George V of the United Kingdom: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 08:27, 24 September 2020
| George V | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions (more...) | |||||
| Reign | 30 January, 1913 - 5 January, 1923 | ||||
| Coronation | 5 March, 1913 | ||||
| Predecessor | William V | ||||
| Successor | Edward VII | ||||
| Emperor of India | |||||
| Reign | 30 January, 1913 - 5 January, 1923 | ||||
| Imperial Durbar | 8 August, 1913 | ||||
| Predecessor | William V | ||||
| Successor | Edward VII | ||||
| King of Hanover | |||||
| Reign | 30 January, 1913 - 5 January, 1923 | ||||
| Coronation | 5 March, 1913 | ||||
| Predecessor | William V | ||||
| Successor | Edward VII | ||||
| Governor-General of Canada | |||||
| In office | 23 October, 1883 - 5 March, 1900 | ||||
| Monarch | William V | ||||
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Lorne | ||||
| Succeeded by | The Earl Grey | ||||
| Prime Minister | |||||
| Born | George Arthur Leopold Frederick 3 January 1862 Buckingham Palace, London | ||||
| Died | 5 January 1923 (aged 61) Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Canada | ||||
| Burial | 20 January 1923 | ||||
| Spouse | Sophia of Prussia (m. 1887) | ||||
| Issue Detail | |||||
| |||||
| House | Hanover | ||||
| Father | William V | ||||
| Mother | Charlotte of Belgium | ||||
| Religion | Protestant | ||||
George V (George Arthur Leopold Frederick; 30 January, 1913 - 5 January, 1923) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King of Hanover and Emperor of India from 1913 until 1923. He was also Governor-General of Canada from 1883 until 1900, being the first and only British prince to do so.
Early Life
George was born on the 3rd of January 1862 as the second child of William V and Queen Charlotte. His birth, which succeeded that of his stillborn brother of the same name proved to be a great miracle and joy, in particular to his mother whom had been devastated by the loss of her previous son the year before. Almost immediately, he was made Prince of Wales as the first in line of succession to the throne and was honorably given the surnames "Leopold Frederick" in honour of his maternal grandfather Leopold I of Belgium and the Prussian prince Frederick, later Kaiser Frederick III, whom had been a good and close friend of his father due to their shared views.
Despite initial suggestions concerning his preferred upbringing, a young George was fully left under the control of his loving, and liberal minded mother while his father William maintained nominal influence, going so far as to only educating the future king on war and the military. Eventually, though he was able to meet the expected standards of a "soldier king" as dreamed by his father, George however took more of a liking into liberal arts which resulted in promising success, mostly at the joy of her enthusiastic mother.
At the same time, he also partially drew inspiration from his like minded aunt Alice, whose determined attitude in the cause of female empowerment proved revolutionary during the times of increasing liberalism in Britain.
Prince of Wales
Upon reaching the age of majority, George was voluntarily sent to Germany to underwent military training, while being under the care of Crown Prince Frederick. During his stay in Germany, aside from being deeply attached to the prevalent militaristic culture, he also became deeply acquainted with the Crown Princely family, as he and Fredrick's wife Vicky were second cousins through King George III. As a result, he took great interest and later deep affection for the couple's third youngest daughter Sophia whom compared to her sisters was a promising candidate for marriage.
Soon after his return, his promising military education, coupled with a decrease in his father's warfare activities led possible rumours of a continuation of the old king William's glorious military career. However, paradoxically, the young George detested military appointments, having openly proclaimed his preference for the company of "his beloved angel", none other than his mother herself. Despite this, under pressure from his military circles, the prince took a one-time command of the British forces in the Mahdist War in Sudan alongside esteemed commanders such as Garnet Wolseley.
As one of the few commanders that encountered the Nubian religious leader Muhammad Ahmad whose military prowess triumphed over well armed Ottoman and European forces, the prince fought for an exact amount of three times against the latter, winning two out of the three engagements before an orderly retreat, and a hasty leave back to Britain. In all, he was made a Brigadier in the British Army and at war's end was offered the position of Governor-General of Sudan, which upon his refusal was instead granted to the 1st Earl Kitchener.
Anglo-German Rivalry
Despite being the brother-in-law of Wilhelm II, the new German Emperor, both men found themselves at odds over their contrasting policies and views. Ironically, while George inhibited some sense of Germanophile, the Kaiser however possessed a strong sense of Anglophobia, which was made evident in his rivalry against George's father William. Despite this, alongside his aunt Alice, the prince sought extensively to regulate relations between the two nations.
As George's character, similar to those of his younger brother Alexander grew more in an opposing nature to their father's military conducts, George regularly sought refuge in neutral countries such as the Netherlands, the Scandinavian kingdoms and his mother's home country of Belgium where for a period of several months, he privately accommodated his sickly mother, earning much love and establishing an unyielding familial bond between the two.
Despite the growing hostility, George still somewhat leaned towards the new German Empire in general and on several occasions, visited Berlin for the sole purpose of viewing German military marches while unsuccessfully negotiating with his brother in law whom at one point ridiculed him as a "German traitor".
Governor-General of Canada
Despite his reluctance, the Prince of Wales was offered once more an administrative position which came about in the light of retirement of the 9th Duke of Argyll from his office of Governor-General of Canada. Once more, George proved reluctant for an overseas commitment but with the considerably calm and peaceful landscape of Canada, added with the persuasion of his own mother Charlotte to reside in Canada, the former finally accepted the post and departed with the queen to Canada.
In his 27 year long tenure as Governor-General, George sought and introduced immense "liberalisation" of Canadian politics, economy and infrastructure albeit at the declining influence of the Francophones in the dominion. In addition, despite initial skepticism, the royal entourage were well-received and welcomed for their outspoken generosity and liberal lifestyle, with Princess Sophia in particular being extremely fond of the game of hockey. Despite the short term crisis of the North-West Rebellion, the royal couple's popularity remained consistently high, its evidence marked by a suggestion in 1900 when the Prince of Wales was recommended by a few Canadian officials to become the sovereign of an independent Canada following their opposition to the Second Boer War, though this brought him into opposition against the Prime Minister, Wilfrid Laurier whom was able to appease both anti and pro-war parties in the conflict.
Having been told of the effectiveness of railways during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, George greatly pioneered the construction of railways throughout Canada and also spearheaded the establishment of several public and private institutions, with the Prince George and Princess Sophia universities respectively named in their honour.
Marriage
In line with his father's wishes, George's potential spouse was to be from the Hohenzollerns of Germany in order to strengthen the friendship between his father and the German Emperor Frederick III. However, Charlotte had instead suggested a possible union between her son and with that of her niece Stéphanie of Belgium. When this was refused, a suggestion for George to marry the much older, 27 year-old Grand Duchess of Russia, Maria Alexandrovna was also proposed but this was also refused, as William remained adamant on guaranteeing his friendship with Prussia.
During his stay in Germany, George had became rather quickly acquainted with Frederick's daughters and was initially recommended with the eldest of them all, Charlotte whose illness however nullified prospects of a marriage.
George's reception was the same towards the second eldest, Princess Viktoria but this soon changed upon his acquaintance with Sophia, the third eldest of the group. Though Sophia was evidently much younger compared to her peers, she however lacked the problems faced by her elder sisters that had rendered them unsuitable for George. Eventually, with the encouragement of both of their parents, the two quickly became close and were later married during Frederick III's short reign, the marriage seen as a final attempt of reconciliation between the two states.
Throughout their marriage, despite their contrasting Germanophile and Anglophile preferences, the two came quick to bond over their mutual hostility towards Sophia's brother Wilhelm II whom unlike the two greatly detested Britain and almost anything English. Coupled with the relatively "hostile" environment in England, stemming from a mutual disagreement between George and his father over the latter's military conducts, the couple chose to reside at the Rideau Hall palace in Canada where they became well-known and loved for their outspoken liberal lifestyle.
Much like his father's marriage, the two were deeply in love with each other over mutual trust and friendship and largely secluded themselves mostly from the public in mainland Britain, having instead preferring various outdoor activities. The Prince George and Princess Sophia Championships, an annual horse riding competition in Canada was notably named in their honour.
Death
Personal Information
Titles & Honours
- 3 January 1862 - 30 January 1913 His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
- 30 January 1913 - 5 January 1923 His Majesty The King
Honours
Ancestry
| Ancestors of George V of the United Kingdom |
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