The first half of Georg's life (1865-1936) fell on the 19th century, the second - on the 20th. The years of his reign (1910-1936) turned out to be extremely turbulent for Great Britain and the whole world. George 5 witnessed the First World War, and in those days when he was already dying, a new threat of 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 were raging in his own country, and India was demanding self-government. Great Britain began to cede leadership at sea and seemed weak-willed against the backdrop of new dictatorial regimes in Europe. But, despite all this, George 5 with dignity accepted many challenges of the time. Only the good memory of his compatriots has been 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 an entire era. On that day, she wrote in her diary that she was alarmed by two telegrams about her daughter-in-law's poor he alth.
Alexandra gave birth to a premature baby, being eight months pregnant. PrematureThe denouement of events worried family members, but their fears were in vain. On the contrary, in the future Georg was always distinguished by punctuality, in contrast to his hasty birth.
His father, usually called Bertie (a form of the baptismal name Albert), was heir to the throne for an extremely long time - up to 59 years. This was due to the longevity of Grandmother Victoria, who died in 1901. She was 82.
Edward VII's heir was to be his eldest son Albert Victor. George 5 was the second, so he received a military education in the navy. In particular, the teenager was enlisted on the ship "Britain", on which he visited many countries.
Heir
In 1892, a terrible influenza epidemic broke out in the country. One of her victims was Albert Victor. He died suddenly. After that, his status passed to the heartbroken Georg. But that was not all. Then it was decided that the bride of the deceased heir would marry George. It was Mei Teck.
The tradition of marriage of convenience was the norm, in the royal families it was treated as a duty, 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 maternal cousins. Their common grandfather was King Christian IX of Denmark. Another cousin of Georg was the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, Victoria's grandson.
Marriage
The first possible candidate for the place of Victor's wife(older brother) was Alice of Hesse. She was the daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig IV. In addition, she was another granddaughter of Victoria, who was nicknamed "the grandmother of Europe". Close family ties between potential newlyweds did not bother 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 things. So it happened with Alice, who refused George and became the wife of Nicholas II. With him, she will die in the Ipatiev basement, as well as their children, including their son Alexei, who is ill with hemophilia.
In the end, still alive, Victoria decided to bring her grandson to May Teck. She was a noble girl from a side branch of the reigning English dynasty. After Victor's death, she married George. The wedding took place in July 1893. The dynastic issue was resolved. George 5's wife became his lifelong best friend and advisor.
Prince of Wales
Queen Victoria died in 1901. Edward ascended the throne, and his son George received the status of heir to the throne. Along with him, according to tradition, several duchies and the title of Prince of Wales passed to the man. It happened on his father's sixtieth birthday.
His new status required the fulfillment of many government duties. In particular, the prince spoke in Parliament, traveled to the colonies in India and Australia, etc.
Start of reign
George became king in 1910 when his father, Edward VII, died. Between them werewarmest relationship. For example, Edward admitted in one of his letters that he treats his son more like a brother. With the coming to power, King George 5 remained true to his character and habits. Service in the Navy made him unpretentious in everyday life, but executive in everything related to duty. The monarch's hobbies were playing billiards, collecting postage stamps and polo.
War
The board was not quiet for long. Even under Edward, a conflict with Germany began to flare up, which threatened to turn into a major war. The most surprising thing is that even numerous family ties between European royal houses could not stop such a turn of events.
This was largely due to the fact that Great Britain was becoming more and more a constitutional monarchy, and George did not have sufficient authority to override the decisions of Parliament and the Prime Minister. All that King George 5 could do in the ensuing war was to present a symbol of power, encourage citizens and unite them. He constantly made speeches and took part in military meetings.
The children of George 5 (that is, the eldest sons) went to the front, which could become a huge problem if at least one of them was captured. The heir, Edward, served as an aide-de-camp to the commander-in-chief in France, and later moved to officer service in the Mediterranean. The second son Albert (the future George VI) ended up in the navy with the rank of lieutenant and took part in the important Battle of Jutland.
Monarchy in the service of the country
When it became clear that the conflictdragged on, and the Germans were already approaching Paris, anti-German sentiment flared up in Great Britain. Many residents of the country with German roots became victims of raids by angry citizens. This was not limited to ordinary English people. For example, Louis Battenberg, who was the first Lord of the Admir alty, was forced to resign. The only reason was his German origin.
This also affected the royal family. As you know, the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 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 society. This is how 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 residence of the monarch was located.
During the war, the king visited 7 British military bases. He conducted four hundred inspections and presented thousands of awards to enlisted men and officers. When the bombing of the island began, he immediately went to the affected areas. While fighting was going on in France, George visited the active army five times. And each time his arrival was an uplifting event that encouraged the soldiers who had been in the trenches for months. At one of these meetings, the king was on horseback, and his horse, frightened by the salutatory hails, knocked over the rider. Georg broke his pelvic bone and was able to stand up only after a few months. This injury later reminded of itself many times.
The Monarch has become the face of propaganda. For example, he completely stopped drinking alcohol, struggling with drunkenness inactive army. His other responsible step was to support the prime minister in a dispute with the liberals about whether bachelors should go to the front without fail. Discussions went on and on, all to no avail, until the monarch agreed with Asquith, after which the initiative became a bill.
Europe's last major dynasty
When it became clear in the fall of 1918 that the Allies had defeated the Arbitration Union, there were almost no monarchies left 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 between Nicholas 2 and George 5 made life even more difficult for the latter.
When Romanov was deposed, he tried to go to England, but did not receive a response from his cousin in time, after which he went to Siberia. There he was shot. The death of Nicholas 2 was a shock experienced by all of England. George 5 expressed his bitterness in his personal diary.
Post-war device
The destruction of the monarchies ended with the fact that the republican system became a real challenge to the British order. However, the British loved their king, which they regularly expressed in demonstrations of many thousands, especially after a victory. When the fate of post-war Europe was being decided, the American President Wilson became the savior of the world, offering his famous "14 points" for the organization of the new world. George V practically did not participate in these initiatives, being engaged in internalaffairs, and the military and prime ministers were sent to the European arena.
Peace King
The king was not a politically sophisticated person. When the struggle between the active parties began in parliament, he became the arbitrator who calmed the passions.
In the 1920s, the Laborites came to power for the first time, whose program was left-wing, that is, socialist. Protection of the interests of the workers could end according to the usual scenario for Europe - a red flag over Windsor Palace. Therefore, the king tried to find a common language with renewed vigor so that the proletarians would not become infected with the desire for revolution. However, within a few months of 1923, when they were in the majority in parliament, the Laborites recognized Soviet Russia as legitimate, which was unpleasant news for the monarch, who had to back down.
Workers' strikes coexisted with increased nationalist sentiment in the colonies and Ireland. In Europe at this time, many states received sovereignty (for example, on the ruins of Austria-Hungary). With the outbreak of another conflict, George each time tried to be a peacemaker between the warring parties. For example, this was needed when troops were sent to Ireland.
Georg also compromised with the colonies. He created the British Commonwe alth which gave them greater autonomy. It still exists today.
King George 5 tried to explain this peacekeeping function of the crown to his heirs. A photo of the royal family often shows him surrounded by numerous children, grandchildren and granddaughters, one ofwhich is the current ruler of England, Elizabeth II.
Death
Georg has been sick a lot in recent years. In 1925, he developed 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 yet, in 1935, he celebrated the silver jubilee of his own reign.
And in January of the following year, he died at Sandrigham Palace, while the whole country listened to the BBC, where they broadcast reports about the king's well-being. George became a symbol of the triumph of a real constitutional monarchy, when the ruler had only a title, but did not make the most important decisions (this function was transferred to parliament). In this form, the British polity exists to this day.
