Georgians on My Mind Trivia Quiz

Answer: Germany

George I was German (Hanoverian). He came to the throne because he was the closest Protestant relative of Queen Anne. All of her Catholic relatives were excluded from the succession. Had they been allowed to inherit then her half brother, James Stuart, would probably have taken the throne on her death.

Many Catholics were very unhappy about the exclusion, and the first of the Jacobite rebellions took place in the reign of George I. This sought to put James Stuart (The 'Old' Pretender) on the throne. George I was not a popular monarch.

He was seen as "too German", but despite this most people preferred him to having a Catholic on the throne. Catholicism was associated with monarchic absolutism and arbitrary government.

Answer: Zadok the Priest

Although born in Germany Handel settled in London in 1712 and became a naturalised citizen in 1727. He was commissioned to write four pieces for the coronation of King George II, and "Zadok the Priest" is still used at coronations of British monarchs to this day. "Messiah", the oratorio that he wrote in 1742, remains popular and is performed in churches and concert halls all over the United Kingdom, especially at Christmas time.

It is probably the one work of his that most people will know something from.

Answer: Be born outside the United Kingdom

Like his father, George I, George II was born in Hanover, in Germany. He came to England at the same time as his father, and was made Prince of Wales. His relationship with his father was not good. He was far more popular with the people; indeed he courted popularity, and George I was rather jealous of this.

He also opposed several of his father's policies. His father died during a visit to Hanover, and was buried in Germany. George II decided not to go to his funeral. Rather than being criticised for this many saw it as a declaration of his fondness for England. During his reign the final Jacobite rebellion was crushed at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

Answer: Porphyria

Porphyria was not a recognised disease at the time of George III. As well as nausea and pain symptoms include mental disturbance. In the 1960s Ida Macalpine and Richard Hunter put forward the idea that this was the cause of King George's intermittent bouts of madness.

This has never been proved, although the idea was hotly debated at the time. A 2010 article in "The Psychologist" throws doubt on the soundness of the research behind the original hypothesis, suggesting that it may have been "selective".

Answer: Royal Marriages Act 1772

George was very religious, as well as being a devoted husband and father. When his brother, Henry, Duke of Cumberland, was exposed as an adulterer he was appalled, and when he later married a widow of a much lower social status George insisted on the Royal Marriages Act being brought into law.

This wasn't popular with either his ministers or parliament, but the bill did pass. When another brother, William, Duke of Gloucester, admitted that he had secretly married the illegitimate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole George was convinced that he was right to insist on the law.

He refused to receive either of his brothers wives at court. The law remains on the statute books to this day. No member of the royal family can marry without the consent of the reigning monarch.

Answer: Intolerable Acts

The measures taken were called "Intolerable Acts". They included closing down the port of Boston and imposing a legislature appointed by Britain. The Boston Tea Party took place in 1773, and within a very few years the taxes levied on America without them having any representation in the British parliament, plus the imposition of direct rule, led to the American Revolution. By 1783 George had lost America, the Treaties of Paris had been ratified, and Britain had recognised the independence of the United States of America. John Adams arrived in London in 1785 as the first American Minister (Ambassador) to Britain.

Answer: Caroline of Brunswick

The marriage of George and Caroline was an arranged one. They had not even met when they became engaged. They married in 1795 in London. George had already married Maria Fitzherbert some ten years earlier, but because he did not have his father's consent the marriage was not legal. Nine months after their wedding Caroline gave birth to George's only legitimate child, a girl, named Charlotte Augusta. By mid 1796 the couple were living separate lives and in 1797 Caroline moved to a house in Blackheath.

When the time came for his coronation George was adamant that she should not attend. Despite that she drove to Westminster Abbey only to find the doors closed to her and her way barred by armed guards. She died some three weeks later amid rumours that she had been poisoned.

Her exact cause of death remains unknown.

Answer: Beau Brummel

Born in London and educated at Eton and Oxford, George Brummel changed male fashion. Under his influence the knee breeches that had been popular were replaced with long trousers, loose coats with well tailored, close fitting, dark coats. These were accompanied by white shirts, topped off with an ornate cravat.

He boasted that it took him five hours to get dressed. He also said that boots should be polished with champagne to achieve a perfect shine. He met the Prince Regent while in the Royal Hussars, and George was instantly drawn to him.

He had great influence on him and was made welcome in royal society. His way of dressing was much copied and has come to be referred to as "dandyism". Eventually he and the Prince fell out, Brummel ran up gambling debts and was forced to flee to France, where he died penniless in 1840.

Answer: Bath

The Romans first took advantage of the mineral waters in Bath, building baths which still stand. In Georgian times it became fashionable to visit Bath for the express purpose of drinking the mineral water, which was said to be good for everything and anything.

The city has some beautiful Georgian architecture, chief of which is the Royal Terrace. Much of Georgian Bath was designed by John Wood and his son, John Wood the Younger. Although the houses in their sweeping, curved terraces, look elegant, behind the facade many of them were originally cheap boarding houses.

The entire city was made a World Heritage site in 1987.

Answer: Abolition of slavery in most of the British Empire

The slave *trade* had already been forbidden an Act of Parliament in 1807, but slavery itself remained legal in much of the British Empire. In 1833 the Abolition of Slavery Act was passed by Parliament. This was due to the work of William Wilberforce who campaigned for twenty six years to get slavery abolished in the British Empire. Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), St. Helena and the territories of the East India Company were exempt from the new law, and slavery there was not abolished until 1843.

King William IV died in 1837, and with his death the Georgian era came to an end. He was succeeded by Queen Victoria, and a new era. Victoria herself was the last of the House of Hanover. Her husband was from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and when their son inherited the throne it was in the name of that house.