What if William IV married Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel?

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
When Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, Clarence's niece by the Prince Regent (and second in line to the throne after her father) died in childbirth in 1817, the King was left with twelve children, and no legitimate grandchildren. The race was on among the Royal Dukes to marry and produce an heir.

William had a great advantage in this race—with his two older brothers both childless and estranged from their wives (in any case both women were probably beyond childbearing), he would almost certainly become King, if he lived long enough—which was likely, as the former sailor took more care with his health than either older brother. However, William's first choices to wed either met with the disapproval of the Prince Regent or turned him down. Princess Anne of Denmark, appalled at the difference in their ages (and, likely, William's long liaison with Mrs. Jordan), refused to consider the match. His younger brother, the Duke of Cambridge, was sent to Germany to scout out the available Protestant princesses, and, after coming up with one whom William laughingly turned down when it became clear that the Duke of Cambridge was in love with her himself (and shortly thereafter, married her). What if William married her on 11th July 1818 instead of Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen?

Princess Augusta was the longest-lived daughter-in-law of George III and had three children by the Duke of Cambridge. Whereas Princess Adelaide, although outliving William by twelve years, had a tragic childbirth history without lasting issue despite at least five pregnancies.

It is likely that William and Augusta would have continued the Hanover dynasty with an heir and at least one spare. Hanover would have remained in the empire upon William's death.

How would a different wife have affected William's policies?

The state capital of South Australia would be named Augusta, not Adelaide. Many other settlements and streets were named after the Queen Consort throughout the empire.

Adelaide was strongly Tory, and attempted to influence the King politically. It is unclear how much of William's attitudes during the crisis over the struggles to pass the Reform Act of 1832 were due to her influence. Augusta, with issue and William's ten illegitimate children, born before their marriage, to look after, might be less inclined to meddle in affairs of state. Might William have appointed the liberal peers that the government called for? A more balanced House of Lords would have lasting political impact. Pressure for a Parliament Act (1911 ATL) would be much less. King William would be much less inclined to install a minority Tory government under Wellington and then Peel. Lord Grey, then Lord Melbourne would have a long, uninterupted, runs as Whig Prime Ministers, with more support in the Lords. The reform of the Church of Ireland would be pushed through in 1834 (ten less irish bishoprics in the House of Lords) increasing the reaction of the Oxford Movement within the Anglican Church leading to more Anglo-catholic militancy among the slums of the great cities. The critique of social policy (local and national) would be greater. The Movement's leaders attacked liberalism in theology, and more positively took an interest in Christian origins, which led them to reconsider the relationship of the Church of England with the Roman Catholic Church.
 

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (26 March 1819 – 17 March 1904)

The first son of Princess Augusta and William's younger brother, Prince Adulphus was Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge.

The Duke of Cambridge was the longest serving head of the British Army, serving as commander-in-chief for 39 years. Although he was deeply concerned about the welfare of soldiers, he earned a reputation for being resistant to doctrinal change and for making promotions based upon an officer's social standing, rather than his merit. Under his command, the British Army became a moribund and stagnant institution, lagging far behind its continental counterparts. In the late 19th century, whereas 50 per cent of all military literature was written in Germany and 25 per cent in France, just one per cent came from Britain. It is said that he rebuked one of his more intelligent subordinates with the words: "Brains? I don't believe in brains! You haven't any, I know, Sir!" He was equally forthright on his reluctance to adopt change: "There is a time for everything, and the time for change is when you can no longer help it."

A marriage between William and Augusta would prevent the birth of Prince George. In the wake of the Prussian victory in the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War, the Liberal Party government of Prime Minister William Gladstone and Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell called for major army reforms. Without Prince George's opposition these reforms would come into place sooner and perhaps go further (to include the Childers Reforms of 1881 that endured until after WWII).
 

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
Without Wellington (for three weeks) and then Peel forming a minority government from 1834 to 1835, the Commons would not gain 100 seats in 100 days and Peel's attempt to compromise with the Whig majority wouldn't lead to the Tory party becoming the Conservatives. No Tamworth Manifesto, no Reform To Survive. The Tories remain in the wilderness of opposition politics. Later the Peelites would not join with the Whigs to form the Liberals. The major parties remain the Tories and the Whigs into the twentieth century. I wonder how Gladstone and Disraeli would fair within the same party? Given that a week is a long time in politics I find it hard to predict what parties might form in the later half of the ninteenth century.
 
Last edited:

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
No Queen Victoria

Republican sentiment would not be roused by dispute between Victoria and Dublin's local government. A royal residence is established in Ireland and the royal family visit more often in TTL. Sinn Fein isn't formed. Great Britiain remains Great.

I'm tempted to give Palmerston his head in this TL and seriously disrupt the Yankees. (Claim Oregon down to 42 at the Mexican border, Aroostook County, buy Alaska from Russia and the pacific states from Mexico and side with the South during the ACW)

C'mon folks. Give me some feedback. I'm not sure where to go with this or if it is worth trying.
 
Last edited:
i'm interested, especially as regards the domestic and irish situation.

Just a point about Alaska: i thought the Russians sold it to the US to stop the UK getting their hands on it? don't take this as wonderfully informed opinion, but i seem to remember something along those lines


All in all: me likey! :)
 
One thing not so much to consider (since this is now a timeline rather than a discussion point) is that it is quite possible that Adelaide's miscarriages resulted as much from William's age havng an effect on the viability of a child... Well, so I was always told, tho does it actually make any sense ? What do I know about genetics ? Er, yup, THAT much !

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
Grey Wolf

Unhealthy sperm
They tested sperm motility - its liveliness and direction of movement.
They discovered that motility decreases by 0.7% each year.
This means that the chances of sperm being clinically abnormal or unhealthy is 25% at 22 years of age. By 30 that figure jumps to 40%, rising to 60% at age 40. At the age of 60, 85% of sperm is clinically abnormal.
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2721669.stm


So William IV has 69% of his sperm disfunctional by his marriage age of 53. That's 31% that can still get a woman pregnant. We know that he wasn't impotent from the ten kids he sired before he got married. From the point of view of effort, bear in mind that royal marriages were aimed at continuing the line. The death of the Prince regent's daughter left the King without legitimate grandchildren. So the race was on to inherit the throne.
 

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
Geordie87

i'm interested, especially as regards the domestic and irish situation.

Just a point about Alaska: i thought the Russians sold it to the US to stop the UK getting their hands on it? don't take this as wonderfully informed opinion, but i seem to remember something along those lines


All in all: me likey! :)

Thank you for the positive feedback. The Irish situation suprised me when I looked into it. I had no idea that Queen Victoria had cooled relations with Ireland so much in OTL. This is my first attempt at developing an AH timeline and I'm not sure how much weight to put on changing political impact. In OTL William IV installed minority Tory governments, balked at appointing a large number of liberal Lords and wound up parliaments early. How much of this was due to influence from his pro-Tory wife? I think I'm going to have to research more to get a better sense of the politics of the monarch and the country as a whole.

OTL Russia sold Alaska because they needed the money ($5 million plus). They sold it to the USA because of the Crimean War ( in this ATL Palmerston may have used assertive gunboat diplomacy to head this war off). Alaska was sold in 1867. The Confederation of the Dominion of Canada was enacted by The British North America Act this year too. In the ATL Palmerston could have joined the Confederates against the Unionists during the ACW. This would create a diplomatic climate where Russia might have little choice but to sell to Britain instead. It is also possible that the Oregon Territory would be claimed more assertively by Britain prior to the Alaska Purchase.

In extremis the USA could be limited by 42 degrees north bordering Canada, 110 west bordering Cascadia and 36 and a half north to the south bordering CSA. Would Parmeston want to go that far?
 
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2721669.stm


So William IV has 69% of his sperm disfunctional by his marriage age of 53. That's 31% that can still get a woman pregnant. We know that he wasn't impotent from the ten kids he sired before he got married. From the point of view of effort, bear in mind that royal marriages were aimed at continuing the line. The death of the Prince regent's daughter left the King without legitimate grandchildren. So the race was on to inherit the throne.

Oh sure, I was wondering whether the age of the sperm-producer might have made the resulting foetus less stable in his wife ? It seems unlikely a la Des O'Connor and Charlie Chaplin, its just that I thought I read this as an 'explanation' for Adelaide's miscarriages somewhere

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Thanks for the info, i sorta forgot that your POD was half a century before the Alaska purchase. :eek:

The irish question is very interesting - if certain issues in the 1840s concerning potatoes can be handled with slightly more aplomb, there could be a very different situation on the cards, yes? :cool:
 

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
I'm not sure who would want to help the Irish

Investment in public works to promote industrial employment would be the only answer to the absentee landlords treating their tenants like peasants. Education and transport infrastructure combined with low taxation would promote industries such as:
  • Mining and Quarrying
  • Shipbuilding
  • Confectionery
  • Glassware
  • Textiles
  • Brewing
  • Distilling
  • Machinery
Initially the only extra employment would be expanding the transport infrastructure and boosting education, but this would provide work for skilled and unskilled labour that would invest in future growth. If the economy needed priming further I would look at sanitation and public housing projects. A land tax and income tax would pay for it beyond the initial emergency relief (£25 million?).
 
Last edited:

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
Here's a map of a possible (?) North America 1900

Cascadia (red), USA (blue), CSA (grey) and southern parts of Canada (pink)

HanoverianAmerica.png
 
Last edited:

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
On the continent...

I expect that a Hanover in union with the British Isles will have it's neutrality respected by Prussia when the german states clash (OTL Austro-Prussian War 1866 - Prussia declares war when Hanoverian forces mobilise). Hanover is in a dominant position around Oldenburg. It seems likely that Oldenburg could become a vassel state through royal marriage (like Brunswick). This would put the city states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lubeck in the Anglo-Saxon king's pocket (protectorates). This would effectively put control of a second vote in the German Confederation under William's influence. Perhaps a North German Union is even more likely ITTL as Prussian protestants wouldn't want the catholic german states dominating the Grossedeutchland. The reformed, modernised and expanded King's German Legion helps to keep William IV's successor out of conflicts in continental europe.

GreaterHannover.png
 
Last edited:
Top