Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-24
THEIR KING A JOKE
English Welcomed George !,
But They Laughed at Him.
RULED ALSO IN HANOVER
Preferred Life in His Own Capital
to Residence in London.
WON GOOD WILL OF PEOPLE
Dignity and Fairness Came to Be
Appreciated, Despite His Early
Unpopularity.
RULED ALSO IN HANOVER
WON GOOD WILL OF PEOPLE
BY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.

| BY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
| Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
| Herald
! Ii is a curious historical fact that
George 1 Of England was King of
| Hanover also. and the two countries had
| the same sovereign for more than CEN
| fury. All four Of the Georges continued
to be kings of Hanover, and conducted
the affairs of that government through
ministers, who resided with them in Lon
don. or kept going back and forth. They
frequently visited their German capital
in order to look after things themselves,
and Lady Mary Wortley Montague.
visitor at Hanover, writing December l.,
l716. says that George Louis made no
| alteration in the court at Hanover after
he assembled the English throne. Not
seeing him was the only token of his alb
| sence.'
II is also remarkable fact that George
| !. King of England, was never able to
| speak English, nor read nor write that
| language. and if his ministers and sub
! jects who wished to address him were not
| familiar with the German language an
interpreter had to BE- employed to trans
late their conversation with their king.
Protestant Sovereign Required.
The reason England happened to send
| to Hanover for a king is found in the
| bill of rights and succession" intro
! duced into the English parliament in
1859 in order to insure Protestant SOW
ereign This act was made necessary by
| the death of all the children of William
/ and Anne, when parliament was COM
PEELED to choose between the Catholic
! line of Stuarts or the Protestant Guelphs.
1 hn
Protestant line, and decreed THAT the
most excellent Sophia. Electress and
| Duchess Dowager of Hanover, daughter
of the Princess Elizabeth. late Queen OF
Bohemia. and granddaughter of James
| ], should be next in succession to the
crown of Great Britain
| The Duchess Sophia was then seventy
| five years old. but she was woman OF
| remarkable physical and intellectual Wig
| or and lived until she was eighty-four.
When she died her son, George Louis,
| Elector of Hanover, who had been Great
| ed Duke of Cambridge. was named as
| her successor. Then, upon the death
| Of Queen Anne. delegation came over
| from London to offer him the British
| crown.
| At that time George / was flfty-six
years old, fat, lazy, sensuous. glutton-
Gus. pleasure-loving creature. contented
| to rule over his little kingdom and reluc-
tant to assume the responsibilities. face
| the intrigues and expend the energy that
would be required to defend the English
| throne, for the Stuarts were already
| arOusing revolution in Scotland to con-
| test the Succe SSfOn.
/ The early part of his life had been
| spent. as ] have told you in previous
! letter. fighting for pay in other parts of
the world, but when he inherited the cleo
| torate of Hanover upon the death of his
| father, in 1893. he settled down to have a
good time. When he assembled the throne
of Great Britain he had been reigning at
Hanover for sixteen years
Not Love Match.
/ During one of his leaves of absence
from the wars George Louis, by family
arrangement. married his cousin, Sophia
Dorothea. daughter of the Duke of Calen.
berg. and thus united the two duchies. He
Gid not care anything for her, and she
did not care anything for him. although
it is said that they had been in love with
| each other as children. He neglected
| his lovely young wife for less attractive
| women, and she. according to tIe custom
of the time, found consolation with. a
| certain Count Konigsmark fascinating
adventurer, who had been favorite of
Charles III Of England, and came very
near being hanged for murder before he
could leave London. konigsmark had
| taken refuge at the 1Ianoverian court,
like many other Adventures. and delib-
erately set about to capture the unlucky
heart of the neglected duchess.
But he went too far. and on the night
of Sunday, July I, 1894, they attempted
to elOpe. Konigsmark cut down four
men and wounded several others before
he was taken. but he was finally over
come and brutally slain. and his body was
hidden under the floor of one of the
rooms in the palace. where it was discov-
cred hundred years later, while repairs
were being made. After the failure of
his attempted elopement he disappeared,
and nobody knew or cared what had be-
| come of him. 1t was supposed that he
had fled from Hanover to escape the pen
atty. but the penalty had already been
| paid.