Danish writer Georg Brandes, who lived in Berlin in 1877-1882 and holidayed in a village somewhere in Hanover, writes that many Hanoverians were content about the Prussian annexation, because George V had been such an erratic ruler: Ernst August I and George insisted on George not being blind (allegedly to avoid a regency, as demanded by the constitution) and his blindness became a public secret that nobody was allowed to acknowledge. It became a public charade because George V insisted on commenting on people's appearances and the colours of their clothes etc. to disprove that he was blind. If people didn't act along with it, the King developed a grudge against them and sought revenge. Compared to those conditions, the Prussian yoke was harsh, but fair, as the Prussian politics never were personal.
Does anybody know if this is true? I am inclined to believe so, as Georg Brandes was an influential Professor of Philosophy who inspired Ibsen etc.
