The Influence of Hanover on British Politics during the Napoleonic Wars

The accession of George I in 1714 saw Great Britain tied to the Electorate of Hanover in a personal union. This union would last until Victoria's accession in 1837 when, due to differing inheritance laws, Hanover broke out of the union. Traditionally, a personal union is considered to exist when two independent polities share the same sovereign, without any overlapping jurisdiction and administration. By the reign of George III, the only Hanoverian administrative body in Britain was the German Chancery in London. Designed to serve as a conduit between the sovereign and his Hanoverian officials, the German Chancery was theoretically nothing more than a glorified post office. The Napoleonic Wars changed all this.Hanover spent much of the war under foreign occupation. This caused the German Chancery in London, led by the ambitious Count Münster, to function as a government in exile. Through the examination of diplomatic correspondence, Münster's private letters, and the reports of military personnel, this thesis examines how the Hanoverian faction sought to influence British policy for their own interests, and fought to retain autonomy when infringed upon by Westminster. Previous studies have claimed that the personal union, as a political construct, does not fit the political relationship between George III's domains, offering composite monarchy as a substitute. The findings within this thesis supports the premise that a personal union is too rigid a term in its current state, but rejects composite monarchy. Influence was cultivated by both Hanoverians and Britons alike, but wielded on a pragmatic basis that retained and defended the independent nature of each.