[Warning: Longish post!]
This is a new timeline I’m setting up, but based on an idea I’ve had in my head for a year or so now: an Anglo-Prussian Union in the early eighteenth century, hence the title. (British Lion + Prussian Eagle/Hawk Thing = Griffin)
Since the POD doesn’t affect much until the Hanoverians succeed, I’ll just skip the bits that aren’t affected, so I can get onto the TTL bits as soon as I can. This TL also assumes that Frederick II of Prussia has much the same personality and genes as IOTL, and is not recommended for purist Counterfactual Entomologists.
The point of divergence here is in 1707, with the miscarriage and stillbirth of the boy who would otherwise have become OTL Prince Frederick of Wales, of Look To The West fame. This causes complications with his mother, and she is rendered infertile as a result. George II produces no heir, as a result.
Now we head to 1714 and the reign of King George I, and the deaths of Electress Sophia of Hanover and Queen Anne of Great Britain and Ireland. It is hoped that Caroline will be able to produce an heir to the Hanoverian line, as the populace of Great Britain are less than enthralled by the prospect of handing the throne over so quickly, fearing that this could destabilise the monarchy and give the Jacobites a chance to return to power. King George is also alarmed by the possibility of the Prince of Wales not producing an heir, as this would mean that the House of Hanover would leave his descent, governed as it is by Salic law. He blames his son, of course, despite Caroline’s having conceived and miscarried another child in the seven years since the first stillbirth. Hanoverian father-son feuds transcend all common sense, their bitterness blunting Occam’s Razor.
A number of concerned citizens have noted that, should the Prince fail in his attempts at procreation, the throne would pass to his sister Sophia, Queen Consort of Prussia, and mother to the young Crown Prince Frederick. Parliament is ignoring this possibility for the time being, hoping instead that Caroline will beget a child and that they won’t have to commit themselves to anything, as a personal union with Prussia would likely involve getting drawn into Prussian wars. And Prussia is in the neighbourhood of Austria, Sweden, Russia and Poland, so the wars will be fairly large. There are vague whispers of denying the throne to Sophia’s children, should the occasion call for it, but these are only vague whispers, as the British people are sick and tired of playing Royal Roulette, and the King wishes to make it clear that this is not an option. Of course, he will not be able to voice his opinion at the time…
With the Jacobite uprisings of 1715, all talk of denying the succession is ceased, and the matter fades into the background until the 1720's, with the aftermath of the South Sea Bubble Crisis and Walpole's meteoric rise to power. His (theoretically) pacifistic views clash with the Prussian tendency towards militarism, and so he is very much against the idea of the Prussian Succession, reasoning that a Prussian King would want Britain involved in Prussian wars. The alternatives to Prussia would be the King's brothers, Maximilian Wilhelm of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Ernest, Duke of York and Albany. Unfortunately, neither of these two have a wife or children, which simply postpones the issue. As much as Walpole might resent it, Sophia and the Hohenzollerns are the only plausible candidates to the British throne after Prince George, unless George finally sires an heir.
With the death of George I in 1726 from a stroke, his son comes to the throne as George II. His Succession issues are given serious Parliamentary debate for the first time, having previously been referred to as little as possible. While the Prussian Succession is near-guaranteed, it remains to be seen what influence Parliament will tolerate from King Frederick-William. The Prussian monarchy has traditionally been quite autocratic, but Parliament will not waive their duties to become mere advisors once more – as one MP put it, “Our job is to fly in the King’s face”, and it is clear that any attempt to swat Parliamentary interference will not be welcomed.
Walpole and the King do not share as close a relationship as in OTL, mainly because Queen Caroline’s infertility has left her depressed and bitter. Whereas in OTL she saw Walpole as a powerful ally, here she sees only a rival for the king’s influence, and she tries to turn her husband against him to put another in power, such as X. While she is unsuccessful in “deposing” Walpole, he certainly does not have the level of power that he did under George I, and he is often forced to back down on matters important to him, notably including the Prussian Succession. Whig plans to further dilute the power of the monarch in preparation for the Prussian arrival are met with a stony refusal by George II (prompted, of course, by Caroline), who makes unsubtle references to his royal veto – the use of which would be the first since Queen Anne’s opposition to the Scottish Militia. This does nothing to endear him to the Whigs, or indeed the Whigs to him, and he begins to favour the Tories somewhat.
(Walpole’s power is weakened only in terms of his relationship with the King; in Parliamentary terms he has as much if not more power as OTL.)
The matter of the Prussian Succession becomes of vital import in 1732, when George II is struck with typhoid. As he lies on his deathbed, Parliament is forced to ask Sophia to come to England, where [she] will undoubtedly be Queen by the time [she] arrives”. Sophia leaves Berlin, in the company of her son and husband (and numerous servants, of course), and arrives in London in September that year. George II had died that morning, and the Cabinet had re-enacted the Regency Acts from Queen Anne’s death to safeguard the country from Jacobite insurgencies. Plans are made for Sophia’s coronation, and on Christmas Day she is crowned Queen Sophia I of Great Britain and Ireland.
The matter of Frederick William’s coronation is somewhat trickier, as the bills intended to limit his power were passed shortly before George II’s illness, and consequently were never given royal consent. When Queen Sophia reads the bills, she simply refuses to sign it, using her veto to block the legislation. The new Prussian bloc in court have much the same problem as the Hanoverians did upon their arrival, in that their familiarity with an autocratic monarchy leaves them inept when attempting to relate with Parliament. Of course, the Prussians have the additional impediment of not caring. That would soon change.
On the death of George II, the throne of Hanover lay empty. Two candidates claim it: Ernest, Duke of York and Albany [1], through his status as George’s uncle; and Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia, through his status as George’s nephew. Both claims have an element of validity, the conflict rising from the interpretation of the Salic law governing Hanover’s succession. Ernest’s claim is based on the traditional approach of the crown only passing through men, whereas Frederick’s claim is based on a more complex scenario: if the line is in danger of dying out, the claim may pass through a woman to the most eligible male candidate, this being Frederick.
Clearly the situation must be resolved, as Hanover may not have two Electors. Hanover’s geography – at the heart of Europe, straddling the north of Germany to reach both Brandenburg and the United Provinces – makes the issue strategically important, while European fears over the Anglo-Prussian personal union resolve themselves into a firm desire not to let them get any more territory. War is looming in Europe.
Suddenly, the reality of the situation dawns on the Prussian contingent in London. Parliament holds the purse strings to raise money for war, and only its appeasement will let Prussia secure its claim on Hanover. Sophia is forced to retract her veto of the Moderation Bills, and a limit is placed on the royal veto, voiding it in the event of a two-thirds majority. With this, Walpole reluctantly agrees to fund the war, despite his misgivings – far better to throw money away and secure Hanover than to let such an important land fall into the Austrian or – God forbid – French orbits. Britain allies with Prussia, the Netherlands, Russia and Savoy against France, Austria, Poland, Saxony and Bavaria. On February 13th, 1733, the War of the Hanoverian Succession begins in earnest…
[1] He lives longer ITTL, surviving past 1728.
So. Comments? I need to know how plausible this is before I continue, after all!
This is a new timeline I’m setting up, but based on an idea I’ve had in my head for a year or so now: an Anglo-Prussian Union in the early eighteenth century, hence the title. (British Lion + Prussian Eagle/Hawk Thing = Griffin)
Since the POD doesn’t affect much until the Hanoverians succeed, I’ll just skip the bits that aren’t affected, so I can get onto the TTL bits as soon as I can. This TL also assumes that Frederick II of Prussia has much the same personality and genes as IOTL, and is not recommended for purist Counterfactual Entomologists.
The point of divergence here is in 1707, with the miscarriage and stillbirth of the boy who would otherwise have become OTL Prince Frederick of Wales, of Look To The West fame. This causes complications with his mother, and she is rendered infertile as a result. George II produces no heir, as a result.
Now we head to 1714 and the reign of King George I, and the deaths of Electress Sophia of Hanover and Queen Anne of Great Britain and Ireland. It is hoped that Caroline will be able to produce an heir to the Hanoverian line, as the populace of Great Britain are less than enthralled by the prospect of handing the throne over so quickly, fearing that this could destabilise the monarchy and give the Jacobites a chance to return to power. King George is also alarmed by the possibility of the Prince of Wales not producing an heir, as this would mean that the House of Hanover would leave his descent, governed as it is by Salic law. He blames his son, of course, despite Caroline’s having conceived and miscarried another child in the seven years since the first stillbirth. Hanoverian father-son feuds transcend all common sense, their bitterness blunting Occam’s Razor.
A number of concerned citizens have noted that, should the Prince fail in his attempts at procreation, the throne would pass to his sister Sophia, Queen Consort of Prussia, and mother to the young Crown Prince Frederick. Parliament is ignoring this possibility for the time being, hoping instead that Caroline will beget a child and that they won’t have to commit themselves to anything, as a personal union with Prussia would likely involve getting drawn into Prussian wars. And Prussia is in the neighbourhood of Austria, Sweden, Russia and Poland, so the wars will be fairly large. There are vague whispers of denying the throne to Sophia’s children, should the occasion call for it, but these are only vague whispers, as the British people are sick and tired of playing Royal Roulette, and the King wishes to make it clear that this is not an option. Of course, he will not be able to voice his opinion at the time…
With the Jacobite uprisings of 1715, all talk of denying the succession is ceased, and the matter fades into the background until the 1720's, with the aftermath of the South Sea Bubble Crisis and Walpole's meteoric rise to power. His (theoretically) pacifistic views clash with the Prussian tendency towards militarism, and so he is very much against the idea of the Prussian Succession, reasoning that a Prussian King would want Britain involved in Prussian wars. The alternatives to Prussia would be the King's brothers, Maximilian Wilhelm of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Ernest, Duke of York and Albany. Unfortunately, neither of these two have a wife or children, which simply postpones the issue. As much as Walpole might resent it, Sophia and the Hohenzollerns are the only plausible candidates to the British throne after Prince George, unless George finally sires an heir.
With the death of George I in 1726 from a stroke, his son comes to the throne as George II. His Succession issues are given serious Parliamentary debate for the first time, having previously been referred to as little as possible. While the Prussian Succession is near-guaranteed, it remains to be seen what influence Parliament will tolerate from King Frederick-William. The Prussian monarchy has traditionally been quite autocratic, but Parliament will not waive their duties to become mere advisors once more – as one MP put it, “Our job is to fly in the King’s face”, and it is clear that any attempt to swat Parliamentary interference will not be welcomed.
Walpole and the King do not share as close a relationship as in OTL, mainly because Queen Caroline’s infertility has left her depressed and bitter. Whereas in OTL she saw Walpole as a powerful ally, here she sees only a rival for the king’s influence, and she tries to turn her husband against him to put another in power, such as X. While she is unsuccessful in “deposing” Walpole, he certainly does not have the level of power that he did under George I, and he is often forced to back down on matters important to him, notably including the Prussian Succession. Whig plans to further dilute the power of the monarch in preparation for the Prussian arrival are met with a stony refusal by George II (prompted, of course, by Caroline), who makes unsubtle references to his royal veto – the use of which would be the first since Queen Anne’s opposition to the Scottish Militia. This does nothing to endear him to the Whigs, or indeed the Whigs to him, and he begins to favour the Tories somewhat.
(Walpole’s power is weakened only in terms of his relationship with the King; in Parliamentary terms he has as much if not more power as OTL.)
The matter of the Prussian Succession becomes of vital import in 1732, when George II is struck with typhoid. As he lies on his deathbed, Parliament is forced to ask Sophia to come to England, where [she] will undoubtedly be Queen by the time [she] arrives”. Sophia leaves Berlin, in the company of her son and husband (and numerous servants, of course), and arrives in London in September that year. George II had died that morning, and the Cabinet had re-enacted the Regency Acts from Queen Anne’s death to safeguard the country from Jacobite insurgencies. Plans are made for Sophia’s coronation, and on Christmas Day she is crowned Queen Sophia I of Great Britain and Ireland.
The matter of Frederick William’s coronation is somewhat trickier, as the bills intended to limit his power were passed shortly before George II’s illness, and consequently were never given royal consent. When Queen Sophia reads the bills, she simply refuses to sign it, using her veto to block the legislation. The new Prussian bloc in court have much the same problem as the Hanoverians did upon their arrival, in that their familiarity with an autocratic monarchy leaves them inept when attempting to relate with Parliament. Of course, the Prussians have the additional impediment of not caring. That would soon change.
On the death of George II, the throne of Hanover lay empty. Two candidates claim it: Ernest, Duke of York and Albany [1], through his status as George’s uncle; and Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia, through his status as George’s nephew. Both claims have an element of validity, the conflict rising from the interpretation of the Salic law governing Hanover’s succession. Ernest’s claim is based on the traditional approach of the crown only passing through men, whereas Frederick’s claim is based on a more complex scenario: if the line is in danger of dying out, the claim may pass through a woman to the most eligible male candidate, this being Frederick.
Clearly the situation must be resolved, as Hanover may not have two Electors. Hanover’s geography – at the heart of Europe, straddling the north of Germany to reach both Brandenburg and the United Provinces – makes the issue strategically important, while European fears over the Anglo-Prussian personal union resolve themselves into a firm desire not to let them get any more territory. War is looming in Europe.
Suddenly, the reality of the situation dawns on the Prussian contingent in London. Parliament holds the purse strings to raise money for war, and only its appeasement will let Prussia secure its claim on Hanover. Sophia is forced to retract her veto of the Moderation Bills, and a limit is placed on the royal veto, voiding it in the event of a two-thirds majority. With this, Walpole reluctantly agrees to fund the war, despite his misgivings – far better to throw money away and secure Hanover than to let such an important land fall into the Austrian or – God forbid – French orbits. Britain allies with Prussia, the Netherlands, Russia and Savoy against France, Austria, Poland, Saxony and Bavaria. On February 13th, 1733, the War of the Hanoverian Succession begins in earnest…
[1] He lives longer ITTL, surviving past 1728.
So. Comments? I need to know how plausible this is before I continue, after all!
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