History of Georgian Continental Monarchs

We forge ahead with Georgian History Month on the blog but we are shifting away from Great Britain for today. While the Georges and their collective families provide no shortage of political and personal crises and episodes, their European counterparts also had their fair share. There were obviously many Continental monarchs from 1714 to 1837, as there were many more thrones at that point. However, today I will be focusing on three of the most notable. Let’s dive into these Continental Georgian monarchs! 

Looking Beyond Great Britain

I completely include myself in this criticism- many of us focus all of our attention and research time on Great Britain and really neglect to look beyond the Isles. It is unfortunate because not only is there a lot of fascinating history elsewhere to enjoy but it gives a much wider context to what is happening in Britain and beyond. Although many like to pretend Great Britain is a vacuum of sorts, it really was not. These monarchs’ reigns were just as full and busy as the Georgian monarchs’ reigns were in Britain. Georgian Continental Monarchs

Catherine the Great-Russia, 1792-1796 (George III)

We had to start with Catherine the Great! She has long been one of those marquee history names, but she has recently returned to the spotlight with The Great. 

Catherine was Empress of Russia alongside her husband from 5 January 1762 to 8/9 July 1762 until Catherine (with help from friends and troops) seized the throne for herself in a coup. She reigned in her own name until her death in 1796. 

Like many other Enlightenment monarchs, Catherine strove to bring the Enlightenment to Russia. Because of its geographically isolated position, Russia tended to be somewhat “behind” the rest of Europe when it came to science and philosophy. (That isn’t to say they were backward, but the incredible distance required for information and people to get to Russian cities made it difficult to transmit information easily. Catherine strove to bring academics and philosophers to Russia, established the collection that now makes up The Hermitage Museum, and even established a new school system for the free classes.

Unfortunately, during Catherine’s reign, serfdom was still incredibly common in Russia. Historians believe that she was personally against the practice of serfdom, but no real movement was made during her reign. Also, in some ways, there was a move towards religious tolerance in Russia as those practising Islam were allowed to openly practice their faith and build mosques. However, although Jews were officially declared to be foreigners with specific rights associated with that status, they were not granted the rights of Russian citizens and saw their taxes doubled during her reign. 

Want to read more on Catherine the Great? You can find my Monarch of the Month post here!

Louis XV- France, 1715- 1774 (George I, George II, George III)

Although Louis XIV tends to dominate all thoughts of the French monarchy (along with Marie Antoinette), his great-grandson also had a lengthy and notable reign. (59 years is nothing to scoff at, even in the twenty-first century.) Louis XV inherited the French throne at the age of five in 1715 after multiple family members in line for the throne passed away before the Sun King did. 

Understandably, the young King could not reign on his own. Yes, the French had a Regency of their own from 1715 to 1723 until the Prince Regent died and he appointed his own First Minister. 

Louis was known as le Bien-Aimé or the Beloved. Versailles had been abandoned after Louis XIV’s death but he reinstated court life at the palace and all of the traditions that came with it. While he did keep the King’s Apartments and perform all of the public ceremonies that Louis XIV had put in place, but established private apartments to give himself time away from prying eyes. He also had several official mistresses throughout his reign, including Madame du Barry at the end of his life. 

The King was fascinated by Science; in particular, Louis spent much of his time on botany, astronomy, and clockmaking. (Yes, Louis XVI would inherit his love of clocks from his grandfather.) It is not only Queen Charlotte who was busy with botany- Louis established many of the gardens that still exist at Versailles today. 

Louis left a weakened and quite divided France. While his grandson, the final Bourbon King of France, made many choices that in part led to the French Revolution, he was not exactly left with a strong France to begin with. 

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Frederick the Great- Prussia, 1740-1786* (George II, Geroge III)

*Frederick the Great was King in Prussia from 1740 to 1772; he was then King of Prussia from 1772 to 1786.

Frederick’s reign (with both titles) spanned nearly half a century. Like Catherine, he brought the Englightenment to Prussia. In his younger years, he spent much his time studying art, music, and philosophy. He believed in enlightened absolutism, meaning that the monarch’s power is absolute but it is their duty to serve the state. 

Frederick the Great is largely now known for all of his military victories. He took a weak and decentralised Prussia and built it into a military power. He largely did this by reforming the administrative and practical sides of the Prussian military. The German General Staff is now a body that studies, and it began its first life during Frederick’s reign. And not only was he a strong bureaucratic force in the military, he was more than capable as a commander on the field. 

Unfortunately for Frederick, he and his legacy were a great source of inspiration for the Nazi party. For many decades after the Second World War, Frederick was not particularly loved due to his connection with the Nazi party. However, in the twenty-first century we have seen a shift in historiography and he is being recognised as a talented military leader. (Frederick is the perfect example of how following generations can influence our perception of historical figures.)

Of these Continental Georgian monarchs, who are you most fascinated by?

Cheers,
The Historian
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