which resulted in a disfiguring scar. During the Battle of Tourcoing in northern France on 18 May 1794, his left arm

15910-595: The Netherlands towards Germany. By February 1795, they had reached Hanover. Ernest remained in Hanover over the next year, holding several unimportant postings. He had requested a return home to seek treatment for his eye, but it was not until early 1796 that the King agreed and allowed Ernest to return to Britain. There, Prince Ernest consulted a notable eye doctor, Wathen Waller , but Waller apparently found his condition inoperable, as no operation took place. Once back in Britain, Ernest repeatedly sought to be allowed to join

16095-574: The Oath of Allegiance to the King, as a foreign sovereign. The King hurriedly appeared in the House of Lords, before his departure for Hanover, and subscribed to the Oath before the Chief Clerk as a matter of routine. Ernest was heir presumptive to Queen Victoria until the birth of her daughter Victoria, Princess Royal , in November 1840. The Lord Privy Seal , Lord Clarendon , wrote, "What the country cares about

16280-509: The Orange Order in 1795. The Grand Lodge maintains their position in not recognising the degree to this day although it now, rather grudgingly, recognises the Royal Arch Purple as an official Order. It was re-constituted in 1911, with the explicit intentions of promoting the Reformed Faith, Charity amongst all men and maintaining historic Orangeism. It was granted its Royal title by the Duke of Cumberland, King Ernest Augustus of Hanover , who

16465-412: The Prince of Wales (later George IV ), had one child, Charlotte , who was expected to become the British queen, but she died in 1817, giving Ernest some prospect of succeeding to the British and Hanoverian thrones. However, his elder brother Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn , fathered the eventual British heir, Victoria, in 1819 shortly before the birth of Ernest's only child, George . Ernest

16650-488: The Prince of Wales were empowered, argued that it was for Parliament to nominate a regent, and wanted to restrict the regent's authority. In February 1789, the Regency Bill , authorising the Prince of Wales to act as regent, was introduced and passed in the House of Commons, but before the House of Lords could pass the bill, George recovered. After George's recovery, his popularity, and that of Pitt, continued to increase at

16835-475: The Queen, and their daughters the Princess Royal and Princesses Augusta and Elizabeth. It was the furthest he had ever been from London, but his condition worsened. In November of that year, he became seriously deranged, sometimes speaking for many hours without pause, causing him to foam at the mouth and his voice to become hoarse. George would frequently repeat himself and write sentences with over 400 words at

17020-572: The Royal Arch Purple degree and the gentry deemed this as unacceptable and realised the need for a central system of degrees. The Royal Arch Purple degree was practised in secrecy for a period after the Grand Lodge (in Dublin) deemed the degree illegal, however it was kept alive by the Lodges around County Armagh as it was the system of 'travel' closest to the original ritual put together by the founding members of

17205-613: The United Kingdom. He continued to oppose admission of Jews into the British Parliament, but gave Jews in Hanover equal rights. The King supported a postal union and common currency among the German states, but opposed the Prussian -led customs union, the Zollverein , fearing that it would lead to Prussian dominance and the end of Hanover as an independent state. Instead, the King supported

17390-530: The Weymouth election became an issue and the bill failed by one vote. Liverpool tried again in 1817; this time the bill failed by seven votes. At the time of the Duke's marriage in 1815, it seemed to have little dynastic significance to Britain. Princess Charlotte of Wales , only child of the Prince Regent, was the King's only legitimate grandchild. The young princess was expected to have children who would secure

17575-558: The afternoon of 8 September 1761 and the marriage ceremony was conducted that same evening in the Chapel Royal , St James's Palace. George and Charlotte's coronation was held at Westminster Abbey a fortnight later on 22 September. George never took a mistress (in contrast with his grandfather and his sons), and the couple enjoyed a happy marriage until his mental illness struck. The King and Queen had 15 children—nine sons and six daughters. In 1762, George purchased Buckingham House (on

17760-519: The armed forces. George instructed them not only to drop the measure, but also to agree never to set up such a measure again. The ministers agreed to drop the measure then pending, but refused to bind themselves in the future. They were dismissed and replaced by the Duke of Portland, as the nominal prime minister, with actual power being held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer , Spencer Perceval . Parliament

17945-494: The basis of his own interpretation of the public mood without having to follow the choice of the current majority in the House of Commons. Throughout Pitt's ministry, George supported many of Pitt's political aims and created new peers at an unprecedented rate to increase the number of Pitt's supporters in the House of Lords. During and after Pitt's ministry, George was extremely popular in Britain. The British people admired him for his piety and for remaining faithful to his wife. He

18130-440: The bedchamber and comptroller of his household, wrote a note to his wife expressing his confidence in her innocence, then cut his own throat. Two days after Lord Graves's death (and the day after the inquest), The Times printed an article connecting Lord Graves's death with Sellis's. After being shown the suicide note, The Times withdrew its implication there might be a connection between the two deaths. Nonetheless, many believed

18315-530: The civil list annuity was increased from time to time. He aided the Royal Academy of Arts with large grants from his private funds, and may have donated more than half of his personal income to charity. Of his art collection, the two most notable purchases are Johannes Vermeer 's Lady at the Virginals and a set of Canalettos , but it is as a collector of books that he is best remembered. The King's Library

18500-484: The collapse of Lord North's ministry in 1782, the Whig Lord Rockingham became prime minister for the second time, but died within months. The King then appointed Lord Shelburne to replace him. Charles James Fox , however, refused to serve under Shelburne, and demanded the appointment of William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland . In 1783, the House of Commons forced Shelburne from office and his government

18685-562: The cost of living was much lower in Germany. Queen Charlotte died on 17 November 1818, but the Cumberlands remained in Germany, living principally in Berlin, where the Duchess had relatives. In 1817, the Duchess had a stillborn daughter; in 1819 she gave birth to a boy, Prince George of Cumberland . The Duke occasionally visited England, where he stayed with his eldest brother, who in 1820 succeeded to

18870-450: The death of his fourth son Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn . His favourite son, Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany , was with him. George III lay in state for two days, and his funeral and interment took place on 16 February in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle . Over the course of George's reign, a coalition of abolitionists and Atlantic slave uprisings caused

19055-415: The defence of the colonies against native uprisings and the possibility of French incursions. The central issue for the colonists was not the amount of taxes but whether Parliament could levy a tax without American approval, for there were no American seats in Parliament. The Americans protested that like all Englishmen they had rights to " no taxation without representation ". In 1765, Grenville introduced

19240-604: The dominant European power in North America and India. However, Britain lost 13 of its North American colonies in the American War of Independence . Further wars against revolutionary and Napoleonic France from 1793 concluded in the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. In 1807, the transatlantic slave trade was banned from the British Empire . In the later part of his life, George had recurrent and eventually permanent mental illness . The exact nature of

19425-490: The expense of Fox and the Prince of Wales. His humane and understanding treatment of two insane assailants, Margaret Nicholson in 1786 and John Frith in 1790, contributed to his popularity. James Hadfield 's failed attempt to shoot George in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane , on 15 May 1800 was not political in origin but motivated by the apocalyptic delusions of Hadfield and Bannister Truelock . George seemed unperturbed by

19610-468: The fact that Ernest had little choice in what to do—he had to go to his kingdom as quickly as possible. One decision the new king did have to make was whether, in his capacity as Duke of Cumberland, to swear allegiance to Victoria in the House of Lords. Shortly after William's death, Ernest heard from Lord Lyndhurst that Lord Cottenham , the Lord Chancellor , had stated that he would refuse to administer

19795-570: The fact that he did not conduct love affairs in public, as did his elder brothers. According to them, the public feared what vices might be going on behind the locked doors of the Duke's house and assumed the worst. In early 1813, Ernest was involved in political scandal during an election contest in Weymouth following the general election the previous year . The Duke was shown to be one of three trustees who were able to dictate who would represent Weymouth in Parliament. It being considered improper for

19980-523: The first time in over a century, Hanover would have a ruler living there. Many Hanoverians were of a liberal perspective and would have preferred the popular viceroy , Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, to become king, but the Dukes of Sussex and Cambridge refused to lend themselves to any movement by which they would become king rather than their elder brother. According to Roger Fulford in his study of George III's younger sons, Royal Dukes , "In 1837, King Ernest

20165-549: The governorship of Hanover if they would leave for the Continent. Ernest refused and the Cumberlands divided their time between Kew and St. James's Palace for the next three years. The Queen remained obstinate in her refusal to receive Frederica. Despite these family troubles, the Cumberlands had a happy marriage. The government of Lord Liverpool asked Parliament to increase the Duke's allowance by £6,000 per year in 1815 (equal to about £561,000 today), so he could meet increased expenses due to his marriage. The Duke's involvement in

20350-462: The grand style of many German capitals. Once the political crises of the first years of his reign had subsided, he set out to remedy this state of affairs. Ernest's support led to gas lighting in the city streets of Hanover, up-to-date sanitation and the development of a new residential quarter. He had the plans altered in 1841, after Queen Frederica's death, to leave standing the Altes Palais , where

20535-483: The happiness or misery of a great nation," he wrote, "and consequently must often act contrary to my passions." Nevertheless, George and his mother resisted attempts by the King to marry George to Princess Sophie Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel . Sophie Caroline instead married Frederick, Margrave of Bayreuth . The following year, at the age of 22, George succeeded to the throne when his grandfather George II died suddenly on 25 October 1760, at age 76. The search for

20720-401: The head several times while asleep in bed, awakening him. He ran for the door, where he was wounded in the leg by a sabre. He called for help and one of his valets, Cornelius Neale, responded and aided him. Neale raised the alarm and the household soon realised that Ernest's other valet, Joseph Sellis, was not among them and that the door to Sellis's room was locked. The lock was forced and Sellis

20905-500: The height of the invasion scare, attracted an estimated 500,000 spectators on each day. The Times said: "The enthusiasm of the multitude was beyond all expression." A courtier wrote on 13 November that "The King is really prepared to take the field in case of attack, his beds are ready and he can move at half an hour's warning." George wrote to his friend Bishop Hurd , "We are here in daily expectation that Bonaparte will attempt his threatened invasion ... Should his troops effect

21090-479: The historian John Van der Kiste , this was done to limit the influence Ernest's eldest brother George, Prince of Wales , who was leading an extravagant lifestyle, would have over his younger brothers. At the age of fifteen, Prince Ernest and his two younger brothers were sent to the University of Göttingen , located in his father's domain of Hanover . Ernest proved a keen student and after being tutored privately for

21275-463: The illegitimate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole . The news confirmed George's opinion that he had been right to introduce the law: Maria was related to his political opponents. Neither lady was ever received at court. Lord North's government was chiefly concerned with discontent in America. To assuage American opinion most of the custom duties were withdrawn, except for the tea duty, which in George's words

21460-615: The incident, so much so that he fell asleep in the interval. The French Revolution of 1789, in which the French monarchy had been overthrown, worried many British landowners. France declared war on Great Britain in 1793; in response to the crisis, George allowed Pitt to increase taxes, raise armies, and suspend the right of habeas corpus . Pitt prosecuted British radicals for treason in 1794, and in October 1795, crowds attacked George's carriage on his way to opening Parliament, demanding an end to

21645-638: The independence of the United States in the Treaties of Paris signed in 1782 and 1783. In early 1783, George III privately conceded "America is lost!" He reflected that the Northern colonies had developed into Britain's "successful rivals" in commercial trade and fishing. Up to 70,000 Loyalists fled to Canada (where they became known as the United Empire Loyalists ), the Caribbean , or England. John Adams

21830-428: The inquest be opened to the public and press, and so cowed the coroner that he basically ran the inquest himself. Nevertheless, the jury returned a unanimous verdict of suicide against Sellis. Much of the public blamed Ernest for Sellis's death. The more extreme Whig papers, anti-royal pamphleteers, and caricaturists all offered nefarious explanations for Sellis's death, in which the Duke was to blame. Some stories had

22015-427: The jewels, causing the King to write to his friend, Lord Strangford , "The little Queen looked very fine, I hear, loaded down with my diamonds." The King's son and successor, King George V, pressed the matter, and in 1858, after another decision in Hanover's favour, the jewels were turned over to the Hanoverian ambassador. In 1851, the King undertook a number of journeys around Germany. He accepted an invitation from

22200-490: The latter's seven-year reign. Ernest's house at Kew was too small for his family; the King gave the Duke and Duchess lifetime residence in a nearby, larger house by the entrance to Kew Gardens . Ernest, who was against the extension of civil and religious liberties, opposed the Reform Act 1832 and was one of the "diehard" peers who voted against the bill on its final reading in which most Tories abstained under threat of seeing

22385-462: The lodges in Great Britain. According to Bird, this incident was the source of the widespread rumours that Ernest intended to murder Victoria and take the British throne for himself. On 20 June 1837, William IV died; Victoria succeeded him as Queen of the United Kingdom, while Ernest Augustus became King of Hanover. On 28 June 1837, Ernest entered his new domain, passing under a triumphal arch. For

22570-487: The mental illness is not known definitively, but historians and medical experts have suggested that his symptoms and behaviour traits were consistent with either bipolar disorder or porphyria . In 1810, George suffered a final relapse, and his eldest son, the Prince of Wales , was named Prince Regent the following year. The King died aged 81, at which time the Regent succeeded him as George IV. George III reigned during much of

22755-461: The middle of this green field". The King finally gave his consent in 1844 and the opera house opened in 1852, a year after the King's death. Every week, the King travelled with his secretary to different parts of his kingdom, and anyone could lay a petition before him—although Ernest had petitions screened by the secretary so he would not have to deal with frivolous complaints. Ernest opened high ministerial positions to those of any class, securing

22940-534: The monarch's power. Immediately upon his arrival in Hanover, the King dissolved the Hanoverian Parliament, which had been convened under the disputed constitution. On 5 July, he proclaimed the suspension of the constitution, on the grounds that his consent had not been asked and that it did not meet the kingdom's needs. On 1 November 1837, the King issued a patent , declaring the constitution void, but upholding all laws passed under it. The 1819 constitution

23125-399: The name of Britain." He inserted this phrase into the speech, written by Lord Hardwicke , to demonstrate his desire to distance himself from his German forebears, who were perceived as caring more for Hanover than for Britain. During George III's lengthy reign, Britain was a constitutional monarchy , ruled by his ministerial government and prominent men in Parliament. Although his accession

23310-544: The new ministry. Pitt concentrated on forming a coalition with Austria, Russia, and Sweden. This Third Coalition , however, met the same fate as the First and Second Coalitions, collapsing in 1805. The setbacks in Europe took a toll on Pitt's health, and he died in 1806, reopening the question of who should serve in the ministry. Grenville became prime minister, and his " Ministry of All the Talents " included Fox. Grenville pushed through

23495-403: The new prime minister, the Duke of Portland , agreed to send Ernest with 20,000 troops. However, they were sent too late: the French defeated Prussia and Sweden at the Battle of Stralsund before Ernest and his forces could reach the town. Ernest was promoted to full general of the army in 1808, backdated to 1805. In the early hours of 31 May 1810, Ernest, by his written account, was struck in

23680-459: The next year and was succeeded by his son, George V. Ernest Augustus, the fifth son of King George III and Queen Charlotte , was born at Buckingham House , London, on 5 June 1771, and baptised on 1 July 1771 at St James's Palace . His sponsors were Duke Ernest of Mecklenburg (his maternal uncle), Duke Moritz of Saxe-Gotha (his paternal great-uncle, for whom the Earl of Hertford stood proxy), and

23865-447: The oaths, the seven lost their positions and the King expelled the three most responsible (including Jacob Grimm ) from Hanover. Only one of the seven, orientalist Heinrich Ewald , was a citizen of Hanover, and he was not expelled. In the final years of the King's reign, the three were invited to return. Ernest wrote of the incident to his brother-in-law, Frederick William III of Prussia , "If each of these seven gentlemen had addressed

24050-513: The offer, guided by his mother and her confidant, Lord Bute , who later served as prime minister . George's mother, now the Dowager Princess of Wales, preferred to keep George at home where she could imbue him with her strict moral values. In 1759, George was smitten with Lady Sarah Lennox , sister of Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond , but Lord Bute advised against the match and George abandoned his thoughts of marriage. "I am born for

24235-478: The porphyria theory and contends that George's illness was psychiatric, most probably bipolar disorder . George may have had a brief episode of disease in 1765, and a longer episode began in the summer of 1788. At the end of the parliamentary session, he went to Cheltenham Spa to recuperate and in August visited the Bishop of Worcester at Hartlebury Castle and Viscount Mount Edgcumbe at Cotehele , Cornwall, with

24420-487: The position that they belonged to the British Crown. King Ernest maintained that they were to go to the heir male, that is, himself. The matter was arbitrated, and just as the arbitrators were about to announce a decision in Hanover's favour, one of the arbitrators died, voiding the decision. Despite the King's request for a new panel, Victoria refused to permit one during the King's lifetime and took every opportunity to wear

24605-611: The post could have been a sinecure , Ernest involved himself in the affairs of the regiment and led it on manoeuvres. In early 1803, the Duke of York appointed Ernest as commander of the Severn District, in charge of the forces in and around the Severn Estuary . When war with France broke out again after the Peace of Amiens , Frederick appointed Ernest to the more important Southwest District, comprising Hampshire , Dorset and Wiltshire . Though Ernest would have preferred command of

24790-552: The remainder of the King's life. Despite signs of a recovery in May 1811, by the end of the year, George III had become permanently insane, and lived in seclusion at Windsor Castle until his death. Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated in 1812 and was replaced by Lord Liverpool . Liverpool oversaw British victory in the Napoleonic Wars. The subsequent Congress of Vienna led to significant territorial gains for Hanover, which

24975-573: The rider was one of his equerries , who professed not to have seen the women. Nevertheless, newspapers continued to print references to the incident, suggesting that Ernest had done what the women stated and was cravenly trying to push blame on another. The same year, the Duke sued for libel after a book appeared accusing him of having his valet Neale kill Sellis and the jury found against the author. The Cumberlands suffered further tragedy, as young Prince George went blind. The prince had been blind in one eye for several years; an accident at age thirteen took

25160-605: The same way as "Archbishop" or "Archetypal", that is to say it means "chief". 'Purple' comes from the one of the colours, mentioned in the Bible, which were used to make the curtains of the tabernacle (the others being Blue/Indigo and Scarlet). Some claim it is of Masonic origin ; The "Diamond Boys" from North Armagh - Sloan, Winter and Wilson from the neighbouring Dyan in County Tyrone were all Freemasons. Wilson had asked his own Masonic lodge to give active help in repelling

25345-476: The scenes of his manhood or the land of his birth. Explanatory notes George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , with George as its king. He

25530-423: The services of several ministers who would not have been eligible without this reform. Though the King had, while Duke of Cumberland, fought against Catholic emancipation in Britain and Ireland, he made no objection to Catholics in government service in Hanover and even visited their churches. Ernest explained this by stating that there were no historical reasons to restrict Catholics in Hanover, as there had been in

25715-471: The sight of the other. Ernest had hoped that his son might marry Princess Victoria and keep the British and Hanoverian thrones united, but the handicap made it unlikely that George could win Victoria's hand and raised questions about whether he should succeed in Hanover. The Duke spent William IV's reign in the House of Lords, where he was assiduous in his attendance. Newspaper editor James Grant wrote that "He

25900-521: The site now occupied by Buckingham Palace ) for use as a family retreat. His other residences were Kew Palace and Windsor Castle . St James's Palace was retained for official use. He did not travel extensively and spent his entire life in southern England. In the 1790s, the King and his family took holidays at Weymouth, Dorset , which he thus popularised as one of the first seaside resorts in England. George, in his accession speech to Parliament, proclaimed: "Born and educated in this country, I glory in

26085-468: The south (Florida), and protect the British fur trade with the Indians. The Proclamation Line did not bother the majority of settled farmers, but it was unpopular with a vocal minority. This discontent ultimately contributed to conflict between the colonists and the British government. With the American colonists generally unburdened by British taxes, the government thought it appropriate for them to pay towards

26270-634: The succession, thus ending the personal union between Britain and Hanover that had begun in 1714. Ernest was born in London but was sent to Hanover in his adolescence for his education and military training. While serving with Hanoverian forces near Tournai against Revolutionary France , he received a disfiguring facial wound. He was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale in 1799. Although his mother, Queen Charlotte , disapproved of his marriage in 1815 to her twice-widowed niece, Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , it proved happy. The eldest son of George III,

26455-455: The supervision of Field Marshal Wilhelm von Freytag . Before leaving Göttingen, Ernest penned a formal letter of thanks to the university and wrote to his father, "I should be one of the most ungrateful of men if ever I was forgetful of all I owe to Göttingen & its professors." As a lieutenant, Ernest learned cavalry drill and tactics under Captain von Linsingen of the Queen's Light Dragoons and proved to be an excellent horseman, as well as

26640-516: The thought of having to report to an officer junior to himself, resigned. King William again emerged triumphant when the new queen, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen , wished to quarter her horses in the stables customarily used by the consort, but which were then occupied by Ernest's horses. Ernest initially refused the King's order to remove the horses, but gave in when told that William's grooms would remove them if Ernest did not move them voluntarily. However, Ernest and William remained friendly throughout

26825-574: The throne on George II's death in 1760. The following year, he married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , with whom he had 15 children. George III's life and reign were marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdoms, much of the rest of Europe, and places farther afield in Africa, the Americas and Asia. Early in his reign, Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years' War , becoming

27010-405: The two had lived since arriving in Hanover. Ernest's interest in and support of the railroads led to Hanover becoming a major railway junction, much to the nation's benefit. However, when court architect Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves in 1837 proposed the building of an opera house in Hanover, the King initially refused, calling the proposal "this utterly absurd idea of building a court theatre in

27195-717: The view subsequently gained widespread scholarly acceptance. A study of samples of George's hair published in 2005 revealed high levels of arsenic , a cause of metabolic blood disorders and thus a possible trigger for porphyria. The source of the arsenic is not known, but it could have been a component of medicines or cosmetics. The theory was also established in the public mind through influential dramatisations, such as Alan Bennett 's play The Madness of George III , and in Nicholas Hytner 's subsequent film . From 2010, this view has been increasingly challenged, and Macalpine and Hunter's study criticised. Recent scholarship discounts

27380-522: The war and lower bread prices. In response, Parliament passed the Treason and Seditious Meetings Acts a month later. The First Coalition to oppose revolutionary France, which included Austria, Prussia, and Spain, broke up in 1795 when Prussia and Spain made separate peace with France. The Second Coalition , which included Austria, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire , was defeated in 1800. Only Great Britain

27565-613: The war in limited fashion in 1779. One faction of the Dutch Republic aided the Americans, whereas another aided Britain, whose allies included Loyalists and German auxiliaries . Lord Gower and Lord Weymouth both resigned from the government. Lord North again requested that he also be allowed to resign, but he stayed in office at George III's insistence. During the summer of 1779, a combined French-Spanish naval fleet threatened to invade England and transport 31,000 French troops across

27750-454: The wedding, the King injured himself in a fall, with Albert writing to his brother , "Happily he fell over some stones in Kew and damaged some ribs." This injury spared him further contact with Victoria and Albert. During his visit, the King found time to take his place as Duke of Cumberland in the House of Lords. Victoria recorded in her journal that the King had stated when asked if he would speak in

27935-477: The years from 1763 to 1775 tends to exonerate George III from any real responsibility for the American Revolution ." Though both the Americans and older British historians characterised George as a tyrant, in these years he acted as a constitutional monarch supporting the initiatives of his ministers. The American War of Independence was the culmination of the civil and political American Revolution . In

28120-570: Was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death in 1851. As the fifth son of George III of the United Kingdom and Hanover , he initially seemed unlikely to become a monarch, but none of his elder brothers had a legitimate son. When his elder brother William IV , who ruled both kingdoms, died in 1837, his niece Victoria inherited the British throne under British succession law, while Ernest succeeded in Hanover under Salic law , which barred women from

28305-566: Was "one tax to keep up the right [to levy taxes]". In 1773, the tea ships moored in Boston Harbor were boarded by colonists and the tea was thrown overboard, an event that became known as the Boston Tea Party . In Britain, opinion hardened against the colonists, with Chatham now agreeing with North that the destruction of the tea was "certainly criminal". With the clear support of Parliament, Lord North introduced measures, which were called

28490-504: Was a major political issue of the first years of the 19th century. The Duke of Cumberland was a strong opponent of giving political rights to Catholics, believing that emancipation would be a violation of the King's Coronation Oath to uphold Anglicanism and spoke out in the House of Lords against emancipation. Protestant Irish organisations supported the Duke; he was elected Chancellor of the University of Dublin in 1805 and Grand Master of

28675-530: Was able to outlast Brunswick. In 1845, Brunswick, Hanover and Prussia signed a trade agreement. In 1850, Ernest reluctantly permitted Hanover to join the Zollverein , though the entry was on favourable terms. Ernest's forebodings about Prussia were warranted; in 1866, fifteen years after his death, Hanover chose the Austrian side in the Austro-Prussian War , was defeated and was annexed by Prussia. Hanover

28860-406: Was again considerable, as it seemed possible that he would succeed to the throne. In 1826, Parliament finally voted to increase Ernest's allowance. The Liverpool government argued that the Duke needed an increased allowance to pay for Prince George's education; even so, it was opposed by many Whigs. The bill, which passed the House of Commons 120–97, required George to live in England if Ernest

29045-455: Was again expelled from Parliament. He was re-elected and expelled twice more, before the House of Commons resolved that his candidature was invalid and declared the runner-up as the victor. Grafton's government disintegrated in 1770, allowing the Tories led by Lord North to return to power. George was deeply devout and spent hours in prayer, but his piety was not shared by his brothers. George

29230-470: Was also said that Ernest had blackmailed the King by threatening to expose this secret, though Van der Kiste points out that Ernest would have been ill-advised to blackmail with a secret which, if exposed, would destroy him. These rumours were spread as Ernest journeyed to London to fight against Catholic emancipation. Whig politician and diarist Thomas Creevey wrote about the Garth rumour in mid-February and there

29415-418: Was an active member of the House of Lords , where he maintained an extremely conservative record. There were persistent allegations (reportedly spread by his political foes) that he had murdered his valet, had fathered a son by his sister Sophia , and intended to take the British throne by murdering Victoria. Following the death of William IV, Ernest became Hanover's first resident ruler since George I . He had

29600-400: Was announced. Following the marriage in Germany on 29 May 1815, Queen Charlotte refused to receive her new daughter-in-law, nor would the Queen attend the resolemnisation of the Cumberlands' marriage at Kew, which Ernest's four elder brothers attended. The Prince of Wales (who had been Prince Regent since 1811) found the Cumberlands' presence in Britain embarrassing, and offered him money and

29785-408: Was appalled by what he saw as their loose morals. In 1770, his brother Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn , was exposed as an adulterer. The following year, Henry married a young widow, Anne Horton . The King considered her inappropriate as a royal bride: she was from a lower social class and German law barred any children of the couple from the Hanoverian succession. George insisted on

29970-425: Was appointed American minister to London in 1785, by which time George had become resigned to the new relationship between his country and the former colonies. He told Adams, "I was the last to consent to the separation; but the separation having been made and having become inevitable, I have always said, as I say now, that I would be the first to meet the friendship of the United States as an independent power." With

30155-462: Was at first welcomed by politicians of all parties, the first years of his reign were marked by political instability, largely as a result of disagreements over the Seven Years' War . George came to be perceived as favouring Tory ministers, which led to his denunciation by the Whigs as an autocrat . On his accession, the Crown lands produced relatively little income; most revenue was generated through taxes and excise duties. George surrendered

30340-572: Was born two months prematurely, and thought unlikely to survive, he was baptised the same day by Thomas Secker , who was both Rector of St James's Church, Piccadilly , and Bishop of Oxford . One month later, he was publicly baptised at Norfolk House, again by Secker. His godparents were King Frederick I of Sweden (for whom Lord Baltimore stood proxy), his uncle Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (for whom Lord Carnarvon stood proxy), and his great-aunt Sophia Dorothea, Queen in Prussia (for whom Lady Charlotte Edwin stood proxy). George grew into

30525-591: Was concurrently Duke and Prince-elector of Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire before becoming King of Hanover on 12 October 1814. He was a monarch of the House of Hanover , who, unlike his two predecessors, was born in Great Britain, spoke English as his first language, and never visited Hanover. George was born during the reign of his paternal grandfather, King George II , as the first son of Frederick, Prince of Wales , and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha . Following his father's death in 1751, Prince George became heir apparent and Prince of Wales . He succeeded to

30710-447: Was discovered with his throat freshly cut, a wound apparently self-inflicted. Ernest received several serious wounds during the apparent attack and required over a month to recover from his injuries. The social reformer and anti-monarchist Francis Place managed to join the inquest jury and became its foreman. Place went to the office of a barrister friend to study inquest law and aggressively questioned witnesses. Place also insisted that

30895-427: Was dismayed and disappointed. By this time, George's health was deteriorating. He had a mental illness characterised by acute mania . Until the mid-20th century, the King's illness was generally considered to be psychological. In 1966, a study by Ida Macalpine and Richard Hunter suggested that the illness was physiological, caused by the liver disorder porphyria . Although meeting with some contemporary opposition,

31080-402: Was dissolved, and the subsequent election gave the ministry a strong majority in the House of Commons. George III made no further major political decisions during his reign; the replacement of Portland by Perceval in 1809 was of little real significance. In late 1810, at the height of his popularity, King George, already virtually blind with cataracts and in pain from rheumatism , suffered

31265-433: Was divided in two, with the eastern half (from the Allegheny Mountains to the Mississippi River ) ceded to Britain and the western half, plus the city of New Orleans , ceded to Spain. Later that year, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 placed a limit upon the westward expansion of the American colonies and created an Indian reserve . The Proclamation aimed to divert colonial expansion to the north (to Nova Scotia ) and to

31450-496: Was elevated from an electorate to a kingdom . Meanwhile, George's health deteriorated. He developed dementia , and became completely blind and increasingly deaf. He was incapable of knowing or understanding that he was declared King of Hanover in 1814, or that his wife died in 1818. At Christmas 1819, he spoke nonsense for 58 hours, and for the last few weeks of his life was unable to walk. He died of pneumonia at Windsor Castle at 8:38 pm on 29 January 1820, six days after

31635-403: Was fond of his children and was devastated at the death of two of his sons in infancy, in 1782 and 1783 respectively. Nevertheless, he set his children a strict regimen. They were expected to attend rigorous lessons from seven in the morning and to lead lives of religious observance and virtue. When his children strayed from George's principles of righteousness, as his sons did as young adults, he

31820-477: Was granted an allowance of £ 12,000 a year, equivalent to £1.49 million in 2023. Though he was made a lieutenant-general, of both British and Hanoverian forces, he remained in England and, with a seat in the House of Lords, entered politics. Ernest had extreme Tory views and soon became a leader of the right wing of the party. King George had feared that Ernest, like some of his elder brothers, would display Whig tendencies. Reassured on that point, in 1801,

32005-417: Was injured by a cannonball which passed close by him. In the days after the battle, the sight in his left eye faded. In June, he was sent to Britain to convalesce, his first stay there since 1786. Ernest resumed his duties in early November, by now promoted to major-general. He hoped his new rank would bring him a corps or brigade command, but none was forthcoming as the Allied armies retreated slowly through

32190-403: Was left fighting Napoleon Bonaparte , the First Consul of the French Republic . A brief lull in hostilities allowed Pitt to concentrate effort on Ireland, where there had been an uprising and attempted French landing in 1798. In 1800, the British and Irish Parliaments passed an Act of Union that took effect on 1 January 1801 and united Great Britain and Ireland into a single state, known as

32375-426: Was left with twelve surviving children and no surviving legitimate grandchildren. Most of the unmarried royal dukes hurriedly sought out suitable brides and hastened to the altar, hoping to secure the succession for another generation. Seeing little prospect of the Queen giving in and receiving her daughter-in-law, the Cumberlands moved to Germany in 1818. They had difficulty living within their means in Britain and

32560-433: Was little affected by the revolutions of 1848 ; a few small disturbances were put down by the cavalry without bloodshed. When agitators arrived from Berlin at the end of May 1848 and there were demonstrations outside the King's palace, Ernest sent out the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister warned that, if the demonstrators made any inappropriate demands on the King, Ernest would pack up his things and leave for Britain, taking

32745-432: Was now heir presumptive in Hanover, since the British heir presumptive, Princess Victoria, as a female could not inherit there. William realised that, so long as the Duke maintained a power base at Windsor, he could wield unwanted influence. The Duke was Gold Stick as head of the Household Cavalry ; William made the Duke's post responsible to the Commander in Chief rather than to the King, and an insulted Ernest, outraged at

32930-403: Was open and available to scholars and was the foundation of a new national library. In May 1762, the incumbent Whig government of Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle , was replaced with one led by Lord Bute, a Scottish Tory. Bute's opponents worked against him by spreading the calumny that he was having an affair with the King's mother, and by exploiting anti-Scottish sentiment amongst

33115-416: Was prepared to abide by his opinions. In the European convulsions, therefore, King Ernest maintained the stability of his throne and the tranquillity of his people without damage from revolution or reaction. As Kings, indeed, are computed on the continent, he was an able and even a popular Monarch, and his memory may find, perhaps, in his ancestral dominions a sympathy which it would be vain to bespeak for it in

33300-424: Was replaced by the Fox–North Coalition . Portland became prime minister, with Fox and Lord North, as foreign secretary and home secretary respectively. The King disliked Fox intensely, for his politics as well as his character: he thought Fox unprincipled and a bad influence on the Prince of Wales. George III was distressed at having to appoint ministers not of his liking, but the Portland ministry quickly built up

33485-415: Was restored. His son, Crown Prince George, endorsed the action. In carrying the King's patent into effect, the Cabinet required all officeholders (including professors at Göttingen University ) to renew their oaths of allegiance to the King. Seven professors (including the two Brothers Grimm ) refused to take the oaths and agitated for others to protest against the King's decree. Since they did not take

33670-406: Was the fifth son of King George III , and brother to King George IV and King William IV , whom he succeeded as King of Hanover. As Duke of Cumberland Ernest Augustus had been Grand Master of the Orange Order in England until it dissolved itself at the request of the King William IV following a government inquiry into public disorder in Ireland caused by Orange marches. The term "Arch" is used in

33855-423: Was the only male descendant of George III who was willing and able to continue the connection with Hanover." Hanover had received its first constitution, granted by the Prince Regent, in 1819; this did little more than denote Hanover's change from an electorate to a kingdom, guaranteed by the Congress of Vienna . The Duke of Cambridge, as King William's viceroy in Hanover, recommended a thorough reorganisation of

34040-431: Was to receive the money. In 1828, Ernest was staying with the King at Windsor Castle when severe disturbances broke out in Ireland among Catholics. The Duke was an ardent supporter of the Protestant cause in Ireland and returned to Berlin in August, believing that the government, led by the Duke of Wellington , would deal firmly with the Irish. In January 1829, the Wellington government announced that it would introduce

34225-516: Was wholly Anglican . At the age of 10, George took part in a family production of Joseph Addison 's play Cato and said in the new prologue: "What, tho' a boy! It may with truth be said, A boy in England born, in England bred." Historian Romney Sedgwick argued that these lines appear "to be the source of the only historical phrase with which he is associated". King George II disliked Prince Frederick and took little interest in his grandchildren. However, in 1751, Frederick died unexpectedly from

#39960