Earnest Augustus was an unlikely candidate to become King of Britain, being the fifth son of George III, yet he did come close. Following the death of William IV he inherited the Kingdom of Hanover, due to Hanover having Salic inheritance which prohibited succession to and through women, whilst the Kingdom of Britain and Ireland passed to his niece Victoria, ending the union between the two Kingdoms. Had Victoria died before producing an heir he would have been the likely candidate to inherit the throne. There were even rumours that there was a plot to kill Victoria in order to put him on the throne, although that was probably unlikely.
Now Earnest was an interesting character. Unlike his father, who had never even visited Hanover, Earnest had been sent there in his adolescence for his education and military training. By 1837 he was the only one of George III's children willing and able to continue the connection with Hanover. He was also quite active in British politics, as a member of the House of Lords, where he developed a strong reputation for being an arch-reactionary. In particular he was militantly opposed to Catholic Emancipation and Parliamentary Reform. He was also quite unpopular. In short, had he been King of Britain things could have gotten interesting.
Now getting on the throne by offing young Victoria is one way to go about it, but it would mean that he comes to power after most of the crucial reforms of the day have been passed. Consider instead this scenario:
In 1813 Prince William, who would become William VI IOTL, visited British troops fighting in the Low Countries. Watching the bombardment of Antwerp from a Church Steeple he came under fire but, fortunately for him, a bullet hit his coat and he was unharmed. Instead, ITTL, he gets hit by a bullet which kills him or, alternatively, seriously wounds him so that he dies some time before inheriting the throne. A few years later baby Victoria dies in infancy, a fate shared with her cousin OTL. Finally, George VI's unhealthy lifestyle causes him to kick the bucket a few years earlier.
As a result of all this Earnest ascends to the throne before Catholic Emancipation and Parliamentary Reform.
What impact is this likely to have on British politics, both foreign and domestic? Whilst Britain was a fairly established constitutional monarchy at this point it wasn't without some actual power. IOTL William VI was the last king to appoint a Prime Minister against the will of Parliament and Victoria attempted to subtly influence policy. Earnest, who was both a white-hot reactionary and tended to favour a more Germanic approach to monarchy, would inevitably try to use such powers to intervene.
In addition, on the foreign policy front, the succession of Earnest to the British throne means that the union with Hanover will be maintained and, through his son George, guaranteed for at least another generation. Given all the excitement that Europe goes through, particularly after 1848, how might Britain get wrapped up in it?
On the other hand, given how unpopular Earnest was in Britain and his staunch opposition to reforms that Britain really needed to have, what are the chances of him being forced to abdicate and when?
Now Earnest was an interesting character. Unlike his father, who had never even visited Hanover, Earnest had been sent there in his adolescence for his education and military training. By 1837 he was the only one of George III's children willing and able to continue the connection with Hanover. He was also quite active in British politics, as a member of the House of Lords, where he developed a strong reputation for being an arch-reactionary. In particular he was militantly opposed to Catholic Emancipation and Parliamentary Reform. He was also quite unpopular. In short, had he been King of Britain things could have gotten interesting.
Now getting on the throne by offing young Victoria is one way to go about it, but it would mean that he comes to power after most of the crucial reforms of the day have been passed. Consider instead this scenario:
In 1813 Prince William, who would become William VI IOTL, visited British troops fighting in the Low Countries. Watching the bombardment of Antwerp from a Church Steeple he came under fire but, fortunately for him, a bullet hit his coat and he was unharmed. Instead, ITTL, he gets hit by a bullet which kills him or, alternatively, seriously wounds him so that he dies some time before inheriting the throne. A few years later baby Victoria dies in infancy, a fate shared with her cousin OTL. Finally, George VI's unhealthy lifestyle causes him to kick the bucket a few years earlier.
As a result of all this Earnest ascends to the throne before Catholic Emancipation and Parliamentary Reform.
What impact is this likely to have on British politics, both foreign and domestic? Whilst Britain was a fairly established constitutional monarchy at this point it wasn't without some actual power. IOTL William VI was the last king to appoint a Prime Minister against the will of Parliament and Victoria attempted to subtly influence policy. Earnest, who was both a white-hot reactionary and tended to favour a more Germanic approach to monarchy, would inevitably try to use such powers to intervene.
In addition, on the foreign policy front, the succession of Earnest to the British throne means that the union with Hanover will be maintained and, through his son George, guaranteed for at least another generation. Given all the excitement that Europe goes through, particularly after 1848, how might Britain get wrapped up in it?
On the other hand, given how unpopular Earnest was in Britain and his staunch opposition to reforms that Britain really needed to have, what are the chances of him being forced to abdicate and when?