King George I - Historic UK

On August 1, 1714, monarch Georg Ludwig became King George I of England. An excerpt from the article:

"In 1714, the ascendancy of King George I marked the beginning of the House of Hanover in the British monarchy.

His life began in Germany. Born in May 1660 George was the son of Ernest Augustus, the Duke of Brunswick- Lüneburg and his wife, Sophia of Palatinate, the granddaughter of King James I. It was through his mother’s line that he would end up inheriting the throne in 1714, bypassing almost 60 Stuart claims of succession rights.

In 1682, George married his cousin Sophia however the marriage was to end in tatters, culminating in a divorce which he claimed was on the basis of discovered infidelity. Sadly for his wife though, she would find herself imprisoned in her castle, living out the rest of her days in confinement until her death in 1726.

Meanwhile, upon the death of his father and his uncles, he received the titles and lands of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, which increased considerably due to a number of European wars that allowed him to expand his territory.

He soon became prince-elector of Hanover by 1708 and six years after that, upon the deaths of his mother and his second cousin Anne who was Queen of Great Britain, George succeeded the throne at the age of fifty-four.

The story of the Hanoverian succession began with the Act of Settlement in 1701 which was a momentous step in determining the future of the monarchy as well as parliament’s relationship with it. The act disregarded several hereditary claims to the throne and instead, Princess Sophia of Hanover, granddaughter of James I was made the legal heir."