Heil dir, Hannover

Heil dir, Hannover (English: Hail to thee, Hanover), was the national anthem of the Electorate, and later Kingdom of Hanover, adopted in the early 18th century. Like other many rulers in the 17th & 18th century, George I of Hanover and Great Britain instructed George Handel to create an anthem. Handel's melody remained Great Britain's anthem after the end of the personal union in 1837. Also many other German states made this melody their anthem. For example, it was used in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg and the Kingdoms of Bavaria and Prussia. After 1871, it became the anthem of the German Empire with the lyrics Heil dir im Siegerkranz. The last Holy Roman Emperor and German king, Francis II, was very impressed by Handel's theme an instructed his Court musician Haydn to create the Kaiserhymne, which became his imperial anthem and continued to be used in the new Austrian Empire after he dissolved the Holy Roman Empire.

The lyrics of the Hanoverian anthem contain three verses, with the first being sung in different variations.