The Georgians
Channel: Ricardo Martin Ramírez
Date: 2014-11-04

SCRIPT

The Georgians

Hi guys, today we’ll be discussing anything and everything about the Georgians. So, this will last about an hour, I hope you have snacks. Maybe a little mate.

Kidding. About the hour. Not about the snacks. 

Okay, let´s start. To summarize, here´s what you really need to know about the Georgians.

During this time, Britain became a leading naval empire. This gave them the power to found colonies all over the world. It was a time of revolutions, which led to social and political changes in Britain.

This historical period is about the Georgian kings. Who were all named…dundundundunnnn GEORGE. Go figure.

George I was the first in the succession line. Two things to remember: he was a German king, and an elector of Hanover. As a foreigner who only spoke broken English and had little interest in British affairs, he was not popular among the masses. However, he was James I´s great-grandson and Queen Anne´s closest Protestant relative, i.e. their only choice. So they sucked it up.

George I had to face the Jacobites, who really didn´t like him. They supported Queen Anne´s half-brother James Stuart, because they believed he was the rightful heir the British throne. So, they—unsuccessfully—revolted against Georgie.

So because George I didn´t want to bother himself with governmental affairs, a shrewd, ambitious Whig named Robert Walpole entered the picture and became Britain´s first Prime Minister.

What was next for Robert may you ask? Well, he became filthy rich and joined many others—the landed gentry—in building massive houses in Palladian style in the countryside. Those people dominated the world of politics and business at time, so they wanted to show that off with their absurdly large homes. To keep the unwanted (courgh poor cough) people and animals out, they built sunken walls called ha-ha’s.