Royal Mistresses #1: The Elephant and the Maypole, The Mistresses of George I of Great Britain

         George I of Great Britain was the first Hanoverian monarch. His roundabout coronation came from the enmity between Protestants and Catholics that had brewed in England since the Reformation. After James II was run out by his daughter and son in law, William and Mary, for his Papist sympathies, there was a resolve in England that no Catholic should ever sit the throne. When James II's other Prottie daughter, Anne, was unable to produce any heirs, the succession was settled on her distant cousin, Sophia of Hanover, who was the nearest relation who remained Protestant. Sophia was far older than Anne, but Anne was obese and riddled with health problems. Ultimately, Sophia died before Anne, while having a heart attack running from a sudden deluge. Sophia's oldest son, George of Hanover, thus succeeded to the English throne when Anne died.

George at age 20. 

           George had long ago banished his wife, his morganatic cousin Sophia of Celle, due to adultery. He declined to remarry, instead keeping a mistress he brought with him to England: Melusine von der Schulenburg. Melusine was extremely thin, although her portrait doesn't indicate that fact. She was given a variety of snide nicknames based on her unsightly slimness: Goose, Scarecrow and Maypole.

Melusine von der Schulenburg "The Maypole"

           However, George continued to support Melusine, awarding her life peerages, most notably making her the Duchess of Kendal. Some say that George and Melusine married in secret, on account of her creation as Princess of Eberstein by the Holy Roman Emperor. Typically, these titles were awarded to morganatic wives.

           George and Melusine did have three daughters, who were married into the nobility. George predeceased Melusine, and after his death she kept a raven that she believed was the king.

           During her lifetime, Melusine did have a rival. Sophia von Kielmansegg. While Melusine was known for her thin frame, Sophia was known for her portliness, thus earning the sobriquet "Elephant". There were whispers that Sophia was George's other mistress, but many historians dispute this. Rather, Sophia was likely George's illegitimate half sister, the daughter of his father. Nevertheless, Sophia was awarded for her services to the king and was created Countess of Darlington, using her influence over the king to further her own prestige.

Sophia von Kielmansegg, "The Elephant"