The Hanoverians: The History Of A Dynasty

by Jeremy Black

George, the elector of Hanover, inherited the throne of Great Britain on the death of Queen Anne in 1714. George I and his son, George II, continued to spend much time in Germany, insisting on the interests of Hanover influencing on British foreign policy. Lacking the popular touch and perceived as foreigners, they drew little affection from their subjects, though George II survived the dynasty's greatest crisis of the invasion of England by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745. George II's grandson, George III, reigned for sixty years (1760-1820), presiding over Britain's conquest of India and Canada and its loss of the American colonies. His son, George IV, Prince Regent during his father's madness, drew scandal to the monarchy. The death of William IV, the 'Sailor King', in 1837 brought his niece Victoria to the throne. The Hanoverians, in a series of personal portraits, shows how these kings, though constitutional monarchs, continued to exert considerable influence, crystallising politics and society.

Genres: History, 18th Century, Nonfiction, Royalty

266 pages, Hardcover

First published September 4, 2004

About the author

Jeremy Black is an English historian, who was formerly a professor of history at the University of Exeter. He is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US.
Black is the author of over 180 books, principally but not exclusively on 18th-century British politics and international relations, and has been described by one commentator as "the most prolific historical scholar of our age". He has published on military and political history, including Warfare in the Western World, 1882–1975 (2001) and The World in the Twentieth Century (2002).

Reviews

[Artyom]

Very disappointed with this book! Unfortunately, I could not find anything better on the Hanoverian monarchs (all in one book). So I had to read this one.
I thought this book would be a good continuation to a series of books on English monarchs written by Dan Jones, Leanda de Lisle or Allan Massie. All of them had interesting narration styles and approaches to presenting the information.
This one, on the other hand, was absolutely not what I expected. Complete boredom. Very dry, very concentrated on politics and not on actual lives of monarchs. Could easily be just 100 pages. Not a single family tree or a diagram, which are enormously helpful when reading about royal families. Not a single map, which is not that bad, but still, it would be helpful to have a geographical picture at hand.
I've never written such a long review for a book, but for this one i had to pour my heart out :)

[Carolyn Harris]

A short history of the Hanoverian dynasty with a focus on the political activities of the monarchs. There is a strong emphasis on comparing the Hanoverian monarchs to other European rulers of the eighteenth century including Louis XVI of France and Peter the Great of Russia. Black also draws parallels between the early Hanoverian monarchs and the late Stuart monarchs, arguing that the transition from George II to his grandson George III was more significant than the accession of George I. Since the book is only a little more than 200 pages, major historical events are summarized quickly and there is little biographical detail on each monarch - the book should be read alongside other sources.

[Marc Towersap]

A bit disappointing, but you have to expect some disappointment with a 230 page book that covers 4 kings, including George III. Too little detail. I was hoping for more than a couple of pages tops when covering the American revolution, the French Revolution, and the rise and fall of Napolean (twice!). I did learn things, but was hoping to learn more. THis book is at best, a quickie history of the Hanoverians, but not very much depth.

[Alison]

Not what I was expecting but an interesting look at the time.

[Mary Walton]

Boring, hard read. Couldn't finish

[Misty]

I hated this book. The writer was terrible.