Comments on British Territories Past and Present

[Deeman]

Parent topic: British Territories Past and Present

All comments welcome whether positive or negative. Any adjustments to the parent thread will be considered after comment review.

[Figleaf]

One set of territories does not occur in the list: the Hannoverian possessions. They were of course not colonies, but they had exactly the same status as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a few others in your magnificent overview have today: a personal union. The ruling British royal was also the head of state in these territories, even though in practice the head of state role was often delegated.

When Anne Stuart died, the house of Stuart was replaced with the protestant house of Hannover, dukes in Braunschweig-Lüneburg, rather than with a catholic branch of the house of Stuart, to the chagrin of the Tories and the delight of the Whigs. The coins of the British Hannoverian kings have a jumping Westfalian horse as a heart shield. Some coins of Braunschweig-Lüneburg use the same portrait as British coins. British royalty led German-speaking armies fighting continental wars.

After 1813, the Vienna congress elevated the duchy of Braunschweig-Lüneburg to the kingdom of Hannover. East Friesland was part of Hannover from 1815-1866 due to a Vienna congress decision. They had different coins, dated 1823-25, with the monogram GR IV, directly referring to George with his British title.

The neighbours in the duchy of Braunschweig Wolffenbüttel first lost their ruler Carl Wilhelm Ferdinand in the battle of Jena to Napoleon, then his successor and son Friedrich Wilhelm at Quatre Bras (an extended skirmish just before Waterloo; there were German troops under Napoleon's command as well.) Grandson Carl was too young to succeed and thus the British prince-regent, George (later king George IV) became regent and duke in the period 1815-1823. A first series has George with the title of prince-regent (the British title); a second series names him George IV king of Great Britain.

Peter

[Deeman]

One set of territories does not occur in the list: the Hannoverian possessions.

I appreciate what you are saying, but I feel it is somewhat tenuous to reside in a territory category.

[andyg]

There were local coins struck at Qandahar during the British occupation....
https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=279813

[Deeman]

There were local coins struck at Qandahar during the British occupation....

To quote from the referenced attachment:

"Accordingly, the types on this simple coin were likely not ordered by the occupation authorities, but rather placed by an opportunistic engraver eager to please the occupiers."

Therefore they do not qualify as British authorised coins.

[Offa]

Bikanir

[Deeman]

Bikaner came under the suzerainty of the British i.e. responsible for its own internal affairs.