Introduction to George
George, the name of six kings of Great Britain and two kings of Greece.
Great Britain
George I(1660–1727) was elector of the German duchy of Hanover, 1698–1727, and king of Great Britain and Ireland, 1714–27. He founded Britain's line of Hanoverian kings, who reigned until 1830.
Through his mother, Sophia, George was a great-grandson of James I of England; as a Protestant, he was heir to the British throne. When he succeeded Queen Anne in 1714, he was 54 years old and could not speak English. George was less interested in Britain titan in Hanover, which he continued to rule as elector and where he spent half his time. When in Britain, he supported the Whigs. George did not attend meetings of his ministers, but left the administration of Britain to Sir Robert Walpole. Royal power gave way almost entirely to Parliament.
George II(1683–1760) became king of Great Britain and Ireland and elector of Hanover on the death of his father, George I, in 1727. George was more active in the government than his father, but left administration to Walpole, his chief minister. In 1743 George became the last English king to command in battle, when he led his troops to victory over the French in the battle of Dettingen in Bavaria.
Under the leadership of William Pitt (the Elder), who was appointed chief minister in 1756, the last years of George's reign were very successful. When the British defeated France in the Seven Years' War, they gained much territory in Canada and took control over India.
George III(1738–1820) became king of Great Britain and Ireland and elector of Hanover on the death of his grandfather, George II, in 1760. George III was the first of the Hanoverian line to be born in England. He was staunch in his British patriotism.
George was determined to rule as well as reign. All that he did, he believed was best for Britain. Extremely conservative in his political views, he declared: “I will have no innovations in my time.” As monarch he changed ministers frequently to keep any one from gaining power, and thus was unable to form a strong and effective government. During his reign, the British mismanaged the American colonies, which was one of the central causes of the Revolutionary War. George's refusal to accept the fact that the British were losing the war prolonged it, but he accepted defeat gracefully.
Although poorly educated, George III had a lively curiosity and was especially interested in mechanics and agriculture. He enjoyed music and book collecting, and left his library to the British Museum. During the latter part of his 60-year reign, George suffered spells of what was thought to be insanity. (Recent medical research has suggested that his periodically odd behavior may have been caused by a rare hereditary metabolic disease called porphyria.) Eventually he was permanently incapacitated, and in 1811 it was necessary for his son George to become regent.
George IV(1762–1830), regent 1811–20, succeeded his father on the British throne in 1820 and was crowned king of Hanover in 1821. His profligate life made him unpopular with the British people. Twice Parliament gave him money to pay his debts.
George left the government largely to his ministers. He feebly protested giving Catholics the right to vote, but his prime minister, the Duke of Wellington, put a bill giving them this right through Parliament. George was succeeded by his brother William IV.
George V(1865–1936) reigned 1910–36. He was king of Great Britain, Ireland, and the “British Dominions beyond the Seas,” and emperor of India. He was the second son of Edward VII and Alexandra, a Danish princess. Few kings were more respected than George V, a man who never expected to be king. From boyhood, as a naval cadet, his chief interest was the sea. He attended the Royal Naval College and became expert in navigation and gunnery. After he became monarch, he was popularly called the “Sailor King.”
In 1892 at the death of his elder brother, Prince Albert, George became heir apparent. A year later he married his second cousin, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck.
On the death of his father, Edward VII, in 1910 George became king. In 1914, he was confronted with a crisis in Parliament concerning the movement to grant self-government to Ireland. His efforts to deal with the situation, however, were interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. During the war he renounced all his German titles and changed the name of the royal family from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. After the war, George arranged for negotiations between Irish nationalists and the British government. These discussions resulted in British recognition of the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) in southern Ireland. On his death in 1936, he was succeeded by his eldest son, who became Edward VIII.
George VI(1895–1952) reigned 1936–52. He was king of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the British dominions, and (until 1947) emperor of India. He was the second son of George V. Like his father, he did not expect to be king but became one of the best-liked British monarchs. When Edward VIII, his older brother, abdicated on December 10, 1936, George succeeded to the throne. He had been known as Prince Albert until receiving the title duke of York in 1920. He took the name George to emphasize the continuity of the British monarchy and thus ease the unrest caused by his brother's abdication.
Like his father, George VI was trained for the navy. As a gunnery sublieutenant, he served in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. Later he qualified as a pilot in the naval branch of the Royal Air Force. In 1920 he married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who was Scottish. Their two children were Elizabeth, born in 1926, and Margaret Rose, 1930.
George VI, shy and frail, dreaded the responsibility of reigning, but was determined to fulfill his duty. With the help of his wife, he overcame a nervous stammer. His courage, dignity, and compassion won him the respect and admiration of his subjects. He organized youth camps and sponsored programs to improve conditions in factories. In 1939 King George, accompanied by Queen Elizabeth, became the first British sovereign to visit the United States and Canada.
During World War II the king visited the British fleet and the fighting fronts in North Africa and Italy. He and Queen Elizabeth refused to leave London during the “blitz” phase of the Battle of Britain, when German planes were bombing the city. They were in Buckingham Palace when it was bombed. Their courage heartened the beleaguered Britons. On his death in 1952, George VI was succeeded by his oldest daughter, who became Elizabeth II.
Greece
George I(1845–1913) reigned 1863–1913. He was born a prince of Denmark, the second son of King Christian IX. After Otto I was overthrown in 1862, the Greek parliament invited Prince William to become king. He took the name George and reigned as a constitutional monarch. George was assassinated during the First Balkan War and was succeeded by his son, Constantine I.
George II(1890–1947) reigned 1922–23 and 1935–47. He was the eldest son of Constantine I, whom he succeeded as king in 1922. The next year, however, he was deposed, and a republic was declared soon after. In 1935 George was restored to the throne and General Joannes Metaxas was given dictatorial powers. Germany invaded Greece in 1941, and George fled in a British warship. He was restored by a plebiscite in 1946, but soon died.