Electorate of Hanover: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|State of the Holy Roman Empire (1692–1814)}} |
{{Short description|State of the Holy Roman Empire (1692–1814)}} |
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{{EngvarB|date=February 2021}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} |
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{{Infobox country |
{{Infobox country |
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| native_name = |
| native_name = {{native name|de|Kurfürstentum Hannover}}<br />{{small|''{{lang|de|Kurfürstentum Braunschweig-Lüneburg}}''}} |
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| conventional_long_name = Electorate of Hanover <br />{{small|Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg}} |
| conventional_long_name = Electorate of Hanover <br />{{small|Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg}} |
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| common_name = Hanover |
| common_name = Hanover |
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| event_post = |
| event_post = |
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| date_post = |
| date_post = |
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| image_flag = Flag of Hanover (1692).svg |
| image_flag = Flag of Hanover (1692).svg |
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| image_coat = Coat of Arms of George I Louis, Elector of Hanover (1711-1714).svg |
| image_coat = Coat of Arms of George I Louis, Elector of Hanover (1711-1714).svg |
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| image_map_caption = Electorate of Hanover in 1789 |
| image_map_caption = Electorate of Hanover in 1789 |
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| p1 = Principality of Calenberg |
| p1 = Principality of Calenberg |
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| image_p1 = [[File:Coat of Arms of Brunswick-Lüneburg.svg|20px|link=Principality of Calenberg]] |
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| s1 = Kingdom of Westphalia{{!}}'''1807:'''<br/>Kingdom of Westphalia |
| s1 = Kingdom of Westphalia{{!}}'''1807:'''<br/>Kingdom of Westphalia |
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| flag_s1 = Flag_of_the_Kingdom_of_Westphalia.svg |
| flag_s1 = Flag_of_the_Kingdom_of_Westphalia.svg |
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| s2 = Kingdom of Hanover{{!}}'''1814:'''<br />Kingdom of Hanover |
| s2 = Kingdom of Hanover{{!}}'''1814:'''<br />Kingdom of Hanover |
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| flag_s2 = Flag of Hanover 1837-1866.svg |
| flag_s2 = Flag of Hanover 1837-1866.svg |
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| capital = Hanover |
| capital = [[Hanover]] |
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| common_languages = [[West Low German]] |
| common_languages = [[West Low German]] |
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| religion = [[Lutheran]] |
| religion = [[Lutheran]] |
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| leader4 = [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III William Frederick]] |
| leader4 = [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III William Frederick]] |
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| year_leader4 = 1760–1806 |
| year_leader4 = 1760–1806 |
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}} |
}} |
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The '''Electorate of Hanover''' ({{lang-de|Kurfürstentum Hannover}} or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an [[Prince-elector|electorate]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of [[Hanover]]. It was formally known as the '''Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg''' ({{lang-de|Kurfürstentum Braunschweig-Lüneburg}}). For most of its existence, the electorate was ruled in [[personal union]] with Great Britain and Ireland following the [[Hanoverian Succession]]. |
The '''Electorate of Hanover''' ({{lang-de|Kurfürstentum Hannover}} or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an [[Prince-elector|electorate]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], located in northwestern [[Germany]] and taking its name from the capital city of [[Hanover]]. It was formally known as the '''Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg''' ({{lang-de|Kurfürstentum Braunschweig-Lüneburg}}). For most of its existence, the electorate was ruled in [[personal union]] with [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]] following the [[Hanoverian Succession]]. |
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The [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] had been split in 1269 between different branches of the [[House of Welf]]. The [[Principality of Calenberg]], ruled by a cadet branch of the family, emerged as the largest and most powerful of the Brunswick-Lüneburg states. In 1692, the Holy Roman Emperor elevated the Prince of Calenberg to the [[Prince-elector|College of Electors]], creating the new Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The fortunes of the |
The [[Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] had been split in 1269 between different branches of the [[House of Welf]]. The [[Principality of Calenberg]], ruled by a cadet branch of the family, emerged as the largest and most powerful of the Brunswick-Lüneburg states. In 1692, the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] elevated the Prince of Calenberg to the [[Prince-elector|College of Electors]], creating the new Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The fortunes of the electorate were tied to those of Great Britain by the [[Act of Settlement 1701]] and [[Act of Union 1707]], which settled the succession to the British throne on Queen [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne's]] nearest Protestant relative, the Electress [[Sophia of Hanover]], and her descendants.<ref name="barm">{{cite web |url= http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/rezensionen/2007-2-145.pdf |title = Hannover und die englische Thronfolge|publisher = H-Soz-Kult |author = Heide Barmeyer |access-date = 20 March 2020}}</ref> |
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The |
The prince-elector of Hanover became [[king of Great Britain]] in 1714. As a consequence, a reluctant Britain was forced time and again to defend the king's German possessions.{{NoteTag|During the 18th century, whenever war was declared between Great Britain and France, the French army invaded or threatened to invade Hanover, forcing Great Britain to intervene diplomatically and militarily to defend the Electorate. In 1806, [[George III]] even declared war on [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] after King [[Frederick William III of Prussia|Frederick William III]], under heavy pressure from [[Napoleon]], had annexed George III's German possessions.<ref>[[Auguste Himly]], ''{{lang|fr|Histoire de la formation territoriale des États de l'Europe centrale}}''. 1876, vol. 1, pp. 95–96.</ref>}} However, Hanover remained a separately ruled territory with its own governmental bodies, and the country had to sign a treaty with Great Britain whenever Hanoverian troops fought on the British side of a war. Merged into the Napoleonic [[Kingdom of Westphalia]] in 1807, it was re-established as the [[Kingdom of Hanover]] in 1814, and the [[Personal union of Great Britain and Hanover|personal union with the British crown]] lasted until 1837.<ref name="Harding2007">{{cite book|author=Nick Harding|title=Hanover and the British Empire, 1700–1837|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qT7z4MZIB0wC&pg=PA288|year=2007|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-84383-300-0|page=110}}</ref> |
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==Name== |
==Name== |
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In 1692, Emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]] of the [[House of Habsburg]] elevated Duke [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Ernest Augustus]] of the Brunswick-Lüneburg line of [[Principality of Calenberg|Calenberg]], to the rank of [[prince-elector]] of the |
In 1692, Emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]] of the [[House of Habsburg]] elevated Duke [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Ernest Augustus]] of the Brunswick-Lüneburg line of [[Principality of Calenberg|Calenberg]], to the rank of [[prince-elector]] of the empire as a reward for aid given in the [[Nine Years' War]]. There were protests against the addition of a new elector, and the elevation did not become official until the approval of the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]] in 1708. Calenberg's capital, [[Hanover]], became colloquially eponymous for the electorate, but it officially used the name ''Chur-Braunschweig-Lüneburg'' of the entire ducal dynasty. |
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The electoral coat of arms and flag (see info box upper right of this article) displayed the '''[[Saxon Steed]]''' ({{lang-de|link=no|Sachsenross, Niedersachsenross, Welfenross, Westfalenpferd}}; {{Lang-nl|Twentse Ros / Saksische ros/paard}}; [[Lower Saxony|Low Saxon]]: ''Witte Peerd'') is a heraldic motif associated with the German provinces of [[Lower Saxony]] and [[Westphalia]], and the Dutch region of [[Twente]] as the electorate covered large portions of the [[Stem duchy|original stem]] [[Duchy of Saxony]]. |
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==Geography== |
==Geography== |
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The electorate comprised large parts of the modern German state of [[Lower Saxony]] in [[Northern Germany]]. Beside the Principality of Calenberg it also included the former princely lands of [[Principality of Göttingen|Göttingen]] and [[Principality of Grubenhagen|Grubenhagen]] as well as the territory of the former [[County of Hoya]]. |
The electorate comprised large parts of the modern German state of [[Lower Saxony]] in [[Northern Germany]]. Beside the Principality of Calenberg it also included the former princely lands of [[Principality of Göttingen|Göttingen]] and [[Principality of Grubenhagen|Grubenhagen]] as well as the territory of the former [[County of Hoya]]. |
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[[Image:Kft B-L 1789.png|left|thumb|the Electorate of Hanover within the Northeastern part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1789]] |
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⚫ | In 1705, Elector [[George I of Great Britain|George I Louis]] inherited the [[Principality of Lüneburg]] with the Duchy of |
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⚫ | In 1705, Elector [[George I of Great Britain|George I Louis]] inherited the [[Principality of Lüneburg]] with the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg upon the death of his uncle Duke [[George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|George William of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]. In 1715, he purchased the duchies of [[Bremen-Verden]] from King [[Frederick IV of Denmark]] (confirmed by the 1719 [[Treaties of Stockholm (Great Northern War)|Treaty of Stockholm]]), whereby his former landlocked electorate gained access to the [[North Sea]]. |
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⚫ | In 1700, the territories forming the electorate introduced, like all other Protestant territories of [[imperial immediacy]], the Improved Calendar, as the [[Gregorian calendar]] was called by [[Protestants]] to avoid mentioning the name of |
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⚫ | In 1700, the territories forming the electorate introduced, like all other Protestant territories of [[imperial immediacy]], the Improved Calendar, as the [[Gregorian calendar]] was called by [[Protestants]] to avoid mentioning the name of [[Pope Gregory XIII]]. Sunday, 18 February (Old Style) was thus followed by Monday, 1 March ([[New Style]]). |
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== History == |
== History == |
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{{main|History of Hanover}} |
{{main|History of Hanover}} |
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In 1692, the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, elevated George's son, Duke Ernest Augustus to the rank of |
In 1692, the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, elevated George's son, Duke Ernest Augustus to the rank of elector of the empire as a reward for aid given in the War of the Grand Alliance. There were protests against the addition of a new elector, and the elevation did not become official (with the approval of the Imperial Diet) until 1708, in the person of Ernest Augustus's son, George Louis. Though the elector's titles were properly duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he is commonly referred to as the elector of Hanover after his residence. |
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Hanover acquired Bremen-Verden in 1719. |
Hanover acquired Bremen-Verden in 1719. |
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The |
The electorate was legally bound to be indivisible: it could add to its territory, but not alienate territory or be split up among several heirs; and its succession was to follow male primogeniture. The territory assigned to the electorate included the Brunswick-Lüneburg principalities of Calenberg, Grubenhagen, and Lüneburg (even though at the time Lüneburg was ruled by Ernest Augustus's older brother) and the counties of Diepholz and Hoya. |
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===Link with Great Britain=== |
===Link with Great Britain=== |
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{{Main article|Personal union of Great Britain and Hanover}} |
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[[File:Civil Ensign of Hannover (1727-1801).svg|thumb|150px|right|Civil [[ensign]] of Hanover (1727–1801).]] |
[[File:Civil Ensign of Hannover (1727-1801).svg|thumb|150px|right|Civil [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] of Hanover (1727–1801).]] |
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In 1714, [[George I of Great Britain|George Louis]] became king of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]] |
In 1714, [[George I of Great Britain|George Louis]] became king of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]] and so the electorate and Great Britain and Ireland were ruled in [[personal union]]. The possessions of the electors in Germany also grew, as they ''de facto'' purchased the formerly-[[Swedish Empire|Swedish]]-held duchies of [[Duchy of Bremen|Bremen]] and [[Principality of Verden|Verden]] in 1719. |
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George Louis died in 1727 |
George Louis died in 1727 and was succeeded by his son [[George II of Great Britain|George II Augustus]]. In 1728, Emperor [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] officially [[enfeoffment|enfeoffed]] George II (gave him land in exchange for a pledge of service), with the reverted fief of [[Saxe-Lauenburg]], which had ''de facto'' been ruled in personal union with Hanover and with one of its preceding [[Principality of Lüneburg]] since 1689. |
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In 1731, Hanover also gained [[Land of Hadeln|Hadeln]].{{sfn|Wilson|2016|page=583}} In return, Hanover recognised the [[Pragmatic Sanction of 1713]] which changed |
In 1731, Hanover also gained [[Land of Hadeln|Hadeln]].{{sfn|Wilson|2016|page=583}} In return, Hanover recognised the [[Pragmatic Sanction of 1713]], which changed the Habsburgs' inheritance law.{{sfn|Wilson|2016|page=583}} It took George II Augustus until 1733 to persuade Charles VI to enfeoff him also with the Duchy of Bremen and the Principality of Verden, colloquially called Duchies of Bremen-Verden. At both enfeoffments, George II Augustus swore that he would respect the existing privileges and constitutions of the [[Estates of the Realm|estates]] in Bremen-Verden and in Hadeln, thus confirming 400-year-old traditions of estate participation in government. |
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In [[Hanover]], the capital of the |
In [[Hanover]], the capital of the electorate, the [[Privy Council of Hanover]] (electoral government) installed a new ministry in charge of the [[Imperial Estate]]s ruled by the electors in personal union. It was called the Department of Bremen-Verden, Hadeln, Lauenburg and [[County of Bentheim|Bentheim]]. However, the electors spent most of their time in England. Direct contact with the electorate was maintained through the office of the [[German Chancery]], situated in [[St James's Palace]] in London. |
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===Seven Years' War=== |
===Seven Years' War=== |
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{{further|Great Britain in the Seven Years War}} |
{{further|Great Britain in the Seven Years War}} |
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During the |
During the [[French and Indian War]] (1754–1763) in the North American colonies, Britain feared a French invasion of Hanover. George II [[Anglo-Prussian alliance (1756)|formed an alliance]] with his [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] cousin [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick II]] combining the North American conflict with the Brandenburg-Prusso–Austrian [[Seven Years' War|Third Silesian, or Seven Years' War]] (1756–1763). |
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In the summer of 1757, the [[Invasion of Hanover (1757)|French invaded Hanover]] and defeated George II's son [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]], leading the [[Hanoverian Army of Observation|Anglo-Hanoverian army]], at the [[Battle of Hastenbeck]] and drove him and his army into remote Bremen-Verden, where in the former ''[[Zeven]]'' {{Interlanguage link multi|Zeven Convent|de|3=Kloster Zeven|lt=''Convent''}} he capitulated on 18 September ([[Convention of Kloster-Zeven]]). |
In the summer of 1757, the [[Invasion of Hanover (1757)|French invaded Hanover]] and defeated George II's son [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]], leading the [[Hanoverian Army of Observation|Anglo-Hanoverian army]], at the [[Battle of Hastenbeck]] and drove him and his army into remote Bremen-Verden, where in the former ''[[Zeven]]'' {{Interlanguage link multi|Zeven Convent|de|3=Kloster Zeven|lt=''Convent''}} he capitulated on 18 September ([[Convention of Kloster-Zeven]]). However, George II did not recognise the convention. The following year, the [[British Army]], supported by troops from Prussia, [[Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel|Hesse-Kassel]] and the [[Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]], again expelled the occupants. Hanover remained unaffected for the rest of the war. |
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===French Revolutionary Wars=== |
===French Revolutionary Wars=== |
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After the war ended, peace prevailed until the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] started. The [[First Coalition|War of the First Coalition against France]] (1792–1797) with Great Britain, Hanover and other war allies forming the coalition, did not affect Hanoverian territory since the first [[French First Republic|French Republic]] was fighting on several fronts, even on its own territory. However, men were drafted to recruit the 16,000 Hanoverian soldiers fighting in the [[Low Countries]] under British command against France. In 1795, the [[Holy Roman Empire]] declared its neutrality, including Hanover, but a peace treaty with France was being negotiated until it failed in 1799. Prussia, however, ended for its part the war with France by the [[Peace of Basel|Treaty of Basel]] (1795), which stipulated that Prussia would ensure the Holy Roman Empire's neutrality in all of the latter's territories north of the demarcation line of the River [[Main (river)|Main]], including the British continental dominions of Hanover, Bremen-Verden, and Saxe-Lauenburg. To that end, Hanover also had to provide troops for the so-called demarcation army maintaining the armed neutrality.<ref name="Riotte2005">{{cite book|author=Torsten Riotte|title=Hannover in der britischen Politik (1792–1815): dynastische Verbindung als Element aussenpolitischer Entscheidungsprozesse|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=brgcjRBqXh0C|year=2005|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|isbn=978-3-8258-7551-0}}</ref> |
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===Napoleonic era=== |
===Napoleonic era=== |
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During the [[War of the Second Coalition |
During the [[War of the Second Coalition]] against France (1799–1802) [[Napoléon Bonaparte]] urged Prussia to occupy the continental British dominions. In 1801, there was an invasion of 24,000 Prussian soldiers that surprised Hanover, which surrendered without a fight. In April they arrived at Bremen-Verden's capital, [[Stade]], and stayed there until October. The [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] first ignored Prussian hostility, but when the latter joined the pro-French coalition of armed neutral powers, including [[Denmark-Norway]] and [[Russian Empire|Russia]], Britain began to capture Prussian ships. After the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1801)]], the coalition fell apart and Prussia withdrew its troops. |
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As part of the [[German Mediatisation]] of 25 February 1803, the |
As part of the [[German Mediatisation]] of 25 February 1803, the electorate received the [[Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück]] in [[real union]], which had been ruled by every second ruler of the [[House of Hanover]] since 1662. |
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After Britain |
After Britain, this time without any allies, had declared war on France (18 May 1803), French troops [[invasion of Hanover (1803)|invaded Hanover on 26 May]]. According to the [[Convention of Artlenburg]] (5 July 1803), confirming the military defeat of Hanover, the [[Hanoverian Army]] was disarmed, and its horses and ammunitions were handed over to the French. The Privy Council of Hanover, with the minister Friedrich Franz Dieterich von Bremer holding up the Hanoverian stake,{{clarify|date=August 2015}} fled to [[Saxe-Lauenburg]], across the [[Elbe]], which was ruled by Britain and Hanover in personal union. Soon, the French also occupied Saxe-Lauenburg. |
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In the autumn of 1805, at the beginning of the [[War of the Third Coalition |
In the autumn of 1805, at the beginning of the [[War of the Third Coalition]] against France (1805), the French occupying troops left Hanover in a campaign against [[Austrian Empire|Austria]]. British, Swedish and Russian coalition forces [[Hanover Expedition|captured Hanover]]. In December, the [[First French Empire|French Empire]], since 1804 France's new government, ceded Hanover, which it no longer held, to Prussia, which captured it in early 1806. |
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On 6 August 1806, the [[Holy Roman Empire]] was dissolved, thereby abolishing the function of prince-electors electing its emperors. |
On 6 August 1806, the [[Holy Roman Empire]] was dissolved, thereby abolishing the function of prince-electors electing its emperors. After Prussia had turned against France in the [[War of the Fourth Coalition]], it was defeated in the [[Battle of Jena-Auerstedt]] (11 November 1806), and France recaptured Hanover. |
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Following the [[Treaty of Tilsit]] in 1807, the new [[Kingdom of Westphalia]] was founded, ruled by Napoléon's brother [[Jérôme Bonaparte]], then including territories of the former Electorate of [[Electorate of Hesse|Hesse- |
Following the [[Treaty of Tilsit]] in 1807, the new [[Kingdom of Westphalia]] was founded, ruled by Napoléon's brother [[Jérôme Bonaparte]], then including territories of the former Electorate of [[Electorate of Hesse|Hesse-Kassel]], the ducal [[Brunswick-Lüneburg]]ian principality of [[Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]] and formerly-Prussian territories. In early 1810 Hanover proper and Bremen-Verden but not Saxe-Lauenburg were also annexed by Westphalia. In an attempt to assert the [[Continental System]], the French Empire annexed in late 1810 all of the continental [[North Sea]] coast (as far as Denmark) and the areas along the sections of the rivers navigable for seagoing vessels, including Bremen-Verden and Saxe-Lauenburg and some adjacent territories of Hanover proper. |
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However, the government of [[ |
However, the government of [[George III]] did not recognise the French annexation and was at war continuously with France for the entire period, and Hanoverian ministers continued to operate out of [[London]]. The Privy Council of Hanover maintained its own separate diplomatic service, which maintained links with countries such as Austria and Prussia. The Hanoverian Army was dissolved, but many of the officers and soldiers went to England, where they formed the [[King's German Legion]]. That was the only German army to fight continually throughout the Napoleonic Wars against the French. |
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French control lasted until October 1813, when the territory was overrun by Russian troops, and the [[Battle of |
French control lasted until October 1813, when the territory was overrun by Russian troops, and the [[Battle of Leipzig]] later that month spelled the definitive end to the Napoleonic client state of Westphalia, as well as the entire [[Confederation of the Rhine]], and the rule of the [[House of Hanover]] was restored. The former electorate became the [[Kingdom of Hanover]], which was confirmed at the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1814. |
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== Electors of Hanover == |
== Electors of Hanover == |
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{{main|House of Hanover}} |
{{main|House of Hanover}} |
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The |
The electorate was legally indivisible: it could add to its territory, but not alienate territory or be split up among several heirs, as had been the rule before, which led at times to a multitude of [[Brunswick-Lüneburg]]ian principalities. Its succession was to follow male [[primogeniture]]. Since that was against [[Salic law]], which was then valid for the ducal family, the change needed imperial confirmation, which Emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]] granted in 1692. |
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In 1692, at its upgrading to the rank of electorate, its territory comprised the Brunswick-Lüneburgian principalities of [[Principality of Calenberg|Calenberg]] and [[Principality of Grubenhagen|Grubenhagen]], which the line of the former{{clarify|date=August 2015}} had already inherited in 1665. |
In 1692, at its upgrading to the rank of electorate, its territory comprised the Brunswick-Lüneburgian principalities of [[Principality of Calenberg|Calenberg]] and [[Principality of Grubenhagen|Grubenhagen]], which the line of the former{{clarify|date=August 2015}} had already inherited in 1665. However, before the confirmation of the electorate by the [[Reichstag (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]] in 1708, the Calenberg line further inherited the principality of [[Lüneburg-Celle|Celle]] in 1705. Further included were the earlier-acquired counties of [[County of Diepholz|Diepholz]] and [[County of Hoya|Hoya]]. |
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Although the [[Holy Roman Empire]] was dissolved in 1806, George III's government did not consider the dissolution to be final, and he continued to be styled "Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, [[Arch-treasurer]] and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire" until 1814. |
Although the [[Holy Roman Empire]] was dissolved in 1806, George III's government did not consider the dissolution to be final, and he continued to be styled "Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, [[Arch-treasurer]] and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire" until 1814. |
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| '''[[George III |
| '''[[George III|George III William Frederick]]'''<br/>''Georg III. Wilhelm Friedrich'' |
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| [[File:George III of the United Kingdom.jpg|100px]] |
| [[File:George III of the United Kingdom.jpg|100px]] |
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| 1760–1806 |
| 1760–1806 |
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| Grandson of George II. |
| Grandson of George II. |
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| Became King of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] (by the [[Act of Union 1800|Act of Union]] with Ireland) in 1801.<br/>Acquired the [[Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück]] in 1803.<br/>''De facto'' power was lost and restored by various occupations and annexations during the 1801–1813 [[Great French War]]: lost (early 1801), restored (April 1801), lost (May 1803), restored (Autumn 1805), lost (early 1806), and restored (October 1813).<br/>Although the |
| Became King of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] (by the [[Act of Union 1800|Act of Union]] with Ireland) in 1801.<br/>Acquired the [[Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück]] in 1803.<br/>''De facto'' power was lost and restored by various occupations and annexations during the 1801–1813 [[Great French War]]: lost (early 1801), restored (April 1801), lost (May 1803), restored (Autumn 1805), lost (early 1806), and restored (October 1813).<br/>Although the electoral title became defunct with the dissolution of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in 1806, George did not recognise that dissolution.<br/>Proclaimed [[King of Hanover]] in early 1814 and was broadly recognised as such during the 1814–1815 [[Congress of Vienna]]. |
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==See also== |
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* [[Kingdom of Hanover]] |
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* [[House of Hanover]] |
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* [[History of Hanover]] |
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* [[King of Hanover]] |
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* [[Hanoverian prince]] |
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== Notes == |
== Notes == |
Revision as of 19:36, 30 June 2024
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2013) |
Electorate of Hanover Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg | |||||||||||
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1692–1814 | |||||||||||
![]() Electorate of Hanover in 1789 | |||||||||||
Status |
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Capital | Hanover | ||||||||||
Common languages | West Low German | ||||||||||
Religion | Lutheran | ||||||||||
Regierung | Principality | ||||||||||
Prince-elector | |||||||||||
• 1692–1698 | Ernest Augustus | ||||||||||
• 1698–1727 | George I Louis | ||||||||||
• 1727–1760 | George II Augustus | ||||||||||
• 1760–1806 | George III William Frederick | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
• Elevation to Electorate | 1692 | ||||||||||
• Inherited Lüneburg and Saxe-Lauenburg | 1705 | ||||||||||
• Electorate formally approved | 1708 | ||||||||||
1714 | |||||||||||
• Acquired Bremen-Verden | 1715 | ||||||||||
• Merged into Kingdom of Westphalia | 1807 | ||||||||||
• Re-established as Kingdom of Hanover | 1814 | ||||||||||
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Today part of | Deutschland |
The Electorate of Hanover (German: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply Kurhannover) was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (German: Kurfürstentum Braunschweig-Lüneburg). For most of its existence, the electorate was ruled in personal union with Great Britain and Ireland following the Hanoverian Succession.
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg had been split in 1269 between different branches of the House of Welf. The Principality of Calenberg, ruled by a cadet branch of the family, emerged as the largest and most powerful of the Brunswick-Lüneburg states. In 1692, the Holy Roman Emperor elevated the Prince of Calenberg to the College of Electors, creating the new Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The fortunes of the electorate were tied to those of Great Britain by the Act of Settlement 1701 and Act of Union 1707, which settled the succession to the British throne on Queen Anne's nearest Protestant relative, the Electress Sophia of Hanover, and her descendants.[1]
The prince-elector of Hanover became king of Great Britain in 1714. As a consequence, a reluctant Britain was forced time and again to defend the king's German possessions.[note 1] However, Hanover remained a separately ruled territory with its own governmental bodies, and the country had to sign a treaty with Great Britain whenever Hanoverian troops fought on the British side of a war. Merged into the Napoleonic Kingdom of Westphalia in 1807, it was re-established as the Kingdom of Hanover in 1814, and the personal union with the British crown lasted until 1837.[3]
Name
In 1692, Emperor Leopold I of the House of Habsburg elevated Duke Ernest Augustus of the Brunswick-Lüneburg line of Calenberg, to the rank of prince-elector of the empire as a reward for aid given in the Nine Years' War. There were protests against the addition of a new elector, and the elevation did not become official until the approval of the Imperial Diet in 1708. Calenberg's capital, Hanover, became colloquially eponymous for the electorate, but it officially used the name Chur-Braunschweig-Lüneburg of the entire ducal dynasty.
The electoral coat of arms and flag (see info box upper right of this article) displayed the Saxon Steed (German: Sachsenross, Niedersachsenross, Welfenross, Westfalenpferd; Dutch: Twentse Ros / Saksische ros/paard; Low Saxon: Witte Peerd) is a heraldic motif associated with the German provinces of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, and the Dutch region of Twente as the electorate covered large portions of the original stem Duchy of Saxony.
Geography
![Additional Informations and re-done, more polished version of this map: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Hanover1720.png/1024px-Hanover1720.png](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Territorial_Expansion_of_the_Electorate.png/220px-Territorial_Expansion_of_the_Electorate.png)
The electorate comprised large parts of the modern German state of Lower Saxony in Northern Germany. Beside the Principality of Calenberg it also included the former princely lands of Göttingen and Grubenhagen as well as the territory of the former County of Hoya.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Kft_B-L_1789.png/220px-Kft_B-L_1789.png)
In 1705, Elector George I Louis inherited the Principality of Lüneburg with the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg upon the death of his uncle Duke George William of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1715, he purchased the duchies of Bremen-Verden from King Frederick IV of Denmark (confirmed by the 1719 Treaty of Stockholm), whereby his former landlocked electorate gained access to the North Sea.
In 1700, the territories forming the electorate introduced, like all other Protestant territories of imperial immediacy, the Improved Calendar, as the Gregorian calendar was called by Protestants to avoid mentioning the name of Pope Gregory XIII. Sunday, 18 February (Old Style) was thus followed by Monday, 1 March (New Style).
History
In 1692, the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, elevated George's son, Duke Ernest Augustus to the rank of elector of the empire as a reward for aid given in the War of the Grand Alliance. There were protests against the addition of a new elector, and the elevation did not become official (with the approval of the Imperial Diet) until 1708, in the person of Ernest Augustus's son, George Louis. Though the elector's titles were properly duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he is commonly referred to as the elector of Hanover after his residence.
Hanover acquired Bremen-Verden in 1719.
The electorate was legally bound to be indivisible: it could add to its territory, but not alienate territory or be split up among several heirs; and its succession was to follow male primogeniture. The territory assigned to the electorate included the Brunswick-Lüneburg principalities of Calenberg, Grubenhagen, and Lüneburg (even though at the time Lüneburg was ruled by Ernest Augustus's older brother) and the counties of Diepholz and Hoya.
Link with Great Britain
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Civil_Ensign_of_Hannover_%281727-1801%29.svg/150px-Civil_Ensign_of_Hannover_%281727-1801%29.svg.png)
In 1714, George Louis became king of Great Britain and Ireland and so the electorate and Great Britain and Ireland were ruled in personal union. The possessions of the electors in Germany also grew, as they de facto purchased the formerly-Swedish-held duchies of Bremen and Verden in 1719.
George Louis died in 1727 and was succeeded by his son George II Augustus. In 1728, Emperor Charles VI officially enfeoffed George II (gave him land in exchange for a pledge of service), with the reverted fief of Saxe-Lauenburg, which had de facto been ruled in personal union with Hanover and with one of its preceding Principality of Lüneburg since 1689.
In 1731, Hanover also gained Hadeln.[4] In return, Hanover recognised the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which changed the Habsburgs' inheritance law.[4] It took George II Augustus until 1733 to persuade Charles VI to enfeoff him also with the Duchy of Bremen and the Principality of Verden, colloquially called Duchies of Bremen-Verden. At both enfeoffments, George II Augustus swore that he would respect the existing privileges and constitutions of the estates in Bremen-Verden and in Hadeln, thus confirming 400-year-old traditions of estate participation in government.
In Hanover, the capital of the electorate, the Privy Council of Hanover (electoral government) installed a new ministry in charge of the Imperial Estates ruled by the electors in personal union. It was called the Department of Bremen-Verden, Hadeln, Lauenburg and Bentheim. However, the electors spent most of their time in England. Direct contact with the electorate was maintained through the office of the German Chancery, situated in St James's Palace in London.
Seven Years' War
During the French and Indian War (1754–1763) in the North American colonies, Britain feared a French invasion of Hanover. George II formed an alliance with his Prussian cousin Frederick II combining the North American conflict with the Brandenburg-Prusso–Austrian Third Silesian, or Seven Years' War (1756–1763).
In the summer of 1757, the French invaded Hanover and defeated George II's son Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, leading the Anglo-Hanoverian army, at the Battle of Hastenbeck and drove him and his army into remote Bremen-Verden, where in the former Zeven Convent he capitulated on 18 September (Convention of Kloster-Zeven). However, George II did not recognise the convention. The following year, the British Army, supported by troops from Prussia, Hesse-Kassel and the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, again expelled the occupants. Hanover remained unaffected for the rest of the war.
French Revolutionary Wars
After the war ended, peace prevailed until the French Revolutionary Wars started. The War of the First Coalition against France (1792–1797) with Great Britain, Hanover and other war allies forming the coalition, did not affect Hanoverian territory since the first French Republic was fighting on several fronts, even on its own territory. However, men were drafted to recruit the 16,000 Hanoverian soldiers fighting in the Low Countries under British command against France. In 1795, the Holy Roman Empire declared its neutrality, including Hanover, but a peace treaty with France was being negotiated until it failed in 1799. Prussia, however, ended for its part the war with France by the Treaty of Basel (1795), which stipulated that Prussia would ensure the Holy Roman Empire's neutrality in all of the latter's territories north of the demarcation line of the River Main, including the British continental dominions of Hanover, Bremen-Verden, and Saxe-Lauenburg. To that end, Hanover also had to provide troops for the so-called demarcation army maintaining the armed neutrality.[5]
Napoleonic era
During the War of the Second Coalition against France (1799–1802) Napoléon Bonaparte urged Prussia to occupy the continental British dominions. In 1801, there was an invasion of 24,000 Prussian soldiers that surprised Hanover, which surrendered without a fight. In April they arrived at Bremen-Verden's capital, Stade, and stayed there until October. The British first ignored Prussian hostility, but when the latter joined the pro-French coalition of armed neutral powers, including Denmark-Norway and Russia, Britain began to capture Prussian ships. After the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), the coalition fell apart and Prussia withdrew its troops.
As part of the German Mediatisation of 25 February 1803, the electorate received the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück in real union, which had been ruled by every second ruler of the House of Hanover since 1662.
After Britain, this time without any allies, had declared war on France (18 May 1803), French troops invaded Hanover on 26 May. According to the Convention of Artlenburg (5 July 1803), confirming the military defeat of Hanover, the Hanoverian Army was disarmed, and its horses and ammunitions were handed over to the French. The Privy Council of Hanover, with the minister Friedrich Franz Dieterich von Bremer holding up the Hanoverian stake,[clarification needed] fled to Saxe-Lauenburg, across the Elbe, which was ruled by Britain and Hanover in personal union. Soon, the French also occupied Saxe-Lauenburg.
In the autumn of 1805, at the beginning of the War of the Third Coalition against France (1805), the French occupying troops left Hanover in a campaign against Austria. British, Swedish and Russian coalition forces captured Hanover. In December, the French Empire, since 1804 France's new government, ceded Hanover, which it no longer held, to Prussia, which captured it in early 1806.
On 6 August 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, thereby abolishing the function of prince-electors electing its emperors. After Prussia had turned against France in the War of the Fourth Coalition, it was defeated in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt (11 November 1806), and France recaptured Hanover.
Following the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807, the new Kingdom of Westphalia was founded, ruled by Napoléon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte, then including territories of the former Electorate of Hesse-Kassel, the ducal Brunswick-Lüneburgian principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and formerly-Prussian territories. In early 1810 Hanover proper and Bremen-Verden but not Saxe-Lauenburg were also annexed by Westphalia. In an attempt to assert the Continental System, the French Empire annexed in late 1810 all of the continental North Sea coast (as far as Denmark) and the areas along the sections of the rivers navigable for seagoing vessels, including Bremen-Verden and Saxe-Lauenburg and some adjacent territories of Hanover proper.
However, the government of George III did not recognise the French annexation and was at war continuously with France for the entire period, and Hanoverian ministers continued to operate out of London. The Privy Council of Hanover maintained its own separate diplomatic service, which maintained links with countries such as Austria and Prussia. The Hanoverian Army was dissolved, but many of the officers and soldiers went to England, where they formed the King's German Legion. That was the only German army to fight continually throughout the Napoleonic Wars against the French.
French control lasted until October 1813, when the territory was overrun by Russian troops, and the Battle of Leipzig later that month spelled the definitive end to the Napoleonic client state of Westphalia, as well as the entire Confederation of the Rhine, and the rule of the House of Hanover was restored. The former electorate became the Kingdom of Hanover, which was confirmed at the Congress of Vienna in 1814.
Electors of Hanover
The electorate was legally indivisible: it could add to its territory, but not alienate territory or be split up among several heirs, as had been the rule before, which led at times to a multitude of Brunswick-Lüneburgian principalities. Its succession was to follow male primogeniture. Since that was against Salic law, which was then valid for the ducal family, the change needed imperial confirmation, which Emperor Leopold I granted in 1692.
In 1692, at its upgrading to the rank of electorate, its territory comprised the Brunswick-Lüneburgian principalities of Calenberg and Grubenhagen, which the line of the former[clarification needed] had already inherited in 1665. However, before the confirmation of the electorate by the Imperial Diet in 1708, the Calenberg line further inherited the principality of Celle in 1705. Further included were the earlier-acquired counties of Diepholz and Hoya.
Although the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, George III's government did not consider the dissolution to be final, and he continued to be styled "Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, Arch-treasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire" until 1814.
Elector | Dates of reign | Succession | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
George I Louis Georg Ludwig |
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1708–1727 | Son of Ernest Augustus. | Became King of Great Britain and Ireland in 1714. Acquired Bremen-Verden in 1719. |
George II Augustus Georg II. August |
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1727–1760 | Son of George I. | Acquired the Land of Hadeln in 1731. |
George III William Frederick Georg III. Wilhelm Friedrich |
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1760–1806 | Grandson of George II. | Became King of the United Kingdom (by the Act of Union with Ireland) in 1801. Acquired the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück in 1803. De facto power was lost and restored by various occupations and annexations during the 1801–1813 Great French War: lost (early 1801), restored (April 1801), lost (May 1803), restored (Autumn 1805), lost (early 1806), and restored (October 1813). Although the electoral title became defunct with the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, George did not recognise that dissolution. Proclaimed King of Hanover in early 1814 and was broadly recognised as such during the 1814–1815 Congress of Vienna. |
See also
Notes
- ^ During the 18th century, whenever war was declared between Great Britain and France, the French army invaded or threatened to invade Hanover, forcing Great Britain to intervene diplomatically and militarily to defend the Electorate. In 1806, George III even declared war on Prussia after King Frederick William III, under heavy pressure from Napoleon, had annexed George III's German possessions.[2]
References
Citations
- ^ Heide Barmeyer. "Hannover und die englische Thronfolge" (PDF). H-Soz-Kult. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ Auguste Himly, Histoire de la formation territoriale des États de l'Europe centrale. 1876, vol. 1, pp. 95–96.
- ^ Nick Harding (2007). Hanover and the British Empire, 1700–1837. Boydell & Brewer. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-84383-300-0.
- ^ a b Wilson 2016, p. 583.
- ^ Torsten Riotte (2005). Hannover in der britischen Politik (1792–1815): dynastische Verbindung als Element aussenpolitischer Entscheidungsprozesse. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 978-3-8258-7551-0.
Sources
- Wilson, Peter H. (2016). Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0674058095.
- Ford, Guy Stanton (1903). Hanover and Prussia 1795-1803: A Study in Neutrality. Columbia University Press.