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George I: The Lucky King (Penguin Monarchs) Hardcover – August 1, 2018

by Tim Blanning (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 68 ratings
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Tim Blanning's incisive short biography examines George's life and career as a German prince, and as King. Fifty-four years old when he arrived in London in 1714, he was a battle-hardened veteran who put his long experience and deep knowledge of international affairs to good use in promoting the interests of both Hanover and Great Britain. When he died, his legacy was order and prosperity at home and power and prestige abroad. Disagreeable he may have been to many, but he was also tough, determined, and effective, at a time when other European thrones had started to crumble.
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  1. Part of series
    Penguin Monarchs
  2. Print length
    128 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Allen Lane
  5. Publication date
    August 1, 2018
  6. Dimensions
    4.75 x 0.6 x 7 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0141976837
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0141976839
  9. See all details
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About the Author

Tim Blanning is the author of a number of major works on 18th-century Europe, including The Pursuit of Glory : Europe 1648-1815, The Culture of Power and the Power of Culture, and Joseph II. He is Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge, a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and a Fellow of the British Academy. His latest book, Frederick the Great, won the British Academy Medal 2016.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allen Lane (August 1, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0141976837
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0141976839
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.75 x 0.6 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 68 ratings

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Tim Blanning

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
68 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nessim Levy
5.0 out of 5 stars Brief but Convincing Life of George I
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2018
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In about 100 pages Tim Blanning is able to present a convincing portrait of George I. He is able to ably support his thesis of the role lucked played in George's accession to the British throne.A great additional benefit is the fluency of Blanning's style. This very brief book is both very informative and a pleasure to read.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Concise and useful
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2020
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This book dispels the early assessment of George I as a ruler who alienated culturally from his new kingdom and used his English resources solely to advance the power of his native kingdom
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Keith Weimer
5.0 out of 5 stars stupid Dutchman. " George certainly had his faults
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2018
George I tends to get treated as a crowned version of Augustus Gloop. I've seen comments in popular histories about him being "a short, fat, stupid Dutchman." George certainly had his faults, but these kinds of criticisms must reflect some anti-German prejudice. Tim Blanning helps set some of this prejudice in context by explaining that George failed to learn English, even though he wanted and expected to succeed to the English throne, which was obviously a richer prize then Hannover. George's personal life was unsavory, but there is evidence of a freethinking (not to say, "unbelieving") attitude towards religion, backed by interest in philosophy and science. This book is a good updated beginning, and probably should be followed by Hannah Smith's earlier Georgian Monarchy (2006).
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Mr Tim Cole
5.0 out of 5 stars New Penguin Monarchs title: George I; The Lucky King by Tim Blanning
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2018
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This latest offering from Alan Lane Penguin Monarchs is by renowned historian Tim Blanning and focuses upon one of the most fortunate of men ever to become king! After the death of the childless Anne in 1714 the throne of England passed to the nearest protestant heir which was Georg Ludwig of Hanover who became George I of England. This unremarkable man was though possessed of admiral talent as Tim Blanning explains in his readable study of the king and was certainly no fool even if he hated speaking English and disliked the democratic traditions of a nation he considered ungovernable! Its another misleading image of George in whose reign the rule of Parliament became firmly established and the democratic country we all are part of today began to take shape in its modern form. He chose his first minister(later to become the first ever Prime Minister) Sir Robert Walpole to lead his government and this proved a shrewd and competent decision. George may have disliked his ministers, well to be fair he disliked almost everyone! but he let them govern and did not interfere with his ministers policies. A positive breakthrough considering his Stuart predecessors had gone to war with their own subjects! George's personal life was a disaster he had divorced and imprisoned his ex-wife for over 25 years and forbid her ever to see their children! Needless to say his relationship with his only son and heir was terrible! George, as Tim Blanning demonstrates in this gem of a little book was a man of contradictions but he was an able and competent king who helped pave the foundations for the modern Britain we know today! A man steeped in the traditions of military life, yet he was a great lover of music and a patron of George Frederich Handel one of the greatest composers of music that has ever lived! I urge you to order this book today and discover what an irascible but truly remarkable and successful king George I was!
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Andreas Oberender
4.0 out of 5 stars Von der Leine an die Themse. Georg I. - Kurfürst von Hannover und König von Großbritannien
Reviewed in Germany on April 17, 2018
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Seit Herbst 2014 bringt der Penguin-Verlag eine Buchreihe heraus, die "Penguin Monarchs". Es handelt sich um Kurzbiographien aller englischen und britischen Könige und Königinnen seit dem 11. Jahrhundert. Die Reihe beginnt mit den letzten angelsächsischen Herrschern vor der normannischen Eroberung. Auch Oliver Cromwell ist ein Band gewidmet. Mittlerweile sind mehr als drei Viertel der 45 geplanten Bände erschienen. Bald wird die Reihe vollständig sein. Die Bücher sind kleinformatig (13x18,5 cm) und umfassen maximal 150 Seiten. Sie enthalten farbige Abbildungen, Stammtafeln und kommentierte Literaturhinweise. Auch wenn eine entsprechende Angabe fehlt, ist davon auszugehen, dass sich die Bände an historisch interessierte Laien richten, die sich rasch über das Leben der englischen Monarchen informieren wollen. Als Konkurrenz zur renommierten Biographienreihe "Yale English Monarchs", deren Bände eher für den wissenschaftlichen Gebrauch in Frage kommen, sind die "Penguin Monarchs" nicht gedacht. Interessant ist die Reihe dennoch, denn der Verlag hat zahlreiche bekannte Historikerinnen und Historiker als Autoren gewonnen. Damit ist sichergestellt, dass sich die einzelnen Kurzbiographien auf der Höhe des heutigen Forschungsstandes bewegen.

Georg I. (1660-1727), der erste britische König aus dem Hause Hannover, ist heute kaum noch bekannt. Er erbte die Krone, als Königin Anna, die letzte Herrscherin aus dem Hause Stuart, 1714 kinderlos starb. Das englische Parlament hatte Katholiken von der Thronfolge ausgeschlossen und die protestantische Kurfürstin Sophie von Hannover, eine Enkelin König Jakobs I., zu Annas Erbin erklärt (Act of Settlement, 1701). Da Sophie kurz vor Anna starb, ging ihr Erbanspruch auf ihren Sohn Georg über, den Kurfürsten von Hannover. Zum Zeitpunkt des Thronwechsels war Georg ein behäbiger Mittfünfziger ohne nennenswerte Ambitionen. Hinter ihm lag eine lange militärische Laufbahn. Obwohl er zum illustren Kreis der Kurfürsten des Heiligen Römischen Reiches zählte, wirkte er aus britischer Perspektive provinziell. Tim Blanning, der bekannte Experte für die Geschichte Europas im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert, hat sichtlich Mühe, Georg interessante und gewinnende Züge abzugewinnen. Georg hatte mehr Glück als Talent. Die englische Krone fiel ihm zu, ohne dass er sich anstrengen musste. Der im Exil lebende katholische Zweig des Hauses Stuart hatte in Großbritannien zwar Sympathisanten. Doch ein Aufstand, der Georg vom Thron stoßen sollte, scheiterte zur Jahreswende 1715/16 kläglich. Fortan saß Georg I. fest im Sattel. Er konnte es sich erlauben, während seiner dreizehnjährigen Herrschaft mehrfach für längere Zeit nach Hannover zurückzukehren.

Blanning steht Georg nicht so spöttisch und herablassend gegenüber wie viele andere britische Historiker. Er begegnet seinem Protagonisten mit Verständnis und Sympathie. Der König war von Natur aus zurückhaltend und bedächtig. An einer glanzvollen und kostspieligen Hofhaltung hatte er kein Interesse. Sein reifes Alter und seine Lebenserfahrung bewahrten ihn vor Torheiten und Missgriffen. Er arrangierte sich geräuschlos mit den politischen Verhältnissen in Großbritannien, respektierte das Parlament, überließ die Regierungsgeschäfte fähigen Ministern. Das wohlhabende Großbritannien war im Begriff, zur führenden Wirtschaftsmacht Europas aufzusteigen. Georg hatte an den Kriegen gegen Ludwig XIV. teilgenommen. Er und seine Minister waren sich einig, dass auf dem Kontinent ein Gleichgewicht der Mächte herrschen sollte. Nach dem Spanischen Erbfolgekrieg spielte Großbritannien die Rolle des Schiedsrichters im Mächtesystem. Die Personalunion mit Hannover erwies sich als strategischer Vorteil für das Königreich. Blanning widmet nicht nur der internationalen Politik Aufmerksamkeit, sondern auch den Problemen im britischen Königshaus. Georg überwarf sich mit seinem einzigen Sohn. Jahrelang sprachen der König und der Thronerbe nicht miteinander. Vater-Sohn-Konflikte dieser Art traten in den folgenden Generationen immer wieder auf. Sie wurden zum unrühmlichen "Markenzeichen" des Hauses Hannover.

Von diesen privaten Misshelligkeiten abgesehen war Georg I. in der Tat ein glücklicher König, wie ihn Blanning nennt. Glücklich war er auch im Tode: Er starb nicht in Großbritannien, sondern in Deutschland. Seine letzte Ruhestätte fand er in seiner Heimatstadt Hannover, von der er sich nie gelöst hatte. Mit nicht einmal 90 Seiten Text fällt Blannings Buch sehr schmal aus. Doch bedenkt man, wie wenig Georg als König leistete und wie kurz seine Herrschaft war, dann ist dieser knappe Umfang allemal gerechtfertigt.
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Mackets
4.0 out of 5 stars George the Lucky
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2022
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In the right place at the right time should be his epitaph. Well written , including social and economic factors .
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Revd Anthony Meek
3.0 out of 5 stars Short, perhaps superficial.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2019
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A quick and simple biography.
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Amazon Customer Jeanne o,shea
5.0 out of 5 stars Packed full of history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2022
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A tiny book but everything you need to know about George 1st. Amazing research. Really enjoyed reading about this king. Will certainly read the follow on.
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