Hump Day History

 

On this day in 1917, the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was officially changed to Windsor.

King George V ordered that the British Royal Family dispense with the use of German titles.

His father, King Edward VII, was born to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.  Prior to his accession, the throne had been under the House of Hanover since 1714, starting with George I.

His mother was Sophia of Hanover, granddaughter to the House of Stuart, which you may recall from our previous bit of Scotland history.

Back to Windsor - the name was taken from the royal residence/castle in Berkshire.

This was during World War I when anti-German sentiment was high.  London had been bombed by their aircraft named Gotha G.IV.

At the same time, the Russian Revolution had broken out and George's cousin, Emperor Nicholas II, was forced to abdicate.  Fear about the future of monarchies in Europe convinced him to abandon all titles under the German Crown.

Kaiser Wilhelm II, also a cousin, abdicated in 1918.

Windsor's Queen Elizabeth II holds the title of longest reign, having surpassed that of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, whose nearly 64 years defined the Victorian era.

Charles III is the oldest to ever ascend the throne.