George V of the United Kingdom

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
Prime Ministers	See list H. H. Asquith David Lloyd George Bonar Law
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	John A. Macdonald John Abbot John Thompson Mackenzie Bowell Charles Tupper Wilfrid Laurier (Canadian) William Ewart Gladstone The Marquess of Salisbury The Earl of Rosebery (British)
Born	George Arthur Leopold Frederick (1862-01-03)3 January 1862 Buckingham Palace, London
Died	5 January 1923(1923-01-05) (aged 61) Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Canada
Burial	20 January 1923 George and Sophia Memorial, Ottawa, Canada
Spouse	Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (1881 - 1886, engaged) Sophia of Prussia (m. 1887)
Issue Detail	Edward VII Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Uppland Frederick, Duke of Clarence and Avondale Henrietta, Hereditary Princess of Denmark
Full name George Arthur Leopold Frederick
House	Hanover
Father	William V
Mother	Charlotte of Belgium
Religion	Protestant
Military service
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1882-1883 (active service)
Rank	Brigadier
Unit	The King's Abyssinian Regiment
Battles/wars	Mahdist War

George V (George Arthur Leopold Frederick; 3 January, 1862 - 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, to which he was highly regarded by Canadians for his state-building efforts and his exceptionally liberal approach towards issues surrounding the country. The King George National Hockey Championships, an annual hockey tournament, alongside several educational institutions, parks, roads and a memorial all bore his name. In 1891, as Governor-General of Canada, George helped laid the foundation of the Canadian Red Cross, in which he was then chosen as its first secretary general, in which capacity he oversaw its operations during the Second Boer War.

Known primarily for his feats during his almost half a century long tenure as Prince of Wales, his reign however which was among the shortest in British history was marked by little active involvement as monarch in contrast to his predecessor, aside from the First World War and the first few years of the Roaring Twenties, until his death in 1923. Following his death, George was initially given the epithet of "Builder King" for his part in developing Canada but this was promptly changed to an alternative one, renamed "Grand Prince of Canada" as to avoid associating him with the notorious King Leopold II of Belgium, whom George himself personally resented for the latter's brutality in his administration of the Congo Free State.

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, whom he greatly came to mirror in terms of appearance 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 his enthusiastic mother. At the same time, he also drew partial 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.

George & Alexandrovna

Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, George's mother figure and wife of Tsar Alexander II of Russia

Despite being generally on good terms and close with his own family, particularly with his mother, Queen Charlotte, George nevertheless began to saw the then estranged Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna as his own mother figure, when on the insistence of George's father, King William V, whom sympathised with Maria Alexandrovna's grievances, the empress began to unofficially act as a caretaker for the young George at occasional times, even in his own mother's presence. Though this new arrangement created some expected degree of rift between Maria Alexandrovna and Charlotte, it was through the former that a young George was able to learn the Russian language from, leading to a subsequently mutual feelings of appreciation and love for one another.

Beginning from the age of two, the prince, with his parents' consent would often travel back and forth to Herrenhausen Palace alongside Empress Maria Alexandrovna as the latter had deemed the Hanoverian royal residence to be more fitting for her recovery against a grieving illness. Nevertheless, while residing in the palace, the two would reportedly venture around the city streets incognito, overseeing daily businesses. Furthermore, much to the chagrin of George's own parents, the prince would at times follow the empress back to Russia where he was subsequently introduced to the Russian royal family, consisting of the Tsar of Russia and their six surviving children, all of whom George later came to regard warmly in his memoirs. Even so, due to preexisting limitations, George would also at times be separated from the Russian empress, during which he would often write letters wishing for her recovery alongside rounds of gifts for the empress. Later on, in the year 1880, George himself was present alongside Maria Alexandrovna's Russian family surrounding the empress in her final moments.

Evidently, the life of Empress Maria Alexandrovna did much to shape some aspects of George's later adult life and his own marital life, in which unlike his own father whom had taken a mistress of his own while being legally married himself, George strictly detested such a practice and was said to had also informally "criminalised" it, whilst arguing that "none shall suffer any longer like my mother Maria Alexandrovna", alluding to the late Russian empress's turbulent marital life. Additionally, like Maria Alexandrovna herself whom had been a founding member of the Russian Red Cross, George himself also became a founding member of the Canadian Red Cross in his service as Governor-General of Canada. However, on a much personal level, George reportedly harboured much antagonistic feelings towards the then Tsar Alexander II of Russia, whom the prince reputedly blame for the empress's ailing condition and subsequent death, believing that the Tsar's blatant infidelity to be cause of the late empress's demise.

Prince of Wales

Upon reaching the age of majority, George, whom was then said to be immensely distraught following the death of the Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna, was promptly sent to Germany to live with his German relatives whilst undertaking military lessons, as it was expected by George's father. During his lengthy stay in Germany, George was quick familiarise himself with the prevalent mitilaristic culture in the country, and was generally and personally close with the German princely family, due to his own relation to Crown Prince Frederick's wife, Crown Princess Victoria, whom was George's second cousin through a shared great-grandfather, King George III.

Mahdist War

Following his return to Britain, with a promising military education at hand, coupled with a gradual decline in his father's own involvement in military campaigns, George was widely seen by many as a natural successor to his father's militaristic legacy. However, paradoxically, George himself was said to had considerably detested military appointments, having preferred spending his time more in what he referred to as "nonviolent activities". Nevertheless, under pressure from some of the British Army's leading officers, coupled with his own prior scandal involving a relationship with notable British socialite Lillie Langtry, George reluctantly took a commission alongside several other British officers hired to command the local Egyptian army by the Khedive of Egypt against Mahdist Sudanese forces of Muhammad Ahmad.

Upon his arrival in Khedivate of Egypt on February 1882, which had then recently underwent an armed insurrection by Ahmed 'Urabi, a disgruntled Egyptian army officer, George was initially provided with a measly force of 2000 men strong, consisted largely of local Egyptian soldiers whom were generally described as being "considerably unruly, and lenient against the enemy". A few days later, having reached the city of Minya, George had his men extensively drilled in warfare tactics whilst awaiting reinforcements in the form of the elite Abyssinian Regiment. Subsequently, British forces under the Prince of Wales, now numbering around 3,500 men strong first entered Sudan via the coastal city of Suakin before proceeding further inwards where just three days later, at {{wp| they were met by a larger force of 10,000 men under the central leadership of Muhammad Ahmad, whom had prior resisted initial attempts to neutralise him. In what would be George's first military encounter against the Sudanese religious leader, the former decisively prevailed against the latter's warriors, having inflicted considerable casualties while retaining his own. Nevertheless, the two sides fought once more when the Mahdists in turn sieged the city a few days later, though this attempt was also repulsed, with the prince himself reportedly being close enough at one point to land a fatal blow against Muhammad Ahmad himself. As a result of his military proficiency, George was momentarily kept in Sudan for a while until he was ultimatelly recalled back to Europe in mid-June.

Anglo-German Rivalry

Despite being the brother-in-law of Kaiser Wilhelm II, 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, made evident in his rivalry against George's father, the reigning King William V. Nevertheless, with the help of his aunt, Princess Alice, the prince sought extensively to regulate relations between the two nations. As George's character, similar to that 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, resulting in an unyielding familial bond between the two.

Despite the growing hostility between the two empires, George himself remained partially sympathetic to the German Empire, with the former having allegedly travelled incognito to the country on several occasions as to personally inspect German army facilities, and at times engaging in conversations with several high-ranking officers of the Imperial German Army, with the German Chief of the General Staff Moltke the Elder in particular later writing of him as a "calm, sensible and courteous young prince and general".

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 relocate to the country, George finally accepted the offer and departed for Canada alongside his wife. In his twenty seven years long tenure as Governor-General, George sought and successfully introduced immense "liberalisation" of Canadian politics, economy and infrastructure which coincided with the declining influence of the Francophones in the British dominion. In addition, despite initial skepticism, the royal couple was 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, of which George himself personally successfully partook in, the royal couple's popularity remained consistently and unprecendentedly high, made evident by a suggestion in the year 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-war and pro-war parties in the conflict. The prince, whom was well informed of the effectiveness of railways, as demonstrated in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, massively 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 university in particular named in their honour. He also led the foundation of the very first national-level scholarships for eligible Canadian students. In 1884, he was granted a private audience with the Pope in Rome, Leo XIII, becoming the first British monarch to ever visit the Catholic holy city since England's breakaway in 1534 under King Henry VIII. He later wrote greatly of the Pope in his writings, having commended the Christian spiritual leader for "his acute sense of modernity and his ability to grasp onto the changing times".

On March 1888, George became the first British and European royal to visit the emerging Asian country of Japan. The prince, whom had done so by the invitation of the Japanese Emperor Meiji, was initially received by Japanese officials at the coastal city of Yokohama where from there, he embarked on a long nationwide tour comprising Japan's urban and rural areas, whilst accompanied by the Emperor himself. After a lengthy audience with the Japanese imperial family, George was then exclusively allowed to oversaw a training session of an Imperial Japanese Army regiment. In his later memoirs, George wrote positively of the IJA's military capabilities, in which he equated the recently modernised and emerging Japanese army to that of the German Army in Europe, whom were then the leading example of a modern military in the continent. Reportedly, on December that year, George also paid a brief visit to the Chinese capital city of Peking, where he met the Guangxu Emperor and briefly toured factories in eastern China before returning back to Japan, from which the prince then departed back for the United Kingdom from Yokohama. His visit, which was said to had been of a positive nature in the emerging Asian country, was later reciprocated with a visit to the United Kingdom in 1901 by a twenty-two year old Crown Prince Yoshihito, whom George became personally close to following the former's visit.

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 Crown Prince Frederick of the German Empire, though the suggestion itself was not widely supported by both the British public and government. Furthermore, George's mother, Queen Charlotte had instead suggested a possible union between her son and with that of her niece, Princess Stéphanie of Belgium in order to further Anglo-Belgian relations instead, but this was promptly rejected. Undeterred, the queen consort subsequently proposed a union with the sixteeen year old daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse, which received initial traction due to the renowned beauty of the young princess, but prospects of it were ultimately ended, due to William's adamant insistence in bettering relations with the new German Empire. A suggestion for the prince to marry one of his English relatives was also proposed, namely by William Ewart Gladstone, the newly appointed Prime Minister. Regardless, the king went ahead with his plans, informing Crown Prince Frederick of his plans in which he wrote, "Georgie would very much prefer either one of your lovely daughters for the sake of our lasting friendship".

Engagement

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, whom George was initially engaged to prior to his marriage

Upon his arrival in Germany in 1880, George was quick to familiarise himself with the foreign German court. As the second cousin of Crown Princess Victoria, the young George was quick to bond with the latter and her family, consisting that of Crown Prince Frederick whom George greatly admired as a father-like figure and their six surviving children. In line with his designated purpose, George became rather quickly acquainted with Frederick's daughters and was initially recommended with the eldest of them all, Charlotte whose illness however nullified any prospects of a marriage. Undeterred, George began expressing a degree of consideration in marrying the second eldest daughter of the German Crown Prince, 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 was spared from the problems faced by her elder sisters that had rendered them unsuitable for George. With the encouragement of both of their parents, George and Sophia were quick to familiarise themselves. However, as Sophia herself was then too young for a marriage, George was encouraged to reluctantly wait for seven more years when the princess was to become of age herself.

Lillie Langtry, an English actress whom was briefly the mistress of the then Prince of Wales

Upon his return, George found solace in a brief, three months long relationship with British socialite Lillie Langtry, whom he had met at a private upper-class party. However, the affair was cut short by the intervention of the King who subsequently paid Langtry a sum of £3,500 to buy her silence, following allegations of a pregnancy, which the latter herself then denied of George being the actual father. Following the debacle, George was promptly commissioned to Sudan where he remarkably excelled in his encounters against the Sudanese religious leader, Muhammad Ahmad. Soon after, he was summoned back to Berlin where an unexpected, hasty engagement had been arranged between the prince and Sophia's sister, Viktoria, as a way to deter him from further potential liaisons. Reportedly, while the Prince of Wales agreed to an engagement as a way to deter any unwelcomed romantic affairs, he nevertheless demanded to be engaged to someone else, namely Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, whom George had prior met due to his close relationship with the late Empress of Russia, whose name the grand duchess inherited.

The prince's alternative suggestion, whilst being perceived as slightly offensive to the German royal couple, whom were generally on good terms with the former himself, also received great scrutiny from both the British and Russian governments due to the state of animosity between them arising from geopolitical interest. Nevertheless, on approximately June 1st 1881, George departed for Russia where he was received by the new Russian Tsar, Alexander III. Upon his arrival, George wasted no time in acquainting himself with the grand duchess, with whom he first deliberated with on the possibility of an engagement between them. Almost immediately, the strong-willed Maria Alexandrovna, upon learning that she was only intended to be engaged to and not to marry the prince in the end, initially refused such an arrangement. However, prospects of a peaceful settlement between both the British and Russian empires emanating from the engagement ultimately compelled the former to accept the prince's offer. Their sudden engagement, which had only occurred within a span of a few hours after George's arrival in the Russian capital was promptly pubilcised by Tsar Alexander III, whom hailed it as a "diplomatic victory" for his country, although the Tsar himself had no prior knowledge of the arrangement. While in the United Kingdom, King William V, despite being somewhat personally anxious regarding the hypothetical conclusion of his son's sudden engagement, nevertheless accepted the arrangement, with himself later greeting the royal couple on their return to England.

Having opted on distancing himself and his fiancee from the general public, George, along with Maria Alexandrovna took up residence in Windsor Castle where they were said to had enjoyed themselves "to the fullest extent". A fluent Russian speaker himself, both George and Maria Alexandrovna would often switch on a daily basis between the three languages of English, German, and Russian whenever they converse with each other publicly. As one particular royal staff noted, "The prospect of being ultimately forbidden to marry each other never seemed to bother either of them. They were themselves, and they are enjoying it for as long as they could". In addition to their mutual proficiency in several languages and some other forms of common interest, the two generally bonded over the death of the late Empress Maria Alexandrovna, whom both George and Maria Alexandrovna were close to.

On June 1882, to the surprise of observers, as George departed for Japan, the grand duchess herself was also seen travelling alongside the former, prompting rumours of a secret marriage being already established, as their general closeness with one another was already of public knowledge. Subsequently, just a year later, when the prince accepted a gubernatorial post in Canada, the grand duchess, with George's own permission, also went alongside the former to North America.

Marriage

Thus, with no other options left in sight, George began to emphasise his efforts in truly bonding with the younger German princess, which was said to had been remarkably successful after just two months long. Due to the occasional leaves of Sophi's parents, the princess was at times left under the care of her British relatives, further allowing George to better familiarise himself with Sophia. Eventually, George was able to successfully sought permission from Sophia's mother, Crown Princess Victoria to bring the young princess to Canada, which George had reportedly chose to be the venue for him to then ask for Sophia's hand in marriage. However, rather unexpectedly, the proposal occured prematurely while the pair was still enroute to Canada, with Sophia instead asking the prince's hand in marriage. The couple then hastily returned to German Empire for a brief audience with the German royal family before finally arriving in Britain, where their engagement was subsequently made public to the British royal family.

For the next couple of months, despite initial reluctance by Crown Princess Victoria in being apart from her beloved daughter, Sophia resided with her British cousins in Buckingham Palace. As a result of her mother's Anglo-centric upbringing, the princess quickly left a positive impression of observers, with the then King William V reportedly lavishing much attention towards his soon-to-be daughter-in-law, exemplified in a letter written to Sophie's parents in which he wrote, "The young Sophie's presence here has been quite a remarkable blessing for us all, and if possible, I would wish for her to stay here for much longer". On August 1887, the couple were officially married at the Royal Chapel in St James's Palace. Encouraged by his father, the couple spent their two months long honeymoon first in Egypt, where they resided for three weeks before finally journeying to Canada. According to George himself, the young Sophia became extremely fond of the Canadian scenery which prompted the couple to designate the country as their unofficial residence for the most of their remaining years before George's own ascension to the throne in the year 1913.

Princess Sophia of Prussia

Throughout their marriage, despite their contrasting Germanophile and Anglophile preferences, the two came quick to bond over the hostility shown by Sophia's brother Wilhelm whom unlike the two greatly detested Britain and almost anything English. Coupled with the relatively hostile environment in England, stemming from a tense disagreement between George and his father over the latter's military conducts, then compensated by the growing anti-German sentiment, the couple chose first to reside at the Edinburgh Palace before subsequently relocating further west to the Rideau Hall in Canada, where they became well-known and loved for their outspoken liberal lifestyle. Subsequently, the couple actively indulged themselves in philanthropic activities and were notably credited for the rapid modernisation of Canada's infrastructure, ranging from railways to public universities, with one such institution based in the capital city of Ottawa named after the princely couple.

Titles & Honours

• 3 January 1862 - 28 January 1862 His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall
• 28 January 1862 - 30 January 1913 His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
• 30 January 1913 - 5 January 1923 His Majesty The King

Ancestry

Ancestors of George V of the United Kingdom

8. George III of the United Kingdom 4. William IV of the United Kingdom 9. Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz 2. William V of the United Kingdom 10. George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen 5. Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen 11. Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg 1. George V of the United Kingdom 12. Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 6. Leopold I of Belgium 13. Countess Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf 3. Charlotte of Belgium 14. Louis Philippe I of France 7. Louise of Orléans 15. Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily