History UsefulNotes / TheHouseOfHanover

The dynasty originated from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (also known as Hanover, after the ruler's residence when it became an Electorate), in what is now essentially the [[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland German state of Lower Saxony]].[[note]]So we suppose [[UsefulNotes/AngloSaxons the Saxons]] did take back the country, eh?[[/note]] The House of Hanover then was the younger branch of the House of Brunswick, which is descended from the medieval House of Welf (Romanized: Guelph), who in turn were the senior, German branch of the House of Este (whose origins lay in Lombardy--that is, the area around Milan). Their first dynastic contact with Britain happened in 1168, when Duke Henry the Lion married Matilda, daughter of King Henry II of England. Since the House of Hanover was officially called the House of Brunswick-Luneburg (Braunschweig-Lüneburg), it is no surprise to see a large number of New World places named "Brunswick" or "New Brunswick", including a Canadian province (New Brunswick, founded 1784), towns in New Jersey (New Brunswick, founded 1714) and Georgia (Brunswick, founded 1771), and a suburb of Melbourne (Brunswick, founded 1846) even though the city of Brunswick lay outside the German realms of the monarchs.

In the civilian world William was notorious for his casual manners, including his preference for walking as opposed to being driven in a royal carriage. He shocked society by openly living with his mistress (who was--shock horror!--an actress and--double shock horror!--(Protestant) ''Irish'' to boot) and acknowledging her children - one of whom was the maternal ancestor of future Prime Minister UsefulNotes/DavidCameron. He also sparked controversy with his political activities, first forcing his father to raise him to a dukedom by threatening to run for the House of Commons,[[note]]Under British law, any person who is not the monarch nor the monarch's spouse nor a sitting member of the House of Lords may seek election to the Commons. As Prince of the United Kingdom, William had a title, but not one that entitled him to sit in the Lords, and thus was permitted to seek election to the Commons. It's important to note that "Commons" does not mean "Commoners" but rather "Communes," i.e. "Communities"--[=MPs=] are elected to represent particular local communities of people.[[/note]] then as the Duke of Clarence attacking government policies in the House of Lords. While no-one could have predicted he would become King years later, none of this seemed appropriate for a royal. Funnily enough, all of this--except for the political stuff--would be seen as preferable or at least not particularly objectionable in a monarch today (even the openly living with the mistress bit, although today we would simply expect the monarch to marry her and not some random foreign princess and have done with it), but at the time it was not universally agreed he was an improvement on his brother (many opted for "both awful").

* Netflix period dramedy ''Series/{{Bridgerton}}'' is set in a far more racially diverse AlternateUniverse version of England during the reign of George IV and Queen Charlotte. The diverse casting is explained by the fact that in this story's telling, Charlotte herself is a mixed-race woman (which in itself is based on the tenuous link between Charlotte and her ''very'' distant ancestor, Madragana, who was purportedly [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozarabs Mozarab]]) and who therefore encouraged the ennoblement of people of colour.

(And for the sake of completeness....)

** He has three songs in ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'', which are all basically breakup songs with the colonies.

** Creator/TomHollander plays a rather good George III in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YHl_0P2EJ4 well-regarded scene]] in ''Series/JohnAdams'', where [[UsefulNotes/JohnAdams the title character]] presents his credentials as the first US Minister[[note]]The US didn't send "Ambassadors" until much later[[/note]] to Great Britain. (The script is apparently taken practically verbatim from the Palace's detailed notes of the audience, but the dry text is given life by Hollander's performance as the King and Creator/PaulGiamatti's performance as Adams).

* Along with the few years before and after the coronation of Queen Victoria, ''Film/TheYoungVictoria'' depicts the last days and death of her uncle and predecessor, William IV(played by Jim Broadbent).

George I (German: ''Georg'') did not become King of Great Britain and Ireland until the age of 54, and had possibly less interest in ruling the country than any other actual monarch before or since. During his early life, he'd served in the wars against Louis XIV of France, for which he was made a prince-elector[[note]] Theoretically his father had already been made an elector in 1692, but that promotion was only ratified by the Imperial Diet during the course of the War of Spanish Succession, by which time Ernestus Augustus had long dead.[[/note]] and the hereditary (and purely ceremonial) arch-treasurer[[note]]The arms of that office - the golden imperial crown on red - are on the central shield of the dynastic arms seen at the top of this page.[[/note]] of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire. George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Celle, for [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail her huge tracts of land]] (to wit, the adjoining duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle) and an accompanying income of 1,000 ''thaler'' per year; this marriage was [[ArrangedMarriage engineered by George's mother]], who was famously shrewd at arranging strategic marriages for her children and other relatives, even if both bride and groom had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the marriage. As it happened, George and Sophia Dorothea was chief among Sophia of Hannover's arrangements where the couple were all but frog-marched down the aisle. Thus (to nobody's surprise, except perhaps George's mother), the marriage was a bad one, and Sophia Dorothea was suspected of cheating on George. Her supposed lover was murdered, possibly with George's knowledge, and after the ensuing divorce she was placed in a LuxuryPrisonSuite for the ''rest of her life''. [[ReallyGetsAround He never remarried, but had numerous mistresses,]] two of whom became known to the British people as [[EmbarrassingNickname "the ugly one" and "the fat one".]] He is Britain's only monarch to not take a consort throughout his reign between Elizabeth I and Edward VIII.

George I (German: ''Georg'') did not become King of Great Britain and Ireland until the age of 54, and had possibly less interest in ruling the country than any other actual monarch before or since. During his early life, he'd served in the wars against Louis XIV of France, for which he was made a prince-elector[[note]] Theoretically his father had already been made an elector in 1692, but that promotion was only ratified by the Imperial Diet during the course of the War of Spanish Succession, by which time Ernestus Augustus had long dead.[[/note]] and the hereditary (and purely ceremonial) arch-treasurer[[note]]The arms of that office - the golden imperial crown on red - are on the central shield of the dynastic arms seen at the top of this page.[[/note]] of the UsefulNotes/HolyRomanEmpire. George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Celle, for [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail her huge tracts of land]] (to wit, the adjoining duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle) and an accompanying income of 1,000 ''thaler'' per year; this marriage was [[ArrangedMarriage engineered by George's mother]], who was famously shrewd at arranging strategic marriages for her children and other relatives, even if both bride and groom had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the marriage. As it happened, George and Sophia Dorothea was chief among Sophia of Hannover's arrangements where the couple were all but frog-marched down the aisle. Thus (to nobody's surprise, except perhaps George's mother), the marriage was a bad one, and Sophia Dorothea was suspected of cheating on George. Her supposed lover was murdered, possibly with George's knowledge, and after the ensuing divorce she was placed in a LuxuryPrisonSuite for the ''rest of her life''. [[ReallyGetsAround He never remarried, but had numerous mistresses,]] two of whom became known to the British people as [[EmbarrassingNickname "the ugly one" and "the fat one".]]

The fifth son of George III, he was sent to Hanover in his youth for education, military training, and to get him away from the influence of the heir. By 1793 had received a lifelong facial scar on the front lines of [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution The War of the First Coalition]], and was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale six years later. Of course his time on the continent helped develop his authoritarian-bordering-on-absolutist arch-conservative political views, which made both his family[[note]]On average, the sons of George III were actually more liberal than typical aristocrats of their day. George IV was an aesthete and man of the status quo who (weird thing about Catholic Emancipation aside) only cared about politics for petty personal reasons. William IV and Edward, Duke of Kent were both moderately sympathetic to reform, and both were noted for their modest lifestyles (well, modest for royals at any rate) and unassuming manners. Augustus, Duke of Sussex, was an out-an-out radical (and not just for a royal, [[FairForItsDay relative to the time]]), vocally supporting Parliamentary reform, the abolition of slavery, and full political and legal equality for Dissenters, Catholics, and Jews, making him the liberal mirror image of his older brother Cumberland. However, Sussex's views were ''just'' within the range of "respectable" opinion (being commonly held by many members of the rising industrial middle classes, especially the fairly large chunk of them who were, er, Dissenters and Jews), and (unlike Cumberland's reaction) were seen as charmingly eccentric for a royal (this was certainly his niece Victoria's opinion of him). Finally, Frederick, Duke of York, and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, were largely apolitical Army officers; to the extent that either had serious political opinions, they were in favour of reform of the Army to improve its combat effectiveness. Ernest was the only true committed conservative of the lot.[[/note]] and the British public very uncomfortable. Add this to scandals up to and including actual interference in the elections for a seat in the House of Commons, and it's no surprise that he was the least popular of the seven sons of George III (''including'' George IV). He moved to Berlin with his new wife (twice widowed, the second time ''conveniently'' after meeting Ernest) in 1818, but being happily married upon the death of his only legitimate niece gave him a real chance at the British throne.

The fifth son of George III, he was sent to Hanover in his youth for education, military training, and to get him away from the influence of the heir. By 1793 had received a lifelong facial scar on the front lines of [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution The War of the First Coalition]], and was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale six years later. Of course his time on the continent helped develop his authoritarian-bordering-on-absolutist arch-conservative political views, which made both his family[[note]]On average, the sons of George III were actually more liberal than typical aristocrats of their day. George IV was an aesthete and man of the status quo who (weird thing about Catholic Emancipation aside) only cared about politics for petty personal reasons. William IV and Edward, Duke of Kent were both moderately sympathetic to reform, and both were noted for their modest lifestyles (well, modest for royals at any rate) and unassuming manners. Augustus, Duke of Sussex, was an out-an-out radical (and not just for a royal, [[FairForItsDay relative to the time]]), vocally supporting Parliamentary reform, the abolition of slavery, and full political and legal equality for Dissenters, Catholics, and Jews, making him the liberal mirror image of his older brother Cumberland. However, Sussex's views were ''just'' within the range of "respectable" opinion (being commonly held by many members of the rising industrial middle classes, especially ones who were, er, Dissenters and Jews), and (unlike Cumberland's reaction) were seen as charmingly eccentric for a royal (this was certainly his niece Victoria's opinion of him). Finally, Frederick, Duke of York, and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, were largely apolitical Army officers; to the extent that either had serious political opinions, they were in favour of reform of the Army to improve its combat effectiveness. Ernest was the only true committed conservative of the lot.[[/note]] and the British public very uncomfortable. Add this to scandals up to and including actual interference in the elections for a seat in the House of Commons, and it's no surprise that he was the least popular of the seven sons of George III (''including'' George IV). He moved to Berlin with his new wife (twice widowed, the second time ''conveniently'' after meeting Ernest) in 1818, but being happily married upon the death of his only legitimate niece gave him a real chance at the British throne.

The fifth son of George III, he was sent to Hanover in his youth for education, military training, and to get him away from the influence of the heir. By 1793 had received a lifelong facial scar on the front lines of [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution The War of the First Coalition]], and was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale six years later. Of course his time on the continent helped develop his authoritarian-bordering-on-absolutist arch-conservative political views, which made both his family[[note]]On average, the sons of George III were actually more liberal than typical aristocrats of their day. George IV was an aesthete and man of the status quo who (weird thing about Catholic Emancipation aside) only cared about politics for petty personal reasons. William IV and Edward, Duke of Kent were both moderately sympathetic to reform, and both were noted for their modest lifestyles (well, modest for royals at any rate) and unassuming manners. Augustus, Duke of Sussex, was an out-an-out radical (and not just for a royal, [[FairForItsDay relative to the time]]), vocally supporting Parliamentary reform, the abolition of slavery, and full political and legal equality for Dissenters, Catholics, and Jews; his views (which were at the leftmost fringe of "respectable" British society and shared by a substantial chunk of the rising middle classes), were seen as charmingly eccentric for a royal by his middle-to-old age (this was certainly his niece Victoria's opinion of him). Finally, Frederick, Duke of York, and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, were largely apolitical Army officers; to the extent that either had serious political opinions, they were in favour of reform of the Army to improve its combat effectiveness. Ernest was the only true committed conservative of the lot.[[/note]] and the British public very uncomfortable. Add this to scandals up to and including actual interference in the elections for a seat in the House of Commons, and it's no surprise that he was the least popular of the seven sons of George III (''including'' George IV). He moved to Berlin with his new wife (twice widowed, the second time ''conveniently'' after meeting Ernest) in 1818, but being happily married upon the death of his only legitimate niece gave him a real chance at the British throne.

The fifth son of George III, he was sent to Hanover in his youth for education, military training, and to get him away from the influence of the heir. By 1793 had received a lifelong facial scar on the front lines of [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution The War of the First Coalition]], and was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale six years later. Of course his time on the continent helped develop his authoritarian-bordering-on-absolutist arch-conservative political views, which made both his family[[note]]On average, the sons of George III were actually more liberal than typical aristocrats of their day. George IV was an aesthete and man of the status quo who (weird thing about Catholic Emancipation aside) only cared about politics for petty personal reasons. William IV and Edward, Duke of Kent were both moderately sympathetic to reform, and both were noted for their modest lifestyles (well, modest for royals at any rate) and unassuming manners. Augustus, Duke of Sussex, was an out-an-out radical (and not just for a royal, [[FairForItsDay relative to the time]]), vocally supporting Parliamentary reform, the abolition of slavery, and full political and legal equality for Dissenters, Catholics, and Jews; his views (which were at the leftmost fringe of "respectable" British society and shared by a substantial chunk of the rising middle classes, were seen as charmingly eccentric for a royal by his middle-to-old age (this was certainly his niece Victoria's opinion of him). Finally, Frederick, Duke of York, and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, were largely apolitical Army officers; to the extent that either had serious political opinions, they were in favour of reform of the Army to improve its combat effectiveness. Ernest was the only true committed conservative of the lot.[[/note]] and the British public very uncomfortable. Add this to scandals up to and including actual interference in the elections for a seat in the House of Commons, and it's no surprise that he was the least popular of the seven sons of George III (''including'' George IV). He moved to Berlin with his new wife (twice widowed, the second time ''conveniently'' after meeting Ernest) in 1818, but being happily married upon the death of his only legitimate niece gave him a real chance at the British throne.

The fifth son of George III, he was sent to Hanover in his youth for education, military training, and to get him away from the influence of the heir. By 1793 had received a lifelong facial scar on the front lines of [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution The War of the First Coalition]], and was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale six years later. Of course his time on the continent helped develop his authoritarian-bordering-on-absolutist arch-conservative political views, which made both his family[[note]]On average, the sons of George III were actually more liberal than typical aristocrats of their day. George IV was an aesthete and man of the status quo who (weird thing about Catholic Emancipation aside) only cared about politics for petty personal reasons. William IV and Edward, Duke of Kent were both moderately sympathetic to reform, and both were noted for their modest lifestyles (well, modest for royals at any rate) and unassuming manners. Augustus, Duke of Sussex, was an out-an-out radical (and not just for a royal, [[FairForItsDay relative to the time]]), vocally supporting Parliamentary reform, the abolition of slavery, and full political and legal equality for Dissenters, Catholics, and Jews; his views (which were the furthest left of "respectable" British society and shared by a substantial chunk of the rising middle classes, were seen as charmingly eccentric for a royal by his middle age. Finally, Frederick, Duke of York, and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, were largely apolitical Army officers; to the extent that either had serious political opinions, they were in favour of reform of the Army to improve its combat effectiveness. Ernest was the only true committed conservative of the lot.[[/note]] and the British public very uncomfortable. Add this to scandals up to and including actual interference in the elections for a seat in the House of Commons, and it's no surprise that he was the least popular of the seven sons of George III (''including'' George IV). He moved to Berlin with his new wife (twice widowed, the second time ''conveniently'' after meeting Ernest) in 1818, but being happily married upon the death of his only legitimate niece gave him a real chance at the British throne.

The fifth son of George III, he was sent to Hanover in his youth for education, military training, and to get him away from the influence of the heir. By 1793 had received a lifelong facial scar on the front lines of [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution The War of the First Coalition]], and was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale six years later. Of course his time on the continent helped develop his authoritarian-bordering-on-absolutist arch-conservative political views, which made both his family[[note]]On average, the sons of George III were actually more liberal than typical aristocrats of their day. George IV was an aesthete and man of the status quo who (weird thing about Catholic Emancipation aside) only cared about politics for petty personal reasons. William IV and Edward, Duke of Kent were both moderately sympathetic to reform, and both were noted for their modest lifestyles (well, modest for royals at any rate) and unassuming manners. Augustus, Duke of Sussex, was an out-an-out radical (well, radical for a royal at any rate), vocally supporting Parliamentary reform, the abolition of slavery, and full political and legal equality for Dissenters, Catholics, and Jews. Finally, Frederick, Duke of York, and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, were largely apolitical Army officers; to the extent that either had serious political opinions, they were in favour of reform of the Army to improve its combat effectiveness. Ernest was the only true committed conservative of the lot.[[/note]] and the British public very uncomfortable. Add this to scandals up to and including actual interference in the elections for a seat in the House of Commons, and it's no surprise that he was the least popular of the seven sons of George III (''including'' George IV). He moved to Berlin with his new wife (twice widowed, the second time ''conveniently'' after meeting Ernest) in 1818, but being happily married upon the death of his only legitimate niece gave him a real chance at the British throne.

The fifth son of George III, he was sent to Hanover in his youth for education, military training, and to get him away from the influence of the heir. By 1793 had received a lifelong facial scar on the front lines of [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution The War of the First Coalition]], and was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale six years later. Of course his time on the continent helped develop his authoritarian-bordering-on-absolutist arch-conservative political views, which made both his family[[note]]On average, the sons of George III were actually more liberal than typical aristocrats of their day. George IV was an aesthete and man of the status quo who (weird thing about Catholic Emancipation aside) only cared about politics for petty personal reasons. William IV and Edward, Duke of Kent were both moderately sympathetic to reform, and both were noted for their modest lifestyles (well, modest for royals at any rate) and unassuming manners. Augustus, Duke of Sussex, was an out-an-out radical (well, radical for a royal at any rate), vocally supporting Parliamentary reform, the abolition of slavery, and emancipation of Dissenters, Catholics, and Jews. Finally, Frederick, Duke of York, and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, were largely apolitical Army officers; to the extent that either had serious political opinions, they were in favour of reform of the Army to improve its combat effectiveness. Ernest was the only true committed conservative of the lot.[[/note]] and the British public very uncomfortable. Add this to scandals up to and including actual interference in the elections for a seat in the House of Commons, and it's no surprise that he was the least popular of the seven sons of George III (''including'' George IV). He moved to Berlin with his new wife (twice widowed, the second time ''conveniently'' after meeting Ernest) in 1818, but being happily married upon the death of his only legitimate niece gave him a real chance at the British throne.

The fifth son of George III, he was sent to Hanover in his youth for education, military training, and to get him away from the influence of the heir. By 1793 had received a lifelong facial scar on the front lines of [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution The War of the First Coalition]], and was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale six years later. Of course his time on the continent helped develop his authoritarian-bordering-on-absolutist arch-conservative political views, which made both his family[[note]]On average, the sons of George III were actually more liberal than typical aristocrats of their day. George IV was an aesthete and man of the status quo who (weird thing about Catholic Emancipation aside) only cared about politics for petty personal reasons. William IV and Edward, Duke of Kent were both moderately sympathetic to reform, and both were noted for their modest lifestyles (well, modest for royals at any rate) and unassuming manners. Augustus, Duke of Sussex, was an out-an-out radical (for a royal at any rate), vocally supporting Parliamentary reform, the abolition of slavery, and emancipation of Dissenters, Catholics, and Jews. Finally, Frederick, Duke of York, and Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, were largely apolitical Army officers; to the extent that either had serious political opinions, they were in favour of reform of the Army to improve its combat effectiveness. Ernest was the only true committed conservative of the lot.[[/note]] and the British public very uncomfortable. Add this to scandals up to and including actual interference in the elections for a seat in the House of Commons, and it's no surprise that he was the least popular of the seven sons of George III (''including'' George IV). He moved to Berlin with his new wife (twice widowed, the second time ''conveniently'' after meeting Ernest) in 1818, but being happily married upon the death of his only legitimate niece gave him a real chance at the British throne.

\\
->"Leave, before you are pelted out."

The fifth son of George III, he was sent to Hanover in his youth for education, military training, and to get him away from the influence of the heir. By 1793 had received a lifelong facial scar on the front lines of [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution The War of the First Coalition]], and was created Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale six years later. Of course his time on the continent helped develop his arch-conservative political views, which alongside scandals up to and including actual interference in the elections for a seat in the House of Commons made him increasingly unpopular in Britain. He moved to Berlin with his new wife (twice widowed, the second time ''conveniently'' after meeting Ernest) in 1818, but being happily married upon the death of his only legitimate niece gave him a real chance at the British throne.

His return to Britain in the late 1820s (The House of Commons would only increase his allowance if his young son was being reared locally) heralded his return to politics including fierce opposition to Catholic Emancipation, rumors of him siring a child on [[BrotherSisterIncest his sister Princess Sophia]], and loose talk from the Orange Order Lodges he had backed for years shunting aside first-in-line heir [[UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria Victoria of Kent]] in favor of the Duke of Cumberland.

It is not likely that UsefulNotes/TheDukeOfWellington said this to the face of the late King William's brother after the Anglo-Hanoveran Union of the Crowns ended in 1837, but the Duke of Cumberland was not a popular man in Britain and the populace of Hanover would have preferred passing him over in favor of the current Viceroy had the Hanoveran heir's younger brother Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge not refused outright to lend himself to such a thing. Tellingly, one of the first things King Ernst August did was suspend a constitution that was passed under King Wilhelm and dissolving the Hanoveran Parliament convened under it[[note]](Taking care to ''not'' void all the laws passed by it)[[/note]] on the basis that he was not consulted and it undercut the power of the monarch. This and his high-handed response to several protesting professors at his old alma mater of Göttingen University (the "Göttingen Seven", which included the Brothers Grimm) met with yet more hostility from his birthplace.

->'''Nicknames''': ''The Beau of Princes''; ''The Prince of Whales'' [[note]]a pun on his title and cetacean size[[/note]]

He lived about the same time as UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte, and hence was there to see his rise and fall. UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, understandably, raged through his years as Regent. Britain's defeat of Napoleon (most notably at Waterloo under UsefulNotes/TheDukeOfWellington) is definitely something he tried to take credit for--even nothing of it can really be attributed to him.

After Princess Charlotte's death, he married Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen in a double ceremony with his brother Prince Edward, who married Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (the mother of UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria). It was a happy marriage, though Adelaide couldn't produce the coveted heir, giving birth to two daughters, one who died shortly after birth and one who lived only four months, and two stillborn boys. Because of her tragic history of childbirth and personal piety and modesty (and for taming her husband), Adelaide was very popular with the British people; when the new colony of [[UsefulNotes/AustralianStatesAndTerritories South Australia]] was established in 1836, they named its capital city [[UsefulNotes/OtherAustralianTownsAndCities Adelaide]] after her.

All surviving descendants of his mother Sophia are also his descendants, as of all her other children only her daughter Sophia Charlotte also had issue, and that issue (a son) married George's daughter.

All surviving descendants of his mother Sophia are also his descendants, as of all her other children only her daughter Sophia Charlotte also had issue, and that issue (a son) married one of George's daughters.

* Netflix period dramedy ''Series/{{Bridgerton}}'' is set in a far more racially diverse AlternateUniverse version of England during the reign of William IV and Queen Charlotte. The diverse casting is explained by the fact that in this story's telling, Charlotte herself is a mixed-race woman (which in itself is based on the tenuous link between Charlotte and her ''very'' distant ancestor, Madragana, who was purportedly [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozarabs Mozarab]]) and who therefore encouraged the ennoblement of people of colour.

His wife and consort, Caroline of Ansbach, is considered to have been one of the most powerful and beloved of modern royal consorts. Wise, compassionate, and devoted to her faith, Caroline turned down the Catholic King of Spain (and Holy Roman Emperor) to marry George, then merely a minor Protestant German princeling. [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage It was a rare love match for a royal; they were quite devoted to each other.]] As Princess of Wales and Queen she was beloved by not just Hanoverians but Jacobites as well, who (despite their religious differences) saw her as a voice of moderation, compassion, and reason. As an ally of Robert Walpole she had a great deal of influence on her husband and on the government of the day, but this was seen mainly in a positive light even by Walpole's opponents.[[note]]They didn't have much faith in George at the time, and saw Caroline as both smarter and more politically astute than her husband. George didn't much care, since he happily relied on Caroline's advice at every opportunity.[[/note]] Her early death in 1737 left both the country and George bereft. Paradoxically, George was both a [[HappilyMarried devoted husband]] and [[ReallyGetsAround notorious philanderer]]; all of his mistresses were cleared with his wife beforehand.[[note]]It might well have been the case that George would have preferred to remain monogamous and faithful to Caroline, but they were essentially trapped by the period they lived in; it was more or less socially ''expected'' for George to have mistresses, and also unfashionable to be in love with one's spouse. His grandson and successor George III would shock everyone by actually being faithful to his wife and taking no mistresses.[[/note]] He sincerely loved Caroline and her death was an enormous blow: when she begged him on her deathbed to remarry after she was gone (for reasons both [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy personal]] and political), George insisted none could replace her as his wife and queen with the tearful cry, "''[[GratuitousFrench Non, j'aurai des maîtresses!]]''" ("No, I shall have mistresses!").

His wife and consort, Caroline of Ansbach, is considered to have been one of the most powerful and beloved of modern royal consorts. Wise, compassionate, and devoted to her faith, Caroline turned down the Catholic King of Spain (and Holy Roman Emperor) to marry George, then merely a minor Protestant German princeling. [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage It was a rare love match for a royal; they were quite devoted to each other.]] As Princess of Wales and Queen she was beloved by not just Hanoverians but Jacobites as well, who (despite their religious differences) saw her as a voice of moderation, compassion, and reason. As an ally of Robert Walpole she had a great deal of influence on her husband and on the government of the day, but this was seen mainly in a positive light even by Walpole's opponents.[[note]]They didn't have much faith in George at the time, and saw Caroline as both smarter and more politically astute than her husband.[[/note]] Her early death in 1737 left both the country and George bereft. Paradoxically, George was both a [[HappilyMarried devoted husband]] and [[ReallyGetsAround notorious philanderer]]; all of his mistresses were cleared with his wife beforehand.[[note]]It might well have been the case that George would have preferred to remain monogamous and faithful to Caroline, but they were essentially trapped by the period they lived in; it was more or less socially ''expected'' for George to have mistresses, and also unfashionable to be in love with one's spouse. His grandson and successor George III would shock everyone by actually being faithful to his wife and taking no mistresses.[[/note]] He sincerely loved Caroline and her death was an enormous blow: when she begged him on her deathbed to remarry after she was gone (for reasons both [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy personal]] and political), George insisted none could replace her as his wife and queen with the tearful cry, "''[[GratuitousFrench Non, j'aurai des maîtresses!]]''" ("No, I shall have mistresses!").