Golden Cavalry of St George facts for kids
The Golden Cavalry of St George was a special nickname for money that the British government paid to other countries, mostly in Europe. This happened a lot in the 1700s and 1800s, especially during the Napoleonic Wars.
The name "Golden Cavalry" came from the gold coins often used for these payments. These coins were called sovereigns. They had a picture of Saint George, the patron saint of England, riding a horse and fighting a dragon. So, it was like a "cavalry" (soldiers on horseback) made of "gold."
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What Was the Golden Cavalry?
The Golden Cavalry of St George was a way for Britain to help its allies during big wars. Britain often had a strong navy but a smaller army compared to other European powers. Instead of sending many soldiers, Britain used its wealth to give money to countries that could fight on land. This money helped these countries pay for their armies, weapons, and supplies.
Early Uses of British Gold
Britain used this strategy in earlier wars too. During the War of the Austrian Succession, Britain gave a lot of money to Austria. This helped Austria keep fighting. Later, in the Seven Years' War, Britain did the same for Prussia. Prussia was fighting against Austria at that time. In 1758, Britain and Prussia signed an agreement. This agreement promised Prussia about £670,000 every year. This was a huge amount of money back then!
Gold in Other Conflicts
The idea of using gold payments continued even later. For example, during the Arab Revolt, a famous British officer named T. E. Lawrence (also known as Lawrence of Arabia) reportedly paid gold sovereigns to Arab soldiers. This was to encourage them to work together. Because of this, he was nicknamed Abu Khayyal in Arabic, which means "father of the horsemen."
Much later, during World War II, the "Cavalry of St George" was used to describe something different. It meant paying Spanish officials in Francisco Franco's government. The goal was to stop Spain from joining Germany in the war. These payments were a way to influence decisions without fighting.
The Napoleonic Wars and British Payments
The Golden Cavalry of St George was most famous during the Napoleonic Wars. These wars were fought between France (led by Napoleon Bonaparte) and many other European countries. Britain was allied with many of these countries against France.
Why Britain Paid Other Countries
Britain was a very wealthy trading nation. It had a powerful navy that ruled the seas. However, Britain did not have a very large army that could fight on the European mainland. So, instead of sending many soldiers, Britain used its money. It paid millions of pounds to its allies. These allies could then put much larger armies into the field against the French.
For example, in 1793, Britain paid Austria £1,500,000. This money was to help Austria send troops to fight France in the Netherlands. Britain could only send a small number of its own soldiers to that fight. To give you an idea of how much money that was, £1,500,000 from 1793 would be worth about £273,000,000 today!
How the Payments Helped
To get all this money, the British government even started a new tax called the income tax. This tax was introduced by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger. The policy of paying other countries was very expensive for Britain. However, it worked in the end. A group of European nations, supported by British money, finally defeated France in 1814.
