Did Queen Victoria, or the British government in general, make any effort to stop Hanover from from being lost because of Victoria's intelligibility to inherit under Salic law? At the time, was Hanover considered an important or at all relevant part of the British crown?

by LateNightPhilosopher

When Queen Victoria inherited the UK, the Kingdom of Hanover was a holding of the King of England. But Hanover, under Salic law, could not be inherited by a woman. Did Victoria or any powerful figures in the UK make any effort to hold on to Hanover instead of allowing it to leave the realm?

TrajanOptimus117

Hanover was not in any way considered part of the British Crown. It was it's own entity and the fact that the majority of the Elector's time was spent in Britiain did not make it subservient to Britain.

In fact Parliament often refused to send supplies of money and troops to Hanover whenever it went to war on the basis that this was an issue for the Elector of Hanover, not the King of Great Britain. The fact that they were the same man was not viewed as especially relevant.

And as to whether the was ever a chance of Victoria inheriting Hanover? No, not the remotest chance. Salic Law had governed the succession to Hanover and the other German states for centuries.