Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover

King of Hanover from 1837 to 1851

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Lived 1771–1851, aged 80United Kingdom

United Kingdom JournalistsJournalist

Wikipedia
47 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1771–1851
Aged 80
Awards
10
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

The fifth son who ended up king — but only in one country. When his brother died in 1837, British law gave the crown to their niece Victoria while Hanover's rules against female succession handed Ernest the German throne, splitting 123 years of shared rule in a single stroke.

Biography

About

Born in London on 5 June 1771, Ernest Augustus seemed destined for footnote status as George III's fifth son. Sent to Hanover for military training, he took a disfiguring facial wound fighting Revolutionary France near Tournai. Created Duke of Cumberland in 1799, he married his twice-widowed cousin Frederica in 1815 over his mother's objections — the union proved happy and produced one son, George, in 1819. In the House of Lords he built an extremely conservative record while rumours swirled that he'd murdered his valet, fathered a child by his sister, and plotted to kill Victoria for the Brit…

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