King George V was the King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India from 1910 until his death in 1936, and was Britain’s monarch throughout the entirety of World War I. He is remembered as a steady, hardworking and deeply patriotic king who used his position to support the British people and the war effort during one of the most difficult periods in his country’s history. Although he was not originally expected to become king, George V proved to be one of the most respected and well-liked monarchs in British history.
King George V ruled Britain at a time of enormous change and upheaval. World War I, which lasted from 1914 until 1918, killed millions of people across Europe and transformed the political landscape of the entire world. Empires that had existed for centuries collapsed, new nations were born and the old order of European monarchy was shattered. George V was one of the few European monarchs to survive the war with his throne intact. In fact, several of his closest relatives, including his cousin Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his cousin Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, lost their thrones as a direct result of the conflict. As such, George V’s steady and careful handling of his role as king during the war years was one of the most significant achievements of his reign.
King George V’s Early Life
King George V was born on June 3rd, 1865 CE in London, England. His full name was George Frederick Ernest Albert. His father was Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII, and his mother was Alexandra of Denmark. George was the grandson of the famous Queen Victoria, who had reigned over Britain since 1837 CE and was one of the most powerful monarchs in the world. As the second son of the Prince of Wales, George was not expected to become king. Instead, he was prepared from a young age for a career in the Royal Navy.
George and his older brother Prince Albert Victor began their naval training at the age of twelve in 1877 CE. George took to naval life with enthusiasm and spent much of his early adult life at sea, rising steadily through the ranks of the Royal Navy. His naval training shaped his character in important ways. For instance, he developed a strong sense of duty, discipline and straightforward honesty that would define his approach to kingship throughout his reign. He also developed a love of simple pleasures, particularly stamp collecting and game shooting, and preferred a quiet and orderly way of life rather than the lavish social world of the royal court. As such, George’s early years in the navy gave him a grounded and unpretentious character that would later make him popular with ordinary British people.
King George V Becomes Heir to the Throne
George’s life changed dramatically in January of 1892 CE when his older brother Prince Albert Victor died suddenly from influenza at the age of twenty-eight. Albert Victor’s death moved George directly into the line of succession as heir to the throne, ending his naval career and beginning a very different kind of life. George was twenty-six years old at the time and had to make a rapid adjustment from the life of a naval officer to that of a future king.
One of the most important changes in George’s life following his brother’s death was his marriage. Albert Victor had been engaged to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, known in the family as May, at the time of his death. After Albert Victor’s death, the royal family encouraged George to pursue a relationship with May, and the two became engaged in May of 1893 CE. They were married on July 6th, 1893 CE and the union proved to be a very happy one. In fact, historians describe George and Mary as a deeply devoted couple who shared a strong sense of duty and a commitment to the values of family life. Together they had six children, including the future King Edward VIII and King George VI. As such, the unexpected death of his brother not only placed George on the path to the throne but also brought him one of the most important relationships of his life.
King George V as King
George V became King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India on May 6th, 1910 CE following the death of his father King Edward VII. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 22nd, 1911 CE. His coronation was followed almost immediately by a royal tour of India, where he became the only British monarch to travel to India as King-Emperor, attending a grand ceremony called the Delhi Durbar in December of 1911 CE. The British Empire at this time was the largest empire the world had ever seen, spanning vast territories across Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Pacific. As king-emperor, George was the head of this enormous empire and took his responsibilities toward it very seriously.
George’s reign began with a significant political crisis at home. The Liberal government in Britain was trying to pass a bill through Parliament that would limit the power of the House of Lords, which is the unelected upper chamber of the British Parliament. The House of Lords had rejected the government’s budget, which was unprecedented, and the Liberal government asked George to threaten to create enough new Liberal Lords to overcome the opposition if they did not back down. George agreed to do so, and the threat proved effective. The House of Lords relented and passed the Parliament Act of 1911 CE, which permanently reduced its ability to block legislation passed by the elected House of Commons. This was an important moment in the development of British democracy and showed that George was willing to use his position to support the elected government even when it created controversy.
King George V and World War I
The most significant event of George V’s reign was the outbreak of World War I in August of 1914 CE. World War I began following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914 CE. The assassination triggered a chain reaction of alliances across Europe that drew the major powers into war. Britain entered the war on August 4th, 1914 CE after Germany invaded neutral Belgium. As king, George V played an important symbolic and morale-boosting role throughout the conflict, even though the actual decisions about how to fight the war were made by the government and military commanders rather than by the king himself.
George threw himself into supporting the war effort with remarkable energy and dedication. For instance, he made more than 450 visits to troops on the front lines in France and more than 300 visits to military hospitals to see wounded soldiers. He also pushed for humane treatment of German prisoners of war, reflecting his belief that even in wartime, basic standards of decency should be maintained. During one of his visits to the front in France in 1915 CE, his horse was startled by cheering soldiers and rolled over on top of him, fracturing his pelvis and causing him pain for the rest of his life. Despite this injury, George continued his visits to troops and hospitals throughout the war. As such, his personal commitment to supporting the men fighting in the trenches was one of the most admired aspects of his wartime role.
King George V and the House of Windsor
One of the most significant decisions George made during World War I was his decision in 1917 CE to change the name of the British royal family. At the time, the royal family’s official name was the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which was a German name inherited from George’s grandfather Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who had been the husband of Queen Victoria. As Germany was now Britain’s enemy in the war, the German name of the royal family was causing enormous embarrassment and resentment among the British public. Anti-German feeling was running extremely high in Britain during the war, and the German-sounding name of the royal family was seen by many as deeply inappropriate at a time when British soldiers were dying fighting German forces.
On July 17th, 1917 CE, George formally changed the name of the royal family from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the House of Windsor, taking the name from Windsor Castle, one of the most famous royal residences in England. This decision was widely welcomed by the British public and helped to strengthen the bond between the royal family and the people it served. For instance, when Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany heard about the name change, he reportedly joked that he would watch a performance of the Shakespeare play “The Merry Wives of Windsor” retitled as “The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.” The joke highlighted the awkward position that the royal family’s German connections had created. As such, the creation of the House of Windsor was one of the most lasting decisions of George’s wartime reign and the name continues to be the official name of the British royal family to the present day.
King George V’s Later Reign
Following the end of World War I in November of 1918 CE, George continued to navigate a rapidly changing world. The war had transformed Britain and its empire in profound ways. Ireland, which had long been part of the United Kingdom, experienced a rebellion in 1916 CE known as the Easter Rising and a subsequent war of independence that resulted in the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 CE, while the six northern counties remained part of the United Kingdom. George played a conciliatory role in these events, using his influence to encourage compromise and stability.
George also faced significant changes in the political life of Britain itself. In 1924 CE he invited Ramsay MacDonald to form the first ever Labour government in Britain, demonstrating his willingness to work with the new forces of working-class politics that were reshaping British society. The Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s caused enormous economic hardship across Britain and the wider world, and George worked with his government to manage the crisis. By 1935 CE, the year of his Silver Jubilee celebrating twenty-five years on the throne, George had become one of the most popular and respected monarchs in British history. Huge crowds turned out across Britain to celebrate the jubilee, and George was reportedly surprised and moved by the warmth of the public’s affection. In fact, he is said to have remarked “I cannot understand it, after all I am only a very ordinary sort of fellow.”
King George V’s Death and Legacy
King George V’s health had been declining for several years before his death. He had suffered from chronic lung problems, made worse by heavy smoking throughout his life, and had never fully recovered from his injuries sustained in France during the war. In January of 1936 CE he fell seriously ill with a respiratory illness at his home at Sandringham in Norfolk. He slipped in and out of consciousness for several days and died on January 20th, 1936 CE at the age of seventy. He was succeeded by his eldest son, who became King Edward VIII, though Edward abdicated the throne later that same year and was in turn succeeded by his brother, who became King George VI.
King George V is remembered as one of the most important British monarchs of the modern era. He guided Britain through the enormous challenges of World War I, helped reshape the identity of the royal family for the modern age and used his position as a force for stability and moderation during a period of great change and uncertainty. For instance, before World War I most of Europe had been ruled by monarchs who were related to George, but after the war the monarchies of Germany, Austria, Russia and several other countries had all collapsed. The fact that the British monarchy survived and even grew in popularity during this period owed a great deal to George’s steady and conscientious approach to his role. As such, King George V left a lasting legacy as a king who placed his duty to his country and his people above all else.
