George I

George I (1660-1727), king of Great Britain and Ireland (1714-1727) and elector of Hannover (1698-1727), first of the Hanoverian line of British rulers. This line is known as the House of Hanover, although the German region it is named after is spelled “Hannover.”

George was born in Osnabrück, Hannover (now part of Germany), the son of Ernest Augustus, elector of Hannover, and Sophia, granddaughter of King James I of England. George succeeded Queen Anne by the terms of the Act of Settlement. Thoroughly German in tastes and habits, he never learned the English language, and he made periodic lengthy visits to Hannover, which always remained his primary concern, despite his dutiful efforts to attend to his new kingdom’s needs. He remained, however, unpopular in Britain, due in part to his private life. He divorced his wife in 1694 and kept her imprisoned in Hannover. When he came to England, he brought with him two mistresses who both became unpopular because of their greed. Supporters of the house of Stuart, known as the Jacobites, plotted to replace him with James II’s son, James Edward Stuart (known as the Old Pretender), but they were defeated in battle.

George appointed only Whigs as his ministers and advisers, reasoning that the Tories were favorable to the Stuart cause. He took a keen interest in foreign affairs, and it was his judgment that made possible the formation in 1717 of the third Triple Alliance with the Netherlands and France. For domestic policies he relied on his ministers, James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope, Charles Townshend 2nd Viscount Townshend of Raynham, and Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford. Their sound administrative skills strengthened the position of the House of Hanover in Great Britain. He was succeeded by his son, George II.