George I (The English Monarchs Series) [Paperback]

Ragnhild Hatton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001 | Series: The English Monarchs Series

In 1714 George Ludwig, the fifty-eight-year-old elector of Brunswick-Luneburg, became, as George I, the first of the Hanoverian dynasty to rule Britain. Until his death in 1727 George served as both elector of Hanover and British monarch. An enigmatic figure whose real character has long been concealed by anti-Hanoverian propaganda, George emerges in this groundbreaking biography as an impressive ruler who welcomed the responsibilities the accession brought him and set out to bring culture to what he considered the unsophisticated English nation.

Ragnhild Hatton’s biography is the only comprehensive account of George’s life and reign. It draws on a wide range of archival sources in several languages to illuminate the fascinating details of George’s early life and dynastic crises, his plans and ambitions for the British nation, the impact of his rationalist ideas, and his accomplishments as king. The book also examines the king’s private life, his family relationships in both Prussia and England, his private interest in music and the arts, and the improvement of his British and Hanoverian properties.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Yale English Monarchs Series

About the Author

The late Ragnhild Hatton was professor of international history at the University of London. Jeremy Black, professor of history at the University of Exeter, is the author of numerous books, including War and the World (ISBN 0 300 08285 1, pb. ?11.50) and Maps and History (ISBN 0 300 08693 8, pb. ?12.50), both published by Yale University Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300088833
• ISBN-13: 978-0300088830
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A British King who knew more than just German., June 15, 2005

By 

Shawn Marchinek "McDonald" (Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George I (The English Monarchs Series) (Paperback)

I read a Hard back copy from the local library and could not believe it. I loved this bio. I have read many other biographies and books on the Stuart and Hanover Dynasties of Britain but most were from Charles II and the pretenders and George III through Victoria. George I seems to be remembered as the British King who really didn't care; He took his time accepting the throne, refused to learn English, ran away to Hanover every chance he got and only wanted English money proven by the South Sea Bubble scandal. This book gives us more. A lot more. It shows the who and why, it dispels the stories I have listed above and gives us the man, flesh, blood and emotions. He becomes a real and more understood human than just an uncaring figure from history. I highly recommend this book. It is a great read. I didn't want to put it down. It flows easy and gives enough detail and background to keep you moving through history and his life without bogging you down. All those, Jacobites included :) who do not know George I outside of the usual should read this book. I can't say enough about it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, lucid, entertaining, April 9, 2002

By 

Rilke's Granddaughter (Yap) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George I (The English Monarchs Series) (Paperback)

The author's writing style is easy to follow, without being simplistic and her grasp of the historical issues of the period is excellent.

She presents a great deal of information about the women involved in the history of George, which is unusual for a historian of the Hanovers.

The book is approachable without an in-depth knowledge of the German principalities (though this obviously helps).

Solidly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb scholarship, February 17, 2012

By 

Daniel Putman - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: George I (The English Monarchs Series) (Paperback)

Ragnhild Hatton's biography of George I is a gold mine for scholars looking for Hanover's and Britain's involvement in the affairs of Europe in the early 18th century. Page after page of details emerge about the foreign policy of George and his ministers. It is an awesome work of scholarship.

However, the same depth of scholarship makes parts of the book a tough read for the nonprofessional historian. I had some issues with the book. First, Hatton frequently mentions important people and events prior to their being explained later in the book. The South Sea Bubble is an example. It is explained in the second last chapter of the book but prior to that is cited several times and I did not know what the book was referencing. This happens numerous times with names and events. Another issue I had was that, in sections, the writing is not lucid. Long sometimes convoluted sentences filled with names and references proved irritating. They were precise and scholarly but one had to carefully decipher them. Again, for a professional historian the background required for understanding might be obvious but not to a general reader interested in history. A third point was that the heavy emphasis on foreign affairs led to a somewhat thin explanation at times of domestic issues. For example, given the important and serious rift that developed between George I and his son, I would have liked to have more details about what caused their mutual alienation. Likewise, as mentioned in the Foreward to the Yale Edition, the domestic political events in the last half dozen years of George's reign are not very well-developed.

Given these provisos, the book is a stunning work of historical research. Parts of it are also fascinating. The business involving George's divorce from his wife and the apparent murder of her lover is well-written. Also, once explained and explained well, the South Sea Bubble sounds like some other recent "bubbles" we have had economically. And I thought that the last chapter was one of the very best in the book. It is a chronology of George's last days and a fine summary of his historical importance in different areas. I recommend reading Jeremy Black's Foreward both at the beginning and again at or near the end. It puts the information in this 1978 biography into an updated setting and his points will be more relevant to the reader after going through the sections of the book mentioned by Black. Be prepared to keep track of some common and repeated German names for different people - Sophia Dorothea and Sophia Charlotte, for example, both names given to more than one very important person in George's life. Also, keep the maps handy that are after the Bibliography and Notes at the end as well as the Tables of Descent which also follow the Notes. This is a rich book but one that is not immediately transparent to the general reader. If one is willing to put in the time to read carefully and keep track of references and lineages, this biography has much to offer. George's accession to the throne was a complicated process and tracing his Hanoverian and then English/Hanoverian connections was a huge task. Hatton does this in brilliant historical detail but the reader should know what to expect.