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The Elephant and the Maypole
How King George I of Great Britain’s mistress and sister influenced his reign
George I of Great Britain was the first Hanoverian monarch. His roundabout coronation came from the enmity between Protestants and Catholics that had brewed in England since the Reformation. After King James II of the Stuart family, known for his papist sympathies, was run out by his daughter and son in law, William and Mary, there was great resolve in England that no Catholic should ever sit the throne. When James II’s other Protestant daughter, Anne, was unable to produce any surviving heirs after numerous pregnancies, the succession was settled on her distant cousin, Sophia of Hanover, who was the nearest relation who retained the English faith.
The succession skipped over far closer relations, including French and Italian royalty. While Sophia was seventy years old, Anne was morbidly obese and riddled with chronic health problems. Many speculated that Sophia would outlive Anne and take the throne. Ultimately, Sophia died before Anne, suffering a heart attack while running from a sudden deluge. Sophia’s oldest son, George, Elector of Hanover, succeeded to the English…
