The Hanoverians on Britain's throne 1714 - 1837

In 1714, Prince Elector Georg Ludwig of the House of Hanover was crowned King George of Great Britain, and for the next 123 years Hanoverians ruled two dominions in Personal Union from the English throne. To mark the tercentenary of George I’s coronation, the State of Lower Saxony is staging the first major cultural and historical exhibition to shed light on this era: ‘The Hanoverians on Britain’s Throne 1714–1837’. The central exhibition at the State Museum in Hanover presents an overview of the entire period of the Personal Union, illuminating the actions of the five rulers and significant historical events such as the Seven Years’ War, the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Era. The centrepiece of the exhibition at Schloss Herrenhausen Museum reunites for the first time in over 200 years the finest pieces of the once-renowned art collection of Count Wallmoden, an illegitimate son of George II. This catalogue traces the fruitful dialogue and exchanges between Hanover and Great Britain, with exhibits on loan from numerous public and private collections in Europe and North America bringing to life both the history of the Personal Union and many other aspects such as the growing splendour of the court in London, the foundation of the University of Göttingen and the influence of English culture in Hanover.