Prinz Albert - Ein Wettiner in Großbritannien /
Prince Albert - A Wettin in Britain

Armed with all good qualities of character and temperament found in any guide to aristocratic virtues, Prince Albert developed an important sphere of activity in science and art and kept himself strictly out of the political activities of the country: Such was the way in which the English court and the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha wished to have the Prince Consort viewed. Such a picture corresponds only partially with reality, however, for Prince Albert played an important part in the politics of the British crown – not least in his role as influential and highly active advisor to his wife, Queen Victoria. Now available, the 22nd volume of the series of the Prince Albert Studies aims to address the need for a new historical appreciation of Prince Albert. All the papers resulting from the 22nd Conference of the Prince Albert Society have been published in Prince Albert – A Wettin in Great Britain. A critical analysis of historiography together with 12 further articles demonstrate, among other things, that Albert’s importance for British and German history and for the history of Anglo-German relations has only been partially acknowledged to date. The scope of issues covered is broadly based, covering conditions in Saxe-Coburg during the early 19th century, for example, and Albert’s university education, the background to his conflict-filled relations to the prime minister, Lord Palmerston, the ill-defined constitutional position of the »Prince Consort«, and his role in the »Hampden Controversy«, an issue of some importance to ecclesiastical law. Prince Albert’s significance for the economic and artistic life of his time forms a focal point: the topics dealt with include his contribution to the artistic design of the new Houses of Parliament and his relations to Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.