George IV's divorce from Karoline of Brunswick was a cause celebre in its day. I can't remember the details of the case offhand (beyond that it was unsuccessful), but I was more wondering about what was Georgie Porgie's game plan? It can't have been to remarry and beget more heirs, since even as a widower, George made no attempts to remarry. So what did he plan to do had the divorce been successful?
What Were George IV's Plans Once He Was Divorced?
- Thread starter JonasResende
- Start date
His plan was probably to either bring in Mary FitzHerbert and prop her up as a Queen in all but name, or perhaps he actually did consider remarrying legitimately. The trouble was, poor George was not a very long thinker. He probably didn't think any further than getting himself unattached from Caroline, who lost any use as his legal wife once their child was dead. It's a little anti-climatic, but he probably didn't have a game plan. Divorcing Caroline was just the next step in their ongoing war of nastiness.
I considered thst Maria FitzHerbert (or the Countess of Jersey) might queen it fora bit, however, what I can't understand is that the Lords would've even CONSIDERED the thing had it had no long term goal in sight. I suppose they believed thst if the royal marriage was dissolved the king would remarry to produce heirs, but as we know that didn't happen. However, if it WAS just a whim of Georgie, I can't see how Parliament would've just played along. Even if the monarch had more power than it did with Victoria, it's not like George was an absolute monarch (or even that he had as much power as the monarch had had in Tudor or Stuart times)
Under British law, a queen who has committed adultery with a subject is guilty of treason (see Isabelle de France, Anne Boleyn and Kitty Howard). HOWEVER, AIUI from how a former poster explained it, she can't be guilty of treason if she commits adultery with an alien (Pergami wasn't a British citizen AFAIK) so Karoline was TECHNICALLY innocent (even if she had).
Yeah no. First Maria was a Catholic and its illegal for the Monarch to marry a Catholic and remain Sovereign. Second the two had been separated for nearly sixteen or so years (I think sense 1804 or so), so no real chance there.
Again she's a Catholic and Jersey had long fallen out of favor. There was no real long term plan other than getting rid of Caroline.
Apologies. Lady Jersey was the only mistress of Georgie whose name I could remember (aside from Maria FitzHerbert, Mary Robinson and Grace Elliott). I couldn't remember who Prinny's latest squeeze was in the 1820s.
So he REALLY had no plans BEYOND "who will rid me of this troublesome wife?" Weird that parliament went along with it - especially since they didn't usually kowtow to the Hannoverians.
Well Caroline was becoming an embarassment for everyone so after the death of her daughter keeping her as Queen was not useful to anyone