Get Victoria the throne of Hanover

jkarr

I know this subject has being done to death, but i was wondering if there was any chance that the Hanoverian government couldve changed the whole Salic law thing to include female succession (only from the House of Hanover and their descendants) in lue of growing tensions within the German Confederation and the obviously coming storm between Prussia and Austria over hegemony of the area, so Hanover could remain neutral and independent (something they buggered up badly when they voted to raise troops against Prussia later on).
 

Romanos

I'm not so sure about it being totally against German culture. Luxembourg, which may be considered German as well, since it had been part of the HRE, the German Confederation and the Customs Union, had two female monarchs: Marie-Adelaide and Charlotte.

What led to the change in the succession law in Luxembourg, can lead to the same in Hanover. In Luxembourg, the monarch had no legitimate heir (at least that's what he said), but he did have daughters, so he convinced the legislature to amend the relevant law.

If William IV can convince the legislature that Hanover must remain in personal union with the United Kingdom, then we have the desired outcome. The question is, why would William, or any prominent British politician, even care? I think they had no problem in letting Hanover go, given the messed up situation in Germany. Prussia was already ascending and, sooner or later, it would try to form a united German state, including Hanover ofc. Plus, it seems that nobody in London thought this northern German state as too valuable; after all, it was India that was the jewel of the Empire, Hanover was not even close. (1)

The fact that William IV signed a more liberal Constitution for Hanover would, I think, increase his chances that he would get any amendment to the Hanoverian succession law passed; plus, money can go to the right pockets and everything be 'settled'. What we need here is the will to keep Hanover closely bound to the UK.

Finally, another problem to consider is this: iirc, the kingdom included many seperate realms with their own Estates. Unless one wants to seperate the core Hanoverian lands from the various other realms which together formed the Hanoverian Kingdom, one also needs to convince all these Estates to concur with the change in the succession law. Suddenly, very deep pockets are needed (and Queen Victoria does not personally has them atm).

(1) And it could never be, Hanover was not a British dominion or satellite. People in London knew they could interfere in Hanover so much.
 

jakewilson

Kill off all of William IV's surviving younger brothers in a freak naval accident. Only then might there be some appetite for a pragmatic sanction.
 

Georgie Porgie

jakewilson said:
Kill off all of William IV's surviving younger brothers in a freak naval accident. Only then might there be some appetite for a pragmatic sanction.
Click to expand...

Under Salic Law the female could inherit if no male heirs, but she would loose the throne to her eldest son as soon as he was born (I think).
 

Tyr

If she/someone really wanted it the change could be made.
But...why would anyone really care?
The personal union between Britain and Hanover didn't really benefit either side. A woman coming to the throne was what the Hanoverians had been waiting for really.
 

Westphalian

Kill Queen Louise of Prussia a few years early.
This leads to a stronger pro-French faction at the Prussian court, and in 1806 FWIII accepts Napoleons offer of a imperial title of Northern Germany beyond the borders of the new Confederation of the Rhine. This includes Hanover, and in the following years part or all of the Austrian gains from the Polish partition are also acquired by the new empire: Prussia is France's most important puppet and buffer against Russia. Perhaps Napoleon even promises the soon-to-be vacant Swedish throne to FWIII, that doesn't matter.
Since without the shock of Jena, there are no significant military and administrative reforms. New territories are ruled in a inefficient way and the army only looks impressive.
So when after a different set of coalition wars Napoleonic France goes down, Prussia goes down as well. Emperor FW has remained loyal to France like King Frederick Augustus of Saxony in OTL, so Mega-Prussia is carved up.
But the UK still wants a reliable staging ground for future fights against a resurgent France or Prussia or expansive Russia. So they insist on Mega-Hanover from the lower Rhineland and Westphalia to Magdeburg, stopping short of Berlin. To make sure this important continental base is not spun off to a cadet branch as soon as Princess Charlotte of Wales inherits the throne, the new kingdom is given exactly the same succession law the UK has.
 
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