GERMANNA_COLONIES-L Archives

From: Craig Kilby <>
Subject: Re: [GERMANNA] George 'Hanover' of Great Britain -where did hehang out and when?
Date: Sat, 03 Aug 2002 22:55:44 -0500
In-Reply-To: <80.1f6446c3.2a7de209@aol.com>

on 08/03/02 8:48 PM, at wrote:

>
> As to the "German Court" -do you have any idea about the percentage of
> Germans in crucial positions? I think only a few were German...if you know
> them, could you name them? If you could...we could perhaps find possible
> connections. I feel, however, this "German Court" is an English invention,
> a.k.a. urban legend. [Of course he had some German councillors and musicians
> like Handel, and such !)
>
> As to the language...yeah..he may not have mastered that "awful English
> language" (to twist a phrase after Mark Twain -- who incidentally KNEW quite
> a bit German to be able to make fun of its intricacies). Yet, the court
> language of the time often was French anyway. French was the language of
> courtiers and kings, the 'lingua franca' [common international language] of
> the powers that be..after the Reformation had given a blow to the previous
> European 'lingua franca,' i.e., Latin ---- and therefore it didn't matter
> much that the King knew only little English {Is uppose, few English kings
> knew England's commoner English well, not to mention Cockney).

Boy, Andreas, you really know how to stitch us all up. First I might
mention that "that awful English language" is now the "lingua franca"--or
"weltsprech" as you would say in German.

King George I, elector of Hanover, was born in 1660 and raised in Hanover
and probably never set foot in England until he became King of it in 1714
(at age 54, so it hardly surprising he never learned English and as you say,
had no reason to anyway). He was a great-grandson of King James I of
England, so he did have at least few drops of British (Scottish) blood. He
was chosen over the Old Pretender to the throne (James Edward) because he
was a protestant.

I don't know about King George I "inventing the prime minister", could you
elaborate on that? He certainly did have English ministers, who along with
King George, were often in trouble and accused of manipulating English
policy for the benefit of his Hanover Kingdom--not to mention a scandalous
and illegal investment in the South Sea Company which, as we say, literally
"went South" [bankrupt]. Also from my EB: "The greed of his two German
mistresses reflected badly on his court." Oh, and do keep in mind this is
the Enclopedia Britannica. Is there an Enclopedia Germannica? If so it may
give more history on George's activities in Hanover after he became King of
Great Britain. (It always amuses me to see the monarch's style themselves
in Virginia land patents "By the Grace of God King of England, Scotland,
France and Ireland...I am sure the Kings of France (L'état c'est moi!)*
would take exception to that claim, especially the "By the Grace of God"
part--Dieu et Mon Droit**--indeed!).

Your probably know that Mark Twain was the pen name for Samuel Langhorne
Clemens, which brings us full circle to the Gibson Girl and her sister Lady
Nancy Astor, who if she were alive today would probably really add some
spice to internet mailing lists.

*In English--I am the State!, King Louis XIV, "The Sun King"
** In English--God and My Right, motto of the British Royal House

Craig

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  • Re: [GERMANNA] George 'Hanover' of Great Britain -where did hehang out and when? by Craig Kilby <>