Guelphic Legion

The Guelphic Legion (Welfenlegion) was a Hanoverian paramilitary unit maintained by at the expense of George V, claimant to the throne of Hanover from 1866 to 1870. In the fall of 1866, a large number of Hanoverian soldiers left Hanover for Holland at the behest of King George V and his newly established court at Hietzing near Vienna. After raising a sizable force, the Legion migrated to Switzerland in 1867, where its numbers swelled to 700.

George V, who never abandoned his claim to the Hanoverian throne, maintained the Legion at his own expense while abroad in France. In February 1868, the Guelphic Legion moved from Switzerland to France, at the same time that George V and his wife celebrated their silver wedding anniversary. In 1869, the Prussian lower chamber passed a law sequestering the funds of the former King of Hanover in retaliation of his support of the Guelphic Legion.

The Guelphic Legion was formally dissolved on April 15, 1870. Each of the 1400 legionnaires received 400 francs upon discharge and additional traveling money as needed. Many returned to Hanover, some traveled to America, or other points in Europe.