Of Crafts and Cricket - The Reign of King Frederick I of Great Britain and Ireland

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Early Life
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    Of Crafts and Cricket
    By taqn22

    On February 1st, 1707, King Frederick I was born in Hanover. When he was born, he was known merely as "Duke Friedrich Ludwig", solely the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. While this title was nothing to scoff at, his later ascension to the throne of Britannia would be of far greater importance.

    Frederick's father was none other than who would become George II of Great Britain, making him the heir apparent to the throne of one of the most expansive empires of all time. However, that does not mean they had a pleasant relationship. Spending much of his life away from his father, Frederick finally left the continent to the isles in the year 1728, a year after his father's coronation. With 14 years of separation brewed both distance and resentment. They would never have a pleasant relationship, with George II crudely imitating his own father in the ways that he battled with his own son.

    Frederick, as his father did, used his position of Prince of Wales to lend aid to numerous opposition parties. He opposed his parents in everything he could, from the arts (where he opposed the works of Handel due to the royal sponsorship he had attained) to political affairs (where he openly campaigned against his father in any way he could).

    Even before his rise to Kingship, he made his definite mark on British culture. The great patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!" was penned under his patronship, along with many of Arne's other works. Frederick's love of music and art would only magnify once he became coronated, with the ability to live off of a drip fed allowance.

    Another of the then-Prince's passions was cricket. He saw it as "The Great British Game," and quickly assimilated, using the cricket bat as his tool. While his promotion of the sport was not at its kingly levels early on, he still was one of the main patrons of the popular sport.

    While it is reported that there was a period of public silence from the then-Prince in 1751, which some theorise was a health scare for the to-be King, Frederick was back to the public and in perfect health for a man of his age.*

    On the 25th of October, 1760, King George II died from a fall in his personal quarters, having been the oldest British King to that point. On September of the following year, King Frederick I was coronated as King of both Great Britain and Ireland.

    God Save the King.

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    *IOTL, Prince Frederick of Wales died in the year of 1751 due to personal health reasons. This is the POD.

    I will attempt to update this daily/every other day. The scope is meant to be solely Frederick's rule, however, if I end with something I like I will continue. Please comment and such, I am open to queries.     ​
     
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    • October 25th 1760 - September 12th 1761
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    From Cessation to Coronation

    On October 25th, 1760, George II of Great Britain and Ireland departed from the mortal plane. The nation went into a period of intense mourning, reaching from the fall of George II to his funeral. In this period of national despair, a major hiccup appeared during George's funeral. Frederick, in what had seemed to be a moment of regret for the relationship he had held with his father, put himself forward to be the one to organise the late King's funeral. The court had no reason to deny the new King of his wish, which would ultimately lead to the largest embarrassment for the British Monarchy to that point, and arguably of all time.

    Firstly, the funeral had several delays. It was originally set for November 13th, however was delayed thrice. The first time for a period of 6 days, due to King Frederick stating that he needed more time to prepare. While this worried the court and nobility, they granted him the time of an additional week. He claimed that he was indeed ready one day earlier than that deadline, and the announcement of further delay came after many had gathered at Westminster Abbey, enraging many of the nobility attending. This delay went further to the day of December 2nd, nearly a month after George's burial. Even then, a third delay occurred. The entrance to Westminster Abbey was locked for a matter of hours during the cold season, before the mourners being let in after a period of hours in the cold winter. There are varying accounts of the eulogy given by Frederick that day, ranging from him passing out drunk before uttering a word, to him breaking down laughing in the middle of his speech and exclaiming "Oh! The old bastard is dead!" While it is unknown today what exactly happened, it can be very easily said that it was not a respectable funeral in the eye's of anyone.

    The shockwave this affair caused had political ramifications, some historians say, equal to William the Conqueror's landing in Britain. The Whig Prime Minister, Thomas Pelham-Holles, resigned in the December of 1760, due to "conduct (I) believe is not fitting for the crown." With this, the Whig's, who had long held massive power, turned against the current crown. This created a massive divide, and massive change, within British politics. The Whigs would, for a considerable amount of time, oppose the British sovereign. Frederick keep to prior promises and ended the proscription of the Tories, and would dissolve parliament and call for a general election in the January of 1761. Many outspoken Whigs simply refused to take part in government (weakening the Whig party with the faction of "Resters") as long as Frederick was King, which lead to an unexpectedly sweeping Tory majority in the Spring of 1761. From there, a choice was made that would change Britain forever.

    Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh was made Prime Minister of Great Britain. A Son of King Frederick, the King and the new Tory government saw a member of the royal family as the Prime Minister as the ultimate way to secure their government. Seen as an outrageous move among even the newly apolitical Rester faction, and even unpopular within the government itself. Prime Minister William Henry was the first member of the royal family to hold the position, and while the country was "...thrown into a kettle nested within the sun" (As William Stubbs put it nearly a century later), the situation never boiled over during W. Henry's time as PM.

    After months of political crisis, the dust finally settled in Britain, at least for the moment. While seen by many as a tyrant, the coronation of King Frederick was a much celebrated event. The festivities and grandeur of the coronation were interrupted by a botched assassination attempt on the King by whig Fletcher Hill. The attempt failed, and he was taken away silently as the ceremonies continued. The "Hill Plot" as it became known only increased the growing Rester movement within the whigs, with many not wanting to be involved with such radicalism.

    On September 12th, 1761, King Frederick I of Great Britain and Ireland was coronated. He entered a very different nation than his father had left, one of apathetic opposition and royal Prime Ministers.

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    That took way to long to write, but I hope you all enjoyed it. If you have any questions, just ask me and I can answer :D

    (If it is about the plausibility of anything, I believe that this is unlikely but entirely plausible as a course of events.)

    More updates tomorrow!




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    • taqn22

    haider najib said:
    What happened in latest update? Also any plans for america.
    Click to expand...

    I do indeed have plans for America (impossible to ignore in this era)

    And for a summary of this update, Frederick made a mockery of his father’s funeral. The PM (a whig) already knew he was to be on the way out, and resigned, using that as his reason. The Whigs were incredibly angry, and Frederick dissolved parliament for elections. Most whigs protest the elections and the government itself and form the “Resters” faction within the whig party. These are people who are basically apolitical in a form of protest. This allowed a sweeping tory majority. To secure power, Frederick has one of his sons become PM. This is incredibly controversial, but not much opposes it. Frederick is coronated, a radical whig tries to kill him and fails, causing the rester faction to grow even larger.
     
    The Professor

    The Professor

    Worth noting that "prime minister" wasn't a title much in use at this time. Mostly because the "holders" such as they were generally considered it impolitic against the Sovereign who was still technically the head of government at that time. Note that the Sovereign is still barred from entering the Commons except at their compliance/invitation and thus they need someone to be their representative there. Whilst there have occasionally been Members of the Lords as "Prime Minister" usually there was a partner Commons Member who held a lot of government power themselves.
     
    RMcD94

    RMcD94

    In addition to the prime minister issue, which besides not being used was only even conceived with Walpole many constituencies had no competition it was literally just one person standing.

    Rotten boroughs in Whig pockets are more likely to return no one. Not sure what happens then.

    Where there any other butterflies from him surviving? How is George III?
     

    taqn22

    The Professor said:
    Worth noting that "prime minister" wasn't a title much in use at this time. Mostly because the "holders" such as they were generally considered it impolitic against the Sovereign who was still technically the head of government at that time. Note that the Sovereign is still barred from entering the Commons except at their compliance/invitation and thus they need someone to be their representative there. Whilst there have occasionally been Members of the Lords as "Prime Minister" usually there was a partner Commons Member who held a lot of government power themselves.
    Click to expand...

    Yeah, I know they weren’t officially called PM back then, but it is something that people knew of. Just easier to say and such
     

    taqn22

    RMcD94 said:
    Where there any other butterflies from him surviving? How is George III?
    Click to expand...


    Well, basically some general ones. Cricket is doing better than it was irl, as his death harmed the sport a lot. The same principle applies to the tories, which are more influential from the decade of ol Freddy supporting them.

    George III is doing well as the Prince of Wales. He has, unlike OTL, been to Hanover (due to his father’s wishes)

    I am likely missing some things, but these are the major ones
     
    Neoteros

    Neoteros

    taqn22 said:
    Well, basically some general ones. Cricket is doing better than it was irl, as his death harmed the sport a lot. The same principle applies to the tories, which are more influential from the decade of ol Freddy supporting them.

    George III is doing well as the Prince of Wales. He has, unlike OTL, been to Hanover (due to his father’s wishes)

    I am likely missing some things, but these are the major ones
    Click to expand...

    Cricket was quite popular in the early USA too, if it's doing better in the UK maybe it'll keep being relevant over there as well; whatever the result of an ATL American rebellion, the presence of an entire continent playing cricket would probably contribute in toning down the elitism of its governing organizations, and Test would be played from Cuba to Japan. :p
     
    September 19th, 1761
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    The Trial of Fletcher Hill

    It was a dry, summers day on September 19th, 1761. Children were laughing, playing in the streets. Mothers were sewing. Fathers were working. However, deep inside of the Old Bailey Courthouse, a trial unlike any other was taking place. A trial, which was less of a trial, and more of a setting for the defendant to lay out their manifesto. This trial was the trial of none other than Fletcher Hill, failed assassin of King Frederick the First.

    Fletcher Hill, who had been seen with the smoking gun that failed to eliminate the King, plead not guilty to the charges of High Treason laid upon him. Summoned by the prosecution were countless witnesses, from nobles to clergymen, to commoners and children. They all provided testimony against Fletcher Hill, which wove the tale of Fletcher Hill taking a musket, firing at the King, and being dragged away, his plot failing.

    Fletcher Hill called on no witnesses to defend him.

    Fletcher Hill was then called upon to make his case, to prove his innocence. He refused to do the latter.

    "I stand here today, accused of betraying my great country. I stand here to say, I did not betray my country. I have been accused of hating the monarchy. I stand here to quell such talk. I believe the monarchy, a King, is needed for a country to be successful. A King who is fit to lead the nation, the beautiful nation of Britain, through hell and to heaven. A King who can be looked up to by his subjects, the model of the perfect man.

    King Frederick is not that man.

    King Frederick has made a mockery, a farce, of our great nation. He has elevated his children to a position of the people, he has desecrated his father's good name, he has struck my fellow Whigs into a shameful hiding.

    I did not fire upon the King due to hatred of my country. I fired upon the King in love of it. The people's voice has been crushed under this wolf, who wears the cloth of a sheep, who claims to honour Britain and the monarchy of which he leads. To ensure that one such as he never appears again, the monarchy must regretfully be stripped of all executive and legal authority-"

    He was interrupted by the prosecution, who quite angrily queried "Not only have you falsely claimed innocence, you demand Britain to be destroyed from within. Are you done with this charade, Mr. Hill?"

    Fletcher Hill continued his speech, under his right to make his case, "The King must lead the people, but so the people must lead the King. A, legally, powerless sovereign is what a nation needs to achieve liberty and greatness. Liberty is-"

    Again, the prosecution interjected, "This is absurd. You have admitted to your own guilt, sit down Mr. Hill. Sit down."

    Fletcher Hill denied the prosecution's request, continuing to use his right to make his case. "The Sovereign is the striker to the candle that is liberty. Liberty brings light, it illuminates man. You cannot have the sovereign without liberty, nor can you have true liberty without the guiding sovereign. I then-"

    The prosecution attempted once more to force Fletcher Hill to sit down, but was spoken over by Hill himself.

    "-urge the jury, the jury of the British people. I urge you not to look at my accused crime, of treason, of attempted murder. No, I urge you to look at what we need in this nation, in this great nation. I urge you to give me Liberty, or give me Death."

    The phrase "Give me liberty, or Give me Death" were the last words spoken by Fletcher Hill. He did not speak a single word after he finished his speech, keeping a self imposed vow of silence until he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on September 21st, 1761.

    The story of the grand "Hill Trial" spread across the isles, before hopping across the empire, and making itself to the colonies. Most notably, it made itself to the table of retired general George Washington, then living in Mount Vernon.

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    Hello peeps, just a mini (but important) update. This trial established the ideals of what will come to be known as "Hillism", a major thought system in the coming years. Hope you all are enjoying this timeline :D​
     
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    • Spain, 1759 - 1761
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    British Influence on Spanish Politics, 18th Century

    On August 10th, 1759, King Ferdinand VI of Spain died in seclusion. This left his half brother, Charles, as the heir to the Spanish throne. Once crowned as King, he became known as "Charles III of Spain". His reign would, in the eyes of many historians, shape the fate of Europe, and ultimately France, forever.

    Charles' coronation was an extravagant and lush affair, which was tainted by the loss of his wife's life less than a year later. The death of his wife thrusted him into his reign, himself seeking to occupy himself to beat back the grief that would attempt to consume him. He did so with massive reform, declaring himself as a new breed of King, one who held absolute power, but used it for the good of the people. This would come to be known as "Enlightened Absolutism", "Benevolent Dictatorship", or simply (in Britain) as "Totalism". One of the first reforms he forced through was not one of major policy, but one regarding the popular sport of bullfighting. Charles saw it as a disgusting piece of old Spanish society, and banned the practice altogether. However, the policy for which Charles III is known most for is his decision on the Seven Year's War.

    While Louis XV of France seemed keen on pulling the Spanish into the war, Charles was not so sure. He had observed the situation, namely in Britain quite closely. While Charles had certainly feared the ideas of William Pitt, he knew he did not have to worry. The man, from Charles' perspective, had made the utterly foolish decision of resigning from his position as a form of protest. While Charles did not know what to think of the new British King, Frederick, he knew that the King was not going to come knocking if Charles did not swing first. While Pitt had, quite overtly, expressed a desire to tear down the French colonial empire (and possibly the Spanish, which is what had worried Charles), his successor was not of the same strategy. George Montagu-Dunk had been made the new Secretary of State for the Southern Department, for he was a personal friend of Frederick and a cricket connoisseur. While Charles did not know of the man's specific policy as of then, he did know that Frederick wanted every bit of Pitt's potential legacy "Burned to ash, then placed in the tower" (This is a quote allegedly spoken by Frederick I, which is lended credence with actual ashes of what are believed to be documents from Pitt's administration hidden within a wall of the Tower of London.) Charles, intelligently, knew that this meant that he was safe from the British threat. However, he wanted to ensure that his reforming nation was not a target.

    On the 15th of August, 1761, Charles III made the "Madrid Proclamation". The proclamation was quick and concise, almost as if it was a small poem:


    España, el reino de mi corazón,
    no derramará una sola gota de sangre
    en este continente bendito de Europa.

    In English, being:


    Spain, the Kingdom of my heart
    shall not shed a single drop of blood
    on this blessed continent of Europa.

    Policy wise, this meant that Spain was to be a neutral power within not just the confines of the great war currently being fought, but any conflict fought on the European continent. This policy shift was met with mixed responses, some at the time declaring it to be a brilliant move, showing the benevolence of a true King. Others, however, saw it as nothing less than a betrayal.

    On September 11th, no less than a month after the Madrid Proclamation, France broke Spain's newfound neutrality with a military invasion.


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    Sorry for the while between updates! Will try to get back to more frequent updates, thanks for reading :D



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