Why was Jacob Grimm ordered to leave the kingdom of Hanover?

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The Brothers Grimm — Brothers Grimm Jacob (right) and Wilhelm Grimm, oil portrait by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann, 1855; in the National-Galerie, Berlin.

Jacob Grimm was ordered to leave the kingdom of Hanover because he was one of the "Göttingen Seven," a group of professors who protested against the actions of King Ernest Augustus.1

Upon ascending to the throne, the king high-handedly repealed the constitution of 1833, which he deemed too liberal. In response, the seven professors sent a formal protest to the king, stating that they felt bound by oath to the previous constitution. By standing against this exercise of despotic authority, the brothers demonstrated a firm commitment to civil responsibility and liberal convictions, which led to their dismissal and Jacob’s immediate expulsion from the kingdom.1