queen anne and king george 1st

[Vasaborg]

A very good book on George I is "George I, Elector and King " by Ragnhild Hatton published in 1978.

[ivanushka]

What an interesting discussion!

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that Anne had no wish whatsoever to marry George of Hanover as she didn't like him personally and had no desire to leave England.  He may not have liked her either but it may have been that their decision not to marry was mutual!

I also remember reading that in 1714, George was something like the 60th in line to the British crown based strictly on genealogical grounds, though all those that came before him were Catholics.  One of them was Liselotte of the Palatine who married Monsieur, younger brother of Louis XIV and was quite a character.  In her biography of Louis XIV, Nancy Mitford says that Liselotte couldn't have cared less that she didn't get to be Queen as if anything she hated the English even more than she hated the French!

It must have been difficult for George coming to London at the age 53.  Though being King of Great Britain was a far more presitigious position than that of Elector of Hanover, at least in Hanover he was an absolute ruler and didn't have to deal with a Parliament.  Clearly he missed Hanover greatly which is why he returned there as often as he could.

[Norbert]

Don't forget England was the Banana Republic of Europe in 17century. Civil wars and coups, I don't think George I actually thought he would last long on the throne in 1715.

[Romanov_fan]

No he probably didn't think that it would last, perhaps he really didn't care, but he did the minumum of what he had to do. That is all people wanted. As for the later Stuarts they certainly didn't have that much luck although Mary II, Anne and William were fairly good rulers for Engand more than the tempestous earlier Stuarts.  Ironically, James II's Catholic claimant son was the one who lived to be old and had descendents, but they had no luck either as there was no place for them in England, so both they and the later Stuarts who actually reigned in England could be pitied. Both James II's daughters who lived to adulthood struggled to provide heirs, but then he had himself before the birth of his son and Catholic heir. Many of his male and female children by both his two wives died, far more than the average for the age. His daughter Anne went on to have the same problem, more than average loss of children.

[Mari]

I think Anne was content in her Marriage and after all that was worth a lot in those Days. I don't think She would have been happy with George I.

 Interesting discussion.

[Norbert]

There is a theory that James passed on syphillus to his daughters which explains their barrenness. I presume the disease had become weaker by the time of his second family...any doctors here?

[CountessKate]

There is a theory that James passed on syphillus to his daughters which explains their barrenness. I presume the disease had become weaker by the time of his second family...any doctors here?

I thought the attribution of syphilis to every prominant person in history was no longer so prevalent - indeed John Callow's 2000 biography suggests there is no convincing evidence for this in the case of James.  In any case, neither Mary nor Anne were actually barren, they both had problems with bringing children to term - as did their stepmother, Mary of Modena.  There were plenty of reasons in the 17th century why this might happen, without attributing it to a disease which their father probably never had in the first place.

[Norbert]

i suppose we just look to the lifestyle at the time....many mistresses and lovers. A good time was had by all eh?

[Mari]

I have also read James II died of syphilis however the Richard III Society site has it listed as a cerebral hemorrhage. They do have Mary I as dying of congenital syphilis. Here is the  huge list of what each King or Queen died of...quite interesting click the link

http://www.richard3nz.org/kings-queens.html

[Terence]

I have also read James II died of syphilis however the Richard III Society site has it listed as a cerebral hemorrhage. They do have Mary I as dying of congenital syphilis. Here is the  huge list of what each King or Queen died of...quite interesting click the link

http://www.richard3nz.org/kings-queens.html

Thanks for the link Mari.  It's one source, but I'm very suspicious as to any site that attributes death to specific causes in those days.  They need better attribution.

Does anyone have a link to somewhere that correlates old time causes to current diagnoses?  I'm curious about Ague, Swamp Fever and other such terms.

T

[Romanov_fan]

Mary I- Henry VIII'S daughter? No, she defintely didn't die of congentital syphilis.I'll have to look at the list.Modern causes of death are hard to find in cases going back centuries- who knows about the syphilis in James's case.

[Mari]

The Richard III site is well thought of with a lot of primary Material. But I would like to hear from someone that specifically teaches English History. My Graduate History Degree is in another area.

[Kimberly]

This is the New Zealand site for the society and I see that the author of the book is David Williamson (something to do with Debretts).

Terence, Ague is the old name for a fever, I think it particularly refers to the rigors you get with a particularly bad bout of infection-rigors (when your body temperature shoots up and you feel freezing cold and shake all over...horrible)