When England's last Stuart queen died childless in 1714, the Electors of Hanover inherited the English crown and ruled the island kingdom for 123 years. This personal union only ended in 1837 with the ascension of the young Queen Victoria. All the kings from the House of Hanover married German princesses, whose lives were completely turned upside down by the marriage: they had to move from their quiet provinces to the English capital, become familiar with the land and its people, learn a foreign language, understand the political system of the empire, and ideally give birth to as many children as possible. They faced these challenges in highly varied ways, depending on their temperament and abilities.