The first half of George's life (1865-1936) was in the 19th century, the second in the 20th. The years of his reign (1910-1936) were extremely turbulent for Britain and the whole world. George 5 witnessed the First World War, and in the days when he was already dying, a new threat of a widespread conflict with the Third Reich hung 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 way to a leadership position at sea and seemed limp against the backdrop of new dictatorial regimes in Europe. But, despite all this, George 5 accepted the many challenges of the time with dignity. Only the good memory of compatriots has been preserved about him.
Childhood and family
George 5 was born 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 the poor health of her daughter-in-law.
Alexandra gave birth to a premature baby, being in the eighth month of pregnancy. The premature outcome of events disturbed family members, but their fears were in vain. On the contrary, in the future Georg was always punctual, unlike his hasty birth.
His father, usually called Bertie (a form of the baptismal name Albert), was the 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.
The heir to Edward VII was to be his eldest son, Albert Victor. George 5 was second, so he received a military education in the Navy. In particular, the teenager was enlisted in the service of the ship "Britain", on which he visited many countries.
Heir
In 1892, a terrible flu epidemic erupted in the country. One of her victims was Albert Victor. He died suddenly. After that, his status passed to the heartbroken George. But that was not all. Then it was decided that the bride of the deceased heir would marry George. It was May Tekskaya.
The tradition of marriage by calculation was the norm, in royal families it was treated as a duty, and not as a choice of love. Therefore, a huge number of monarchs of the Old World were close relatives to each other. For example, Nicholas 2 and Georg 5 were cousins of mothers. Their common grandfather was King of Denmark Christian IX. George's other cousin was German Kaiser Wilhelm II, who is 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 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 bother the then rulers of Europe - it was a tradition. This is largely why children from such marriages were born sick - incest, as you know, does not lead to good. So it happened with Alice, who refused to George and became the wife of Nicholas II. With him, she will die in the Ipatiev basement, as well as their children, including the son of hemophilia, Alexei.
In the end, still alive, Victoria decided to bring her grandson to May Tekskoy. This was a noble girl from the side branch of the reigning English dynasty. After the death of Victor, she married George. The wedding took place in July 1893. The dynastic issue was resolved. The wife of George 5 became his best friend and adviser throughout his life.
Prince of Wales
Queen Victoria passed away 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. This happened on the day of his father's sixtieth birthday.
His new status required the fulfillment of many public duties. In particular, the prince spoke in Parliament, traveled through the colonies in India and Australia, etc.
The beginning of the reign
Georg became king in 1910 when his father Edward VII passed away. Between them was the warmest relationship. For example, Edward in one of the letters admitted that he treats his son more like a brother. With the rise 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 debt. Monarch's hobbies were billiards, collecting stamps and polos.
War
The board was not calm for long. Even under Edward, a conflict began to erupt with Germany, which threatened to turn into a major war. The most surprising thing is that even the 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 became more and more a constitutional monarchy, and George did not have sufficient powers to annul the decisions of Parliament and the Prime Minister. All that King George 5 could do in the ensuing war was to represent a symbol of power, to encourage citizens and unite them. He constantly gave speeches and took part in military meetings.
The children of George 5 (that is, the eldest sons) went to the front, which could be a huge problem if at least one of them was captured. Heir Edward served as an adjutant to the commander in chief in France, and later transferred to officer service in the Mediterranean Sea. The second son Albert (future George VI) was 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 conflict would drag out, and the Germans were already approaching Paris, anti-German sentiments erupted in Britain. Many residents of the country with Germanic roots became victims of raids by angry citizens. This was not only true for the English. For example, Louis Battenberg, who was the first Lord of the Admiralty, was forced to resign. The only reason was his German origin.
It affected the royal family. As you know, the Saxe-Coburg-Gothic dynasty of Georg came from Germany. Prime Minister Asquith advised the ruler to change the name of the clan in order to be in solidarity with society. So the Vinsdor 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 7 British military bases. He conducted four hundred inspections and presented thousands of awards to ordinary soldiers and officers. When the bombing of the island began, he immediately went to the affected areas. While fighting was ongoing in France, Georg visited the army five times. And each time his arrival was a spirit-raising event, encouraging 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 welcome calls, knocked over the rider. Georg broke his pelvic bone and was only able to stand up in a few months. This trauma later reminded itself many times.
The monarch became the face of propaganda. For example, he completely stopped drinking alcohol, fighting alcoholism in the army. His other crucial step was the Prime Minister’s support in a dispute with liberals about whether bachelors should go to the front without fail. Discussions were conducted and conducted, and all to no avail, until the monarch agreed with Asquith, after which the initiative became a bill.
The last major dynasty in Europe
When in the autumn of 1918 it became clear 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 kinship of Nicholas 2 and George 5 further complicated the life of the latter.
When Romanov was deposed, he tried to go to England, but did not receive a response in time from his cousin, after which he went to Siberia. There he was shot. The death of Nicholas 2 was a shock that all of England experienced. George 5 expressed his bitterness in his personal diary.
Post-war device
The destruction of the monarchies ended in the fact that the republican system became a real challenge for the British order. However, the British loved their king, which they regularly expressed in thousands of demonstrations, especially after a victory. When the fate of post-war Europe was being decided, US President Wilson became the savior of the world, proposing his famous “14 points” for building a new world. George V practically did not participate in these initiatives, being engaged in internal affairs, and military and prime ministers went to the European arena.
Peacemaker King
The king was not a politically sophisticated person. When the struggle between the existing parties began in parliament, he became the arbiter who soothed passions.
In the 1920s, the Labor Party first came to power, whose program was left-wing, that is, socialist. Protecting the interests of workers could end in the usual European scenario - a red flag over the Vinsdor Palace. Therefore, the king tried to find a common language with renewed vigor so that the proletarians were not infected by the desire for revolution. However, the Laborites recognized Soviet Russia as legitimate for the few months of 1923, when they had a majority in parliament, which was unpleasant news for the monarch who had to turn in.
Strikes of workers coexisted with intensified nationalist sentiments in the colonies and Ireland. In Europe at that time, many states received sovereignty (for example, on the wreckage of Austria-Hungary). During the outbreak of another conflict, George each time tried to be a peacemaker between the warring parties. For example, this was needed when sending troops to Ireland.
Georg also compromised with the colonies. He created the British Commonwealth, which gave them greater autonomy. It exists today.
King George 5 tried to explain this peacekeeping function of the crown to his heirs. A photo of the monarch's family often shows him surrounded by numerous children, grandchildren and granddaughters, one of whom is the current ruler of England, Elizabeth II.
Death
In recent years, Georg has been sick a lot. In 1925, he began 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 anniversary of his reign.
And in January of the following year, he died in the Sandrigam Palace, while the whole country listened to the BBC, where they broadcast reports about the king’s well-being. Georg became a symbol of the triumph of a real 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 political system still exists.