ABSTRACT

Confessional conflict was a central theme of early modern life in both Britain and Hanover. Like succession and security, it was an important concern for the new Hanoverian dynasty after 1714. Moreover, debate over religious persecution provides an interesting example of the functioning of the Anglo-Hanoverian composite state in practice and the nature of the Personal Union. Analysing the interest that the early Hanoverian monarchs displayed in persecuted Protestants also provides a means to think about questions of self-perception and presentation.