King Ernest (1840 to ????)

Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, was the fifth son of George III and his wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Due to Salic Law, when his niece Victoria (son of his deceased elder brother, the Duke of Kent and Strathearn) ascends to the British throne, Ernest ascends to the throne of Hanover.

Victoria died in 1901 and was followed as monarch by her son. But what if Victoria fails to produce issue - by virtue of the assassination attempt by Edward Oxford upon the 10th June 1840 succeeding.

Victoria is dead - and her uncle should be named King. But the journey from Hanover will take several days - during which the government, who already didn't like Ernest (he had dismissed their counterparts in Hanover shortly after his arrival there in 1837) and had already heard a proposal in 1837 from Thomas Peronnet Thompson that would have disqualified the Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale from becoming King in the event of Victoria's death.

At that point, the proposal found minimal traction with the Duke of Cambridge or the Duke of Sussex. Would the proposal gain their support now?

If not - Who might the proposal put forward as the alternative to Ernest?

Who would Ernest leave as his Viceroy in Hanover given that his own son was only twenty one and his brothers might be less amenable to taking the role?

And would Ernest be more amenable to flooding the House of Lords with nobles who would support the new King and allow him to dominate politics?
 
I think that Ernest might appoint Cambridge as his viceroy, and the man might accept. If Ernest isn't prevented from becoming King, I can see Cambridge taking the throne himself.

And I think it depends, the tories didn't seem to like Cumberland that much, but might be willing to work with him
 
Cambridge does seem to be the go-to man to stick in as Viceroy of Hanover as he had already undertaken the role for his brother previously.

What would it take for Cambridge to take the offer of a movement to dethrone his brother to become King himself given he had outright rejected it before?

Do you think the Earl of Munster might be in with an offer to be the figurehead?
 
Cambridge does seem to be the go-to man to stick in as Viceroy of Hanover as he had already undertaken the role for his brother previously.

What would it take for Cambridge to take the offer of a movement to dethrone his brother to become King himself given he had outright rejected it before?

Do you think the Earl of Munster might be in with an offer to be the figurehead?

I think if the throne and the monarchy were in intimate danger, he'd move.

And William IV's illegitimate son? I'm not sure, he'd need to be legitimised first
 
And William IV's illegitimate son? I'm not sure, he'd need to be legitimised first

If they had ten days - give or take - before Ernest would arrive in London, might it not be a best of a limited pool of options.

I mean - I don't think that Parliament would accept a move to disqualify Ernest so early. I think tonight take a little more time for them to realise how deep they are - and by that time it might be too late to make any movement against Ernest other than an outright rebellion.
 
If they had ten days - give or take - before Ernest would arrive in London, might it not be a best of a limited pool of options.

I mean - I don't think that Parliament would accept a move to disqualify Ernest so early. I think tonight take a little more time for them to realise how deep they are - and by that time it might be too late to make any movement against Ernest other than an outright rebellion.

I don't think they'd go for illegitimate candidates. They'd like push for Camrbidge, as he's legitimate and quite popular. Munster wasn;t.
 
Ernest and his his son was arch-reactionaries who opposed Catholic Emancipation and was a "die-hard" who voted against the Reform Bill in the Lords. He'd just spent the last three years destroying the Hanoverian constitution. He would have been an incredibly unpopular king to say the least. I doubt he would be able to get along with anyone, be them Wings, or Tories at the same time as him opposing just about any liberal measures bought before him.

In the end, Ernest would alienate the political elites. He would be openly despised by the Radicals, cordially detested by the Whig leaders, and viewed as a burden and a liability by the leading Tories, if not by the bulk of the party.
 
I don't think they'd go for illegitimate candidates. They'd like push for Camrbidge, as he's legitimate and quite popular. Munster wasn;t.

The closest alternative outside of the children of George III at this point would be Charles, the Duke of Brunswick and then his brother William. But at this point Charles had been forced to step down so possibly Parliament would bypass him and attempt to offer the throne to William.
 
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10th June
10th June

At approximately 6 PM, Queen Victoria takes a ride in a carriage with her husband, Prince Albert. Edward Oxford shoots her dead when the carriage passes by him on Constitution Hill - he is brought down by members of the public and later arrested and charged with regicide.

The Prime Minister, William Lamb, the Viscount Melbourne, is informed at his home within the hour whilst a messenger is dispatched to Hanover to inform Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover and Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, that he has become King of Britain.

It will be several days before the couriers reach Hanover and a week before Ernest Augustus will arrive in London which will effectively leave Britain with no monarch for almost a fortnight.

The Prime Minister summons his closest advisors including his Home Secretary, Constantine Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby as well as Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet and Leader of the Opposition, to meet with him the following morning regarding the issue that the country was now facing.

As word spread regarding the death of the Queen, one of those who was informed was Thomas Peronnet Thompson, former MP for Kingston upon Hull, former Governor of Sierra Leone, radical reformer and political mobiliser.

A man who had previously proposed a bill that would have disqualified Ernest Augustus from the line of succession to the British crown given his orders to dismiss the Parliament of Hanover upon arriving there in 1837.

Thompson immediately sent a message to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition begging an urgent audience ...
 
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The closest alternative outside of the children of George III at this point would be Charles, the Duke of Brunswick and then his brother William. But at this point Charles had been forced to step down so possibly Parliament would bypass him and attempt to offer the throne to William.

This is true, apologies for earlier comment
 
This is true, apologies for earlier comment

I admit I did edit my post to clarify my intent - the top contender is clearly Adolphus, the Duke of Cambridge, but should he refuse any involvement (and precedent suggests he would) then the Duke of Sussex would be default - which would bring up the problem of his lack of heirs.

So in the same way that the Act of Settlement 1703 took into account the likelihood of lack of issue for both William and Anne, any equivalent here would presumably include the Duke of Brunswick as the equivalent to Sophia of the Palatinate.
 
I admit I did edit my post to clarify my intent - the top contender is clearly Adolphus, the Duke of Cambridge, but should he refuse any involvement (and precedent suggests he would) then the Duke of Sussex would be default - which would bring up the problem of his lack of heirs.

So in the same way that the Act of Settlement 1703 took into account the likelihood of lack of issue for both William and Anne, any equivalent here would presumably include the Duke of Brunswick as the equivalent to Sophia of the Palatinate.
William V of the House of Brunswick is an interesting point. He'll need an heir asap.
 
I admit I did edit my post to clarify my intent - the top contender is clearly Adolphus, the Duke of Cambridge, but should he refuse any involvement (and precedent suggests he would) then the Duke of Sussex would be default - which would bring up the problem of his lack of heirs.

So in the same way that the Act of Settlement 1703 took into account the likelihood of lack of issue for both William and Anne, any equivalent here would presumably include the Duke of Brunswick as the equivalent to Sophia of the Palatinate.

Indeed this is true, though one imagines there'd be pressure for Adolphus to take the throne
 
William V of the House of Brunswick is an interesting point. He'll need an heir asap.

The closest heir following William with an existing set of children would be William of Wurttemberg (following Augusta of Wales and her daughter) who had five - including an eighteen year old son, Charles.

It would mean a personal union whichever direction - Brunswick or Wurttemberg - if the line exits the immediate royal family.

So - the top contenders appear to be (in order of succession) ...

1) (Augustus) Frederick, Duke of Sussex.
2) Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.
3) Charles of Brunswick.
4) William, Duke of Brunswick.
5) William, King of Wurttemberg.
 
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The closest heir following William with an existing set of children would be William of Wurttemberg (following Augusta of Wales and her daughter) who had five - including an eighteen year old son, Charles.

It would mean a personal union whichever direction - Brunswick or Wurttemberg - if the line exits the immediate royal family.

So - the top contenders appear to be (in order of succession) ...

1) Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.
2) Frederick, Duke of Sussex.
3) Charles of Brunswick.
4) William, Duke of Brunswick.
5) William, King of Wurttemberg.
My vote is for Adolphus
 
So - the top contenders appear to be (in order of succession) ...

1) Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.
2) Frederick, Duke of Sussex.
3) Charles of Brunswick.
4) William, Duke of Brunswick.
5) William, King of Wurttemberg.

Just to clarify - am fully aware that at the point of divergence, Adolphus and Frederick have three surviving sisters - Augusta, Mary and Sophia. But only Mary was married - and none of them produced issue (Augusta would die later in 1840 and Sophia only a few years later).
 
Just to clarify - am fully aware that at the point of divergence, Adolphus and Frederick have three surviving sisters - Augusta, Mary and Sophia. But only Mary was married - and none of them produced issue (Augusta would die later in 1840 and Sophia only a few years later).

Just a quick query, wasn't Frederick named Augustus, and wasn't he older than Adolphus?
 
So - the top contenders appear to be (in order of succession) ...

1) Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.
2) Frederick, Duke of Sussex.
3)
4) William, Duke of Brunswick.
5) William, King of Wurttemberg.

I look then over and I give my vote for 5, William, King of Wurttemberg. William honestly seem like a perfect match. His reforms, a successful domestic policy that saw Wurtteberg pass the Year without Summer and a common identity, his goals of a 'third Germany' against Prussia and Austria, and he's a Protestant with children.

If there anyone you could do the most with, he's your guy.
 
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