¹ The death of William IV in June 1837 saw the end of the personal union between Britain and Hanover that had existed since 1714. William's brother, Ernst August, became King of Hanover. On 1 November 1837 Ernst August repealed the basic state law of 1833, which he had already protested against as heir to the throne. This, and the subsequent reintroduction of the 1819 constitution, led to conflict that reached well beyond Hanover.

² Also not represented were the towns of Hanover, Hildesheim, Emden, Münden, Buxtehude, Fürstenau, Leer, and Norden. The 1819 constitution, arcording to which the Landtag had been called together, laid down that at least thirty-seven of the seventy-three deputies must be present for the second chamber to be able to pass resolutions.

³ On 10 June 1838 Ernst August had refused to accept the birthday address of the city of Hanover. His condition was that Hanover's protest in the Landtag against the repeal of the 1833 constitution should be withdrawn. This was not accepted by the citizens of Hanover.

⁴ For the Bundestag's reaction to the petitions cf. pp. 94–96 in Frankfurt section.

⁵ In June 1838 Ernst August embarked upon a journey of about two weeks through the provinces of the Kingdom of Hanover.

⁶ The electoral law of the towns provided for so-called electoral colleges consisting, in equal proportions, of members of the city council, the so-called Bürgervorsteher (generally representatives elected by the citizens), and other representatives elected by all the citizens. Thus the majority of the citizens had no right to vote directly.

⁷ This was the danger envisaged by the absent members of the second chamber since the Hanoverian Landtag was elected and constituted according to the principles of the 1819 constitution that had been reintroduced.

⁸ In the opinion of Ernst August the repeal of the 1819 constitution in 1833 contravened Article 56 of the Vienna Final Act of 1820, in which protection of the constitutions was laid down. In support of this argument it was pointed out that a senes subsequent changes to the government's draft in 1833 were not approved by the Landtag. In contrast to the prevailing legal view, Ernst August did not regard the silent sanctioning of these changes by the Landtag as binding.

⁹ The president of the first chamber was Karl Graf von Platen-Hallermund, of the second chamber Friedrich Karl Jacobi.

¹⁰ Cf. n. 6 in this section.

¹¹ This restriction on the budgetary rights of the Landtag was imposed according to articles 20 and 21 of the federal resolution of 12 June 1834 (cf. pp. 135–138 in Prussian section). If not adhered to the Landtag in question could be dissolved, if necessary by military intervention on the part of the German Confederation.

¹² Friedrich Wilhelm IV.

¹³ Deputy Willers resigned on 3 June 1839.

¹⁴ Deputy Strohmeyer.

¹⁵ At the Federal Diet's session on 26 April the envoys from Bavaria and Baden once again requested that the Diet should deal with the question of the Hanoverian constitution. To this end a commission was set up, proposed by Baden. At the Bundestag session of 27 June Hanover responded with a draft of numerous legal grounds for the procedure.

¹⁶ Before its session on 20 June 1839 the Landtag approved large sections of the budget — including use of the budget surplus.

¹⁷ Wilhelm (I).

¹⁸ Grundherrschaft was abolished by the decree of dissolution of 23 September 1833. From then on peasants could claim unrestricted ownership of their land by paying twenty-five times their annual dues.

¹⁹ On 15 June 1839 the magistrates of the city of Hanover sent a petition to the Federal Diet to protest against the repeal of the basic state law of 1833, cf. pp. 94–96 in Frankfurt section. King Ernst August reacted by dismissing the city governor, Rumann, who was then accused of high treason.

²⁰ Johann Carl Bertram Stüve.

²¹ At the Bundestag session of 22 August Austria, in agreement with the Hanoverian government, put forward the view that since the constitution of 1833 had been repealed, the constitution of 1819 was valid. Prussia also supported this view and on 5 September 1839 the Bundestag decided that the German Confederation had no reason to interfere in the question of the Hanoverian constitution. Petitions in favour of this were rejected; cf. pp. 94–96 in Frankfurt section.

²² Karl Friedrich Freiherr von Stralenheim.

²³ For the events following the French revolution of July 1830 cf. n. 194 in Frankfurt section.

²⁴ The constitutional commission, in which deputies from the second chamber also took part after initial opposition, was convened in August 1839.

²⁵ The Landtag was convened for 19 March 1840 by the Royal Proclamation of 10 February 1840. Its task was to deal once more with the draft constitution.

²⁶ Deputies Merkel, Schaf, and Lang resigned.

²⁷ William IV.

²⁸ Cf. pp. 94–96 in Frankfurt section.

²⁹ For an interpretation of the formulation ‘then existing’ cf. n. 39 in this section.

³⁰ Persons: ‘the higher Royal Authorities, the Proprietors of equestrian estates eligible to sit in the Assembly of the States, the Noble freeholders, the higher Royal Servants, the higher Clergy, the present holders of Office as Magistrates & Towns and the Officers’. Things: ‘The Royal Palaces, Castles, Gardens and Buildings as also Estates belonging to the Crown, Foundations, Monasteries, those Possessions of Knights entitled to sit in the Chamber of the General States, and the Grounds belonging to these as well as to all the beforementioned estates.’

³¹ ‘There shall be Provincial States 1, for the Principalities of Calenberg, Göttingen and Grubenhagen together with the former Hessian Bailiwicks in the Principality of Göttingen and for Eichsfeld on this side, 2, for the Principality of Lüneburg including the Dukedom of Sachsen-Lauenburg on this side, 3, for the Counties of Hoya and Diepholtz with the former Hessian Bailiwicks in those Provinces, 4, for the Duchies of Bremen and Verden, 5, for the Principality of Osnabrück, 6, for the Principality for Hildesheim together with the Town of Goslar, 7, for the Principality of Ostfriesland and the Harlingerland.’

³² Enclosure: project of a Constitution for the King of Hanover.

³³ Georg.

³⁴ August.

³⁵ Luise Wilhelmine.

³⁶ Cf. summary of the government draft in FO 34/31: No. 13, 3 April 1840: ‘To the States is accorded the Right of […] the proceedings of the States are not to be published by the Members.’

³⁷ The 1840 constitution was a compromise between the constitution of 1819 and the Basic State Law of 1833. On the one hand the new constitution limited the rights of the Landtag, underlined the monarchic principle and emphasized ministerial responsibility. On the other hand it also retained certain key features of the constitutional state. Apart from a constitutional guarantee of basic individual rights, this meant, above all, involvement of the Landtag in legislation. The composition of the Landtag was only very slightly different from the constitution of 1833.

³⁸ For a detailed inventory of the constitutional project cf. pp. 265–268 in this section.

³⁹ Bligh was hinting here at the disputed interpretation of this formulation by the Bundestag. Since the Landtag had been legally dissolved before the edict of 1 November, the formulation ‘then existing state’ refers to the chambers convened in 1838 according to the constitution of 1819.

⁴⁰ Enclosures: 1. Translation, Address of the States to the King; 2. Translation, The King's Answer to the Address.

⁴¹ Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, the Saxon dukedoms, and the free cities opposed the procedure proposed by Hanover and favoured intervention in the constitutional conflict by the German Confederation.

⁴² For France's behaviour during the so-called Rhine Crisis cf. n. 210 in Frankfurt section, and pp. 192–193 in Prussia section.

⁴³ Article 13 of the Federal Act of 1815, cf. n. 83 in Frankfurt section.

⁴⁴ Baron Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein.

⁴⁵ By marriage to Princess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the sister of Queen Luise of Prussia, Ernst August was a brother-in-law of King Friedrich Wilhelm III. Ernst August's close connection with Prussia was also illustrated by his long visits to Berlin and his close links with ultra-conservative Prussian politicians.

⁴⁶ For the dismissed professors cf. pp. 162–163 in Prussia section.

⁴⁷ Crown Prince Georg went blind in 1833. His right to the succession was secured by the constitution of 1840, since according to the new constitution only minors or the mentally ill could be precluded from succeeding to the throne.

⁴⁸ Leipziger Allgemeine Zeitung cf. n. 215 in Frankfurt section.

⁴⁹ Baron Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein.

⁵⁰ For Rumann's dismissal cf. pp. 259–261 in this section.

⁵¹ At the end of May the Rumann affair was settled. Once the city of Hanover had paid 3,000 Talers from its own coffers for Rumann's pension, King Ernst August declared that he was prepared to take over payment. At the same time Rumann and his condemned colleagues were released from having to pay the fine.

⁵² In 1834 Hanover, Brunswick, Oldenburg, and Schaumburg-Lippe joined together in a fiscal union, as a North German counterweight to the customs union. Like the Zollverein the Steuerverien had a unified, though much lower, external tariff. The founding of the Steuerverein prevented the Zollverein from expanding to the North Sea coast. In 1841, following disputes with Hanover over customs policy, Brunswick joined the Zollverein.

⁵³ Graf Theodor von Senckendorff-Gutend.

⁵⁴ Baron Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein.

⁵⁵ In 1835 a trade exhibition was held in Hanover for the first time. It was organized by the Trade Association of the Kingdom of Hanover, founded in 1834.

⁵⁶ Georg.

⁵⁷ Marie Alexandrine.

⁵⁸ Not traceable.

⁵⁹ Potato blight is caused by the false mildew mushroom (Phytophtora). In the 1840s potato blight was imported from France. In 1846/1847 it caused a food crisis in many states of the German Confederation.

⁶⁰ Gustav Graf von Platen-Hallermund.

⁶¹ Not traceable.

⁶² Not traceable.

⁶³ Not traceable.

⁶⁴ William IV.

⁶⁵ From 1818 to 1837 Ernst August and his family lived mainly in Berlin.

⁶⁶ The Hanoverian army's greatest achievement was fighting alongside England and Prussia during the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). At this time it consisted of about 50,000 men.

⁶⁷ The new constitution came into force on 6 August 1840 and not in 1841.

⁶⁸ Order of St Stephen, Austro-Hungarian order, created by Empress Maria Theresia in 1764.

⁶⁹ Order of St George of Hanover, created by Ernst August in 1839 as an order of ‘Court Honour and Merit’.

⁷⁰ Order of the Guelph, created by King George IV in memory of the war against France and dedicated to the ancestors of the Hanoverian royal family.

⁷¹ Friedrich Christian Dahlmann was offered a chair in Bonn in 1842; Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm at the Berlin Academy of Sciences in 1841. For the dismissal of the so-called Göttinger Sieben cf. pp. 162–163Google Scholar in Prussia section.

⁷² Brunswick joined the Zollverein in 1841Google Scholar cf. n. 52 in this section.

⁷³ Cf. pp. 235–236 in Prussia section.

⁷⁴ Not traceable.

⁷⁵ The Treasury College was first introduced by the constitution of 1819. It was supposed to control state expenditure and the income from the royal domains. When it was abolished by the basic state law of 1833 the royal domains were taken into state ownership, a civil list set up for the royal court and the Landtage given more of a controlling function in state expenditure. Following the introduction of the new constitution in August 1840 the Treasury College was re-established by the patent of 24 December 1840; the separation of royal expenses and state expenses that had prevailed until 1833/34 was thus re-established.