In 1917 the British Royal Family changed its name from the House of Saxe-Coburg Gotha to Windsor. So why did it do that and why did it change its name to Windsor and not something else? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

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Worse, the British Royal Family, headed by King George V of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, opted to change its name.

This change saw the British Royal House become that of the House of Windsor.

This change of name wasn't so clear-cut and many others were put forth.

Which raises the question, why did the British Royal Family change its name?

And why did it change its name to Windsor specifically?

So, as many of you will know, after World War I kicked off, the British public weren't exactly in a pro-German mood.

And as the war continued, This dislike of all things German grew.

And given that the British royal family had been German since the Hanoverian dynasty took the throne in 1714, there were some in government that were worried that anti-German sentiment would soon become anti-monarchy sentiment.

Which was a fair concern since Britain's first sea lord, the Austrian Prince Louis of Battenberg, was forced to resign when the war kicked off.

In 1917, after the Russian Emperor was made unemployed, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George urged the King to do 2 things.

1, renounce his German and Austrian titles, and 2, change the family name to something more British.

The King didn't want to do this because royal houses weren't something that you would traditionally rename on a whim.

But he didn't want to get himself sard, so he reluctantly agreed.

King George personally wanted to take the name Stuart, to emphasise continuity with the last non-German royal house.

Lloyd George said no because picking the name of a house that was overthrown, and also 1 whose descendants pressed their claim on the throne during times of war, was a bad look.

As such, Lloyd George called up all of the previous living Liberal Prime Ministers to come up with a new name to get the King to agree.

The first was Tudor, which was vetoed by the king since he felt that it was associated with head-slicing, religious turmoil and despotism.

Plantagenet was rejected for being too French, whereas York and Lancaster were denied because of their association with civil war and insecure rule.

Well, the name was chosen by the king's private secretary, Lord Arthur Stamfordham.

Whilst he and the royal family were staying at Windsor Castle, Stamfordham realised that Windsor was a suitable name for these reasons.

First, Windsor Castle had been in the possession of the English and later British royal families for about 700 years at this point.

Second, it was also a title of Edward III, who did the most British thing of all.

And third, Windsor was an entirely British place with no negative connotations.

Lloyd George agreed and with a bit of encouragement, so did the King.

He signed a proclamation declaring that the Royal Family had adopted the name Windsor and the Royal Family had renounced their German titles and awards.

Which, for the British people, politicians and newspapers, was enough to convince them that the Royal Family was no longer German, but was instead a now fundamentally British institution.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and a special thanks to my Patrons James Bizonette, Kelly Moneymaker, Sky Chappell, Corsha Wolff, Jerry Lambdin, Jordan Longley, Adam Stalter, Marcus Arsner, YN Hockey, Spencer Lightfoot, Rod D.

Martin, Words About Books Podcast, Captain Psydog, Gustav Swann, Marvin Casal, Camoon Yoon, Winston K.

Wood, Boogily Woogily, Daniel Tobian, Miss Iset, Aaron the White, Corey Turner, The McWhopper, Alex Schwin, Anthony Beckett, Copper Tone, Maggie Plaskowski, Shuenin, Spinning 3 Plates, and Charles the First.


Speaker 0: In 1914, when Europe got a bit... Worse, the British Royal Family, headed by King George V of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, opted to change its name. This change saw the British Royal House become that of the House of Windsor. This change of name wasn't so clear-cut and many others were put forth. Which raises the question, why did the British Royal Family change its name?

And why did it change its name to Windsor specifically? So, as many of you will know, after World War I kicked off, the British public weren't exactly in a pro-German mood. And as the war continued, This dislike of all things German grew. And given that the British royal family had been German since the Hanoverian dynasty took the throne in 1714, there were some in government that were worried that anti-German sentiment would soon become anti-monarchy sentiment. Which was a fair concern since Britain's first sea lord, the Austrian Prince Louis of Battenberg, was forced to resign when the war kicked off.

In 1917, after the Russian Emperor was made unemployed, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George urged the King to do 2 things. 1, renounce his German and Austrian titles, and 2, change the family name to something more British. The King didn't want to do this because royal houses weren't something that you would traditionally rename on a whim. But he didn't want to get himself sard, so he reluctantly agreed. King George personally wanted to take the name Stuart, to emphasise continuity with the last non-German royal house.

Lloyd George said no because picking the name of a house that was overthrown, and also 1 whose descendants pressed their claim on the throne during times of war, was a bad look. As such, Lloyd George called up all of the previous living Liberal Prime Ministers to come up with a new name to get the King to agree. The first was Tudor, which was vetoed by the king since he felt that it was associated with head-slicing, religious turmoil and despotism. Plantagenet was rejected for being too French, whereas York and Lancaster were denied because of their association with civil war and insecure rule. So why was Windsor put forward?

Well, the name was chosen by the king's private secretary, Lord Arthur Stamfordham. Whilst he and the royal family were staying at Windsor Castle, Stamfordham realised that Windsor was a suitable name for these reasons. First, Windsor Castle had been in the possession of the English and later British royal families for about 700 years at this point. Second, it was also a title of Edward III, who did the most British thing of all. He invaded France.

And third, Windsor was an entirely British place with no negative connotations. Lloyd George agreed and with a bit of encouragement, so did the King. He signed a proclamation declaring that the Royal Family had adopted the name Windsor and the Royal Family had renounced their German titles and awards. Which, for the British people, politicians and newspapers, was enough to convince them that the Royal Family was no longer German, but was instead a now fundamentally British institution. I hope you enjoyed this episode and a special thanks to my Patrons James Bizonette, Kelly Moneymaker, Sky Chappell, Corsha Wolff, Jerry Lambdin, Jordan Longley, Adam Stalter, Marcus Arsner, YN Hockey, Spencer Lightfoot, Rod D.

Martin, Words About Books Podcast, Captain Psydog, Gustav Swann, Marvin Casal, Camoon Yoon, Winston K. Wood, Boogily Woogily, Daniel Tobian, Miss Iset, Aaron the White, Corey Turner, The McWhopper, Alex Schwin, Anthony Beckett, Copper Tone, Maggie Plaskowski, Shuenin, Spinning 3 Plates, and Charles the First.

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Why did the British Royal Family change its name to Windsor? (Short Animated Documentary)