King of England George 5

The first half of Georg's life (1865-1936) fell on the 19th century, the second half on XX. The years of his reign (1910-1936) were extremely troublesome for Britain and the world. George 5 witnessed the First World War, and in those days when he was already dying, a new threat of a large-scale conflict with the Third Reich loomed over Europe.

The king had to witness the fall of three empires - Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary. At the same time, Irish nationalists raged in his own country, and India demanded self-government. Britain began to give up its leadership position at sea and seemed weak-willed against the backdrop of the new dictatorial regimes in Europe. But, despite all this, George 5 with dignity accepted many challenges of the time. Only the kind memory of compatriots was preserved about him.

Childhood and family

George 5 was born on June 3, 1865 in the family of Prince Edward and his wife Alexandra of Denmark. His grandmother was Queen Victoria, who personified a whole era. On that day, she wrote in her diary that she was alarmed by two telegrams about the ill-health of her daughter-in-law.

Alexandra gave birth to a premature baby, being eight months pregnant. The premature resolution of events worried the family members, but their fears were in vain. Even vice versa, in the future Georg was always punctual, unlike his hurried birth.

His father, who was usually called Bertie (the form of the baptismal name Albert), was heir to the throne for a very long time - up to 59 years. This was due to the longevity of my grandmother Victoria, who died in 1901. She was 82.

Heir of Edward VII was to be his eldest son Albert Victor. George 5 was the second, so he received military education in the Navy. In particular, the teenager was enlisted to serve on the ship "Britain", where he visited many countries.

Heir

In 1892, a terrible epidemic of influenza erupted in the country. One of its victims was Albert Victor. He died suddenly. After that, his status passed to the grief-stricken George. But that was not all. Then it was decided that the bride of the deceased heir would marry George. It was May Teck.

The tradition of marriage by calculation was the norm, in royal families it was treated as a debt, and not as a choice for love. Therefore, a huge number of monarchs of the Old World were close relatives to each other. For example, Nicholas 2 and George 5 were cousins for mothers. Their common grandfather was King of Denmark Christian IX. Another cousin of George was the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who is the grandson of Victoria.

Marriage

The first possible candidate for the place of Victor's wife (elder brother) was Alisa Gessenskaya. She was the daughter of the Grand Duke Ludwig IV. In addition, she was another granddaughter of Victoria, who received the nickname "grandmother of Europe." Close family ties between potential newlyweds did not confuse the then rulers of Europe - it was a tradition. In many ways, this is why children from such marriages were born sick - incest, as you know, does not lead to good. So it happened with Alisa, who refused to Georg and became the wife of Nicholas II. With it, she will perish in the Ipatievsky cellar, as well as their children, including a hemophilic son Aleksey.

In the end, still alive Victoria decided to bring her grandson with May Tek. It was a noble girl from the side branch of the reigning English dynasty. After the death of Victor, she married Georg. The wedding took place in July 1893. The dynastic question was settled. The wife of George 5 became his best friend and counselor throughout his life.

Prince of Wales

Queen Victoria died in 1901. On the throne, Edward ascended, and his son George was granted the status of heir to the throne. Together with him, according to tradition, several duchies and the title of Prince of Wales passed to the man. It happened on the day of his father's sixtieth birthday.

His new status demanded the fulfillment of a multitude of state duties. In particular, the prince spoke in Parliament, traveled to colonies in India and Australia, etc.

The beginning of government

George became king in 1910, when his father Edward VII died. They had the warmest relations between them. For example, Edward in one of the letters admitted that he treats his son more like a brother. With the coming to power, King George 5 remained faithful to his character and habits. Service in the Navy made him unpretentious in everyday life, but executive in everything related to debt. The monarch's hobbies were playing billiards, collecting postal stamps and polo.

War

The board did not last long. Even under Edward the conflict with Germany began to flare up, which threatened to turn into a major war. The most surprising thing is that such a turn of events could not stop even numerous family ties between European royal houses.

In many respects this was due to the fact that Britain was increasingly becoming a constitutional monarchy, and Georg did not have sufficient authority to overrule the decisions of parliament and the prime minister. All that King George 5 could do in the coming war is to represent the symbol of power, to encourage citizens and to unite them. He constantly delivered speeches and took part in military meetings.

The children of George 5 (that is, the older sons) went to the front, which could be a colossal problem if at least one of them was taken prisoner. Heir Edward served as adjutant to the commander-in-chief in France, and later transferred to the officer service in the Mediterranean. Second son Albert (future George VI) was in the Navy in the rank of lieutenant and took part in the important Jutland battle.

Monarchy in the service of the country

When it became clear that the conflict would drag on, and the Germans were already approaching Paris, anti-German sentiments flared up in Britain. Many residents of the country with German roots were victims of raids from angry citizens. This involved not only ordinary Englishmen. For example, Luis Battenberg, who was the first lord of the Admiralty, was forced to resign. The only reason was his German origin.

This affected the royal family. As you know, the Saxe-Coburg-Gothic dynasty of George came from Germany. Prime Minister Asquith advised the ruler to change the name of the family in order to be in solidarity with the society. So the Windsor dynasty appeared, which was founded by the English King George 5. The name was given in honor of the palace in which the monarch's residence was located.

During the war, the king visited seven British military bases. He conducted four hundred inspections and awarded thousands of awards to private soldiers and officers. When the bombing of the island began, he immediately went to the affected areas. While fighting was going on in France, Georg visited the army five times. And each time his arrival was a spirit-lifting event, encouraging the soldiers, months in the trenches. At one of these meetings the king was on horseback, and his horse, frightened by welcome hail, overturned the rider. George broke his pelvic bone and was able to get up on his feet only after a few months. This trauma later many times reminded of myself.

The monarch became the face of propaganda. For example, he completely ceased to consume alcohol, fighting with drunkenness in the army. Another of his responsible steps was the support of the Prime Minister in a dispute with the liberals about whether bachelors should go to the front without fail. Discussions were conducted and conducted, and all is ineffectual, until the monarch agreed with Asquith, after which the initiative became a bill.

The last major dynasty in Europe

When it became clear in the fall of 1918 that the Allies had defeated the Arbitration Union, there were almost no monarchies in Europe. The day before, the Russian emperor was shot. Nicholas 2 and George 5 were not just cousins. They were surprisingly similar, as if they were twins, which is especially noticeable in the photo (see below). The relationship of Nicholas 2 and George 5 further complicated the life of the latter.

When Romanov was deposed, he tried to go to England, but he did not receive a timely response from his cousin, and then went to Siberia. There he was shot. The death of Nicholas 2 was a shock that all England experienced. George 5 expressed his bitterness in his personal diary.

Post-war device

The destruction of monarchies resulted in the fact that the republican system became a real challenge for the British order. However, the English loved their king, which was regularly expressed in thousands of demonstrations, especially after the victory won. When the fate of post-war Europe was decided, American President Wilson became the savior of the world, offering his famous "14 points" for a new world. George V in these initiatives, almost did not participate in domestic affairs, and the European arena went to the military and prime ministers.

The king-peacemaker

The king was not a politically sophisticated man. When a struggle broke out in the parliament between the active parties, he became the arbitrator who calmed the passions.

In the 1920s Labor came to power for the first time, whose program was leftist, that is, socialist. The protection of workers' interests could end in a scenario that was familiar to Europe - the red flag over the Windsor Palace. Therefore, the king tried to find a common language with a new force so that the proletarians would not become infected with the desire for revolution. However, the Labor Party, in the months of 1923, when there was a majority in the parliament, recognized the legitimacy of Soviet Russia, which was unpleasant news for the monarch, who had to pass back.

The strike of the workers coincided with the intensified nationalist sentiments in the colonies and Ireland. In Europe at this time, many states received sovereignty (for example, on the wreckage of Austria-Hungary). With the outbreak of the next conflict, George every time tried to be a peacemaker between the warring parties. For example, it was needed when entering the troops in Ireland.

With the colonies George also made a compromise. He created the British Commonwealth, which gave them greater autonomy. It still exists today.

This king's peacekeeping function was explained to his heirs by King George 5. The photo of the monarch's family often shows him surrounded by numerous children, grandchildren and grandchildren, one of whom is the current ruler of England, Elizabeth II.

Death

In recent years George was sick a lot. In 1925, he began to have severe bronchitis, which was a threat to the life of the monarch. A little later, the founder of the Windsor dynasty suffered from purulent pleurisy. And, nevertheless, in 1935 he marked the silver anniversary of his rule.

And in January of the following year he died in the Sandrigem Palace, while the whole country listened to the BBC, where they broadcasted reports on the state of the king's health. George became a symbol of the triumph of this constitutional monarchy, when the ruler had only a title, but did not take the most important decisions (this function passed to the parliament). In this form, the British state system still exists.