Abstract
This paper deals with the problems of British and Hanoverian politics since 1837, after the end of the personal union between Great Britain and the Hanoverian kingdom. Main focus is the period from 1837 to 1848, which could be described as a period of redefinition of British-Hanover relations.
In spite of the end of the personal union, close relations have been maintained, taking advantage of Hanover's position as a possible exponent of British economic and political interests in the German Confederation. There was also a tight dynastic intercourse when the Hanoverian King and in the same time Duke of Cumberland was the closest contender for the British throne for a long time.
Still, there were several problems. It was the failure of an alternative British economic project in Germany to the Prussian led Zollverein (German Customs Union) that had been apparent since the early 1840s, but also the gradual cooling of relations on the London-Hanover axis due to the growing German nationalism in Hanover, and the British critique of the conservative policy of the king, who in 1837 abolished the constitution and later attempted to shut down the liberal government cabinet raised in protest in 1848.
And thanks to this, Kingdom of Hanover could not rely on the "British card" as a main source of its power and prestige in the German Confederation to the degree it expected, and over time it began to move closer to Austria. The upward trend was then to continue until the fatal year 1866 and the Prussian annexation of Hanover after the battle of Langensalza.