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O’er the Hills
Or
At Last, An English King
Here’s 40 Shillings in the hand,
To those brave men of Eng-land,
Take up your arms and come with me,
O’er the Hills and O’er the Sea,
O’er the Hills and O’er the Sea,
From London, York or Ger-many,
We’ll fight and die for liberty,
O’er the Hills and O’er the Sea,
And though our fight is tough and long,
Let no good man forget this song,
And good let all true Britons be,
When O’er the Hills and O’er the sea
O’er the Hills and O’er the Sea,
From London, York or Ger-many,
We’ll fight and die for liberty,
O’er the Hills and O’er the Sea,
Prologue - True Love
Extract From: The Rise and Fall of the Hanoverians: The Crown 1714-1779
Chapter 19: The Decline - Dr Peter Pate
The Decline of the German House of Hannover is charted by almost every historian to inability of William IV[1] to sire a son.
In the 1750’s young William (Or George, as he was then known) was prince and heir of Great Britain, who young and unmarried was one of the most desired bachelors in the Europe. Despite advice from many close councilors and proposals from various German princesses, the prince married his “true love” Lady Sarah Lennox[2], sister of the Duke of Richmond. Whilst George himself was smitten with the woman he had been repeatedly advised against the marriage by his then closest advisor, John Stuart, Earl of Bute. Bute and the Prince argued over the marriage for many months until in December 1759, Stuart stormed out of the capital and returned to Scotland, where he would remain until his death ten years later[3]. When King George heard of the marriage he was initially displeased but accepted the union; Lady Lennox was highborn enough that the marriage would not cause controversy and both the King (under advise from Pitt and Parliament) and Prince were keen to seem more “British” and less Hanoverian. William and Lady Lennox married on the 3rd of February 1760 in the Chapel Royal at St James’ Palace. The marriage was reported to be a happy and loving one and within three months, Queen Sarah was announced as pregnant. The nation was abuzz and had taken a fond liking to their new Queen and, as a side effect, Prince William, who until this point had been seen as slovenly and foreign. Throughout 1760 the King’s health declined at an ever increasing rate and though his spirits appeared to be raised somewhat by the announcement that his grandson would soon be a father, King George II passed away on the 15th of June.
Queen Sarah
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[1] Not OTL William IV but George III, he is known colloquially as William and very rarely called George.
[2] Our Primary POD
[3]Either a secondary POD or a very important butterfly.