George I of Great Britain 46852 225755249 2008-07-15T06:55:48Z DrKiernan 2387872 /* Electoral reign */ {{Infobox British Royalty|majesty | name =George I | title =King of Great Britain and Ireland; Elector of Hanover; Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | image =George I of Great Britain.JPG | imgw =226 | caption =George I in the robes of the [[Order of the Garter]], c.1714. Studio of Sir [[Godfrey Kneller]]. | reign =[[1 August]] [[1714]] – [[11 June]] [[1727]]<ref name="dates">Throughout George's life, Great Britain used the [[Old Style and New Style dates|Old Style]] [[Julian calendar]]. Hanover adopted the [[Old Style and New Style dates|New Style]] [[Gregorian calendar]] on [[1 March]] [[1700]] (N.S.) / [[18 February]] [[1700]] (O.S.). Old Style is used for dates in this article unless otherwise indicated; however, years are assumed to start from [[1 January]] and not [[25 March]], which was the English New Year.</ref> | coronation =[[20 October]] [[1714]] | predecessor =[[Anne of Great Britain|Anne]] | successor =[[George II of Great Britain|George II]] | spouse =[[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]] (1682–1694) | spouse-type = Spouse | issue =[[George II of Great Britain|George II]]<br />[[Sophia Dorothea of Hanover|Sophia, Queen in Prussia]] | full name =George Louis<br />''German: Georg Ludwig'' | titles =''HM'' The King<br />''HSH'' The Elector of Hanover<br />''HSH'' The Electoral Prince of Hanover<br />''HH'' The Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg<br />''HH'' Duke Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg | royal house =[[House of Hanover]] | father =[[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover|Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] | mother =[[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia, Countess Palatine of Simmern]] | date of birth ={{birth date|1660|5|28|df=yes}} | place of birth =[[Osnabrück]], [[Electorate of Hanover|Hanover]] | date of death ={{Death date and age|1727|6|11|1660|5|28|df=yes}} | place of death =Osnabrück, Hanover | date of burial =[[4 August]] [[1727]] | place of burial =[[Herrenhausen Gardens|Herrenhausen]], [[Hanover]] |}} '''George I''' (George Louis; [[28 May]] [[1660]] – [[11 June]] [[1727]])<ref name="dates" /> was [[List of British Monarchs#House of Hanover|King of Great Britain]] and [[King of Ireland|Ireland]] from [[1 August]] [[1714]] until his death. He was also the first ''de facto'' [[Prince-elector|Prince-Elector]] of [[Electorate of Hanover|Hanover]] in the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. His father, [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover|Ernest Augustus]], had been raised to the electorship in 1692, but the title was not ratified until 1708. George was born in [[Germany]], and eventually inherited control of a large swath of [[Lower Saxony]]. A succession of European wars expanded his domains during his lifetime. At the age of 54, he ascended the British throne as the first monarch of the [[House of Hanover]]. Although 56 Catholics<ref>{{cite book|last=Schama|first=Simon|title=A History of Britain – The British Wars 1603–1776|publisher=[[BBC Worldwide Ltd]]|year=2001|id=ISBN 0-563-53747-7}}</ref> bore closer blood relationships to the childless [[Anne of Great Britain|Queen Anne]], the [[Act of Settlement 1701]], which prohibited [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholics]] from inheriting the throne, designated her cousin [[Sophia of Hanover]] as heiress to the throne. Sophia was Anne's closest living [[Protestantism|Protestant]] relative; however, she died a matter of weeks before Anne, leaving the succession to her son George. In reaction, the [[Jacobitism|Jacobites]] attempted to depose George and replace him with Anne's Catholic half-brother, [[James Francis Edward Stuart]], but their attempts failed. During George's reign the powers of the monarchy diminished and Britain began a transition to the modern system of [[Cabinet government]] led by a [[Prime Minister]]. Towards the end of his reign, actual power was held by [[Robert Walpole|Sir Robert Walpole]]. George died on a trip to his native Hanover, where he was buried. ==Early life== George was born on [[28 May]] [[1660]] in [[Osnabrück]], [[Holy Roman Empire|Germany]]. He was the oldest son of [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover|Ernest Augustus]], Duke of [[Brunswick-Lüneburg]], and his wife, [[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia of the Rhineland Palatinate]]. Sophia was the granddaughter of [[James I of England|King James I]] of [[England]] through her mother, [[Elizabeth of Bohemia]].<ref name="weir">{{cite book|last=Weir|first=Alison|authorlink=Alison Weir (historian)|title=Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy, Revised edition|publisher=Random House|year=1996|isbn=0712674489|pages=pp.272–276}}</ref> For the first year of his life, George was the only heir to his father's and three childless uncles' German territories. In 1661, George's brother, Frederick Augustus, was born, and the two boys (known as Görgen and Gustchen within the family) were brought up together. Their mother was absent for almost a year, 1664–5, during a long and convalescent holiday in [[Italy]], but she corresponded regularly with her sons' governess and took a great interest in her sons' upbringing, even more so on her return.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hatton|first=Ragnhild|authorlink=Ragnhild Hatton|title=George I: Elector and King|publisher=Thames and Hudson|location=London|year=1978|pages=pp.26–28|isbn=050025060X}}</ref> After Sophia's tour, she bore Ernest Augustus another four sons and a daughter. In her letters, Sophia describes George as a responsible, conscientious child who set an example to his younger brothers and sisters.<ref name="p29">Hatton, p.29</ref> By 1675, George's eldest uncle had died without issue, but his remaining two uncles had married, putting George's inheritance in jeopardy as his uncles' estates might pass to their own sons, if they had any, instead of to George. George's father had taken him hunting and riding, and introduced him to military matters; mindful of his uncertain future, Ernest Augustus took the fifteen-year-old George on campaign in the [[Franco-Dutch War]] with a deliberate purpose of testing and training his son in battle.<ref>Hatton, p.34</ref> In 1679, another uncle died unexpectedly without sons, and Ernest Augustus became reigning Duke of [[Calenberg]]-[[Principality of Göttingen|Göttingen]], with his capital at [[Hanover]]. George's surviving uncle, [[George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|George William of Celle]], had married his mistress in order to legitimize his only daughter, [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]], but looked unlikely to have any further children. Under [[Salic law]], where inheritance of territory was restricted to the male line, the succession of George and his brothers to his father's and uncle's territories now seemed secure. In 1682, the family agreed to adopt the principle of [[primogeniture]], meaning George would inherit all the territory, and not have to share it with his brothers.<ref>Hatton, p.30</ref> ==Marriage== The same year, George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea, thereby securing additional incomes that would have been outside Salic laws requiring male inheritance. The [[marriage of state]] was arranged primarily as it ensured a healthy annual income, and assisted the eventual unification of Hanover and Celle. His mother Sophia was at first against the marriage, looking down on Sophia Dorothea's mother (who was not of royal birth) and concerned by Sophia Dorothea's legitimated status, but was eventually won over by the advantages inherent in the marriage.<ref>Hatton, pp.36, 42</ref> In 1683, George and his brother, Frederick Augustus, served in the [[Great Turkish War]] at the [[Battle of Vienna]], and Sophia Dorothea bore George a son, [[George II of Great Britain|George Augustus]]. The following year, Frederick Augustus was informed of the adoption of primogeniture, meaning he would no longer receive part of his father's territory as he had expected. It led to a breach between father and son, and between the brothers, that lasted until Frederick Augustus's death in battle in 1690. With the imminent formation of a single Hanoverian state, and the Hanoverians' continuing contributions to the Empire's wars, Ernest Augustus was made an Elector of the Holy Roman Empire in 1692. George's prospects were now better than ever, as the sole heir to his father's electorate and his uncle's duchy.<ref>Hatton, pp.43–46</ref> Sophia Dorothea had a second child, a daughter named after her, in 1687 but there were no other pregnancies. The couple became estranged—George preferred the society of his mistress, [[Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal|Melusine von der Schulenburg]], by whom he had two daughters in 1692 and 1693;<ref>There would be one other daughter, born in 1701. Melusine von der Schulenburg acted as George's hostess openly from 1698 until his death.</ref> and Sophia Dorothea, meanwhile, had her own romance with the [[Sweden|Swedish]] Count [[Philip Christoph von Königsmarck]]. Threatened with the scandal of an elopement, the Hanoverian court, including George's brothers and Sophia, urged the lovers to desist, but to no avail. According to diplomatic sources from Hanover's enemies, in July 1694, the count was killed, possibly with the connivance of George, and his body thrown into the river [[Leine]] weighted with stones. The murder was claimed to have been committed by four of Ernest Augustus's courtiers, one of whom (Don Nicolò Montalbano) was paid the enormous sum of 150,000 [[thaler]]s, which was about one hundred times the annual salary of the highest-paid minister. Sources in Hanover itself, including Sophia, denied any knowledge of Königsmarck's whereabouts.<ref>Hatton, pp.51–61</ref> George's marriage to Sophia Dorothea was dissolved, not on the grounds that either of them had committed adultery, but on the grounds that Sophia Dorothea had abandoned her husband. With the concurrence of her father, George had Sophia Dorothea imprisoned in the [[Castle of Ahlden]] in her native [[Celle]]. She was denied access to her children and father, forbidden to remarry and only allowed to walk unaccompanied within the castle courtyard. She was however endowed with an income, establishment and servants, and was allowed to ride in a carriage outside her castle, albeit under supervision.<ref>Hatton, pp.60–64</ref> ==Electoral reign== Ernest Augustus died on [[23 January]] [[1698]], leaving all of his territories to George, with the exception of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück]], an office he had held since 1661.<ref>The Prince-Bishopric was not an hereditary title; instead, it alternated between [[Protestantism|Protestant]] and [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] incumbents.</ref> George thus became Duke of [[Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (also known as Hanover, after its capital) as well as [[Prince-elector#High offices|Archbannerbearer]] and a [[Prince-Elector]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rulers.org/gerstat1.html#Hanover|title=Hanover|author=Schemmel, B|publisher=rulers.org|accessdate=2007-08-21}}</ref> His court in Hanover was graced by many cultural icons, such as the mathematician [[Gottfried Leibniz]] and the composer [[Georg Friederich Händel]]. Shortly after George's accession to his paternal dukedom, the second-in-line to the English and Scottish thrones, [[Prince William, Duke of Gloucester]] died. The [[Parliament of England]] passed the [[Act of Settlement 1701]], whereunder George's mother, Sophia, was designated heir to the English throne if the then-reigning monarch ([[William III of England|William III]]) and his sister-in-law, [[Anne of Great Britain|Princess Anne of Denmark]] (later Queen Anne), died without surviving issue. The succession was so designed because Sophia was the closest Protestant relative of the [[British Royal Family]]; over fifty [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholics]] with superior hereditary claims were bypassed. The likelihood of any of them converting to Protestantism for the sake of the succession was remote, and some had already refused.<ref>Hatton, p.74</ref> In August 1701, George was invested with the [[Order of the Garter]], and, within six weeks, the nearest Catholic claimant to the throne of England, ex-King [[James II of England|James II]], died. William III died the following March, and Sophia became heir presumptive to the new Queen of England, Anne. Sophia was in her seventy-first year, older than Anne by thirty-five years, but she was very fit and healthy, and invested time and energy in securing the succession either for herself or her son.<ref>Hatton, pp.75–76</ref> However, it was George who understood the complexities of English politics and [[History of the British constitution|constitutional law]], which required further [[Sophia Naturalization Act 1705|acts in 1705]] to naturalize Sophia and her heirs as English citizens, and detail arrangements for the transfer of power through a Regency Council.<ref>Hatton, pp.77–78</ref> The same year, George's surviving uncle died and he inherited further German dominions: [[Grubenhagen|Lüneberg-Grubenhagen]], centred on [[Celle]].<ref>Hatton, p.90</ref> [[Image:Hanover1720.png|thumb|Sketch map of Hanover, c.1720, showing the relative locations of Hanover, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück. During George's lifetime Hanover acquired Lauenburg and Bremen-Verden.]] Shortly after George's accession in Hanover, the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] broke out. At issue was the right of [[Philip V of Spain|Philip]], the grandson of the French King [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], to succeed to the Spanish throne under the terms of King [[Charles II of Spain]]'s [[will (law)|will]]. The [[Holy Roman Empire]], the [[Dutch Republic|United Provinces]], [[England]], Hanover and many other German states opposed Philip's right to succeed because they feared that France would become too powerful if it also controlled Spain. As part of the war effort George invaded his neighbouring state, [[Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]], which was pro-French, writing out some of the battle orders himself. The invasion succeeded with few lives lost, and as a reward, the Hanoverian claim to [[Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg|Saxony-Lauenburg]], which George's uncle had invaded and annexed on the death of its ruler several years before, was recognised by the British and Dutch.<ref>Hatton, pp.86–89</ref> In 1706, the [[Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria|Elector of Bavaria]] was deprived of his offices and titles for siding with France against the Empire. The following year, George was made Imperial Field Marshal, in command of the Empire's army stationed along the Rhine. His tenure was not altogether successful, partly because he was deceived by his ally [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]] into a diversionary attack, and partly because the [[Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Joseph]] appropriated the funds necessary for George's campaign for his own use. Despite this, the German princes knew, or at least thought, that he had acquitted himself well. In 1708, they formally confirmed George's position as a [[Prince-Elector]] in recognition or because of his service. George did not hold Marlborough's actions against him, which he appreciated were part of a plan to lure French forces from the main attack.<ref>Hatton, pp.101–104, 122</ref> In 1709, George resigned as Field Marshal, never to go on active service again, and in 1710 was conferred the dignity of Archtreasurer of the Empire,<ref>Hatton, p.104</ref> formerly held by the [[Elector Palatine]]—the absence of the Elector of Bavaria allowed a re-shuffling of offices.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/hre.htm#Household|title=Holy Roman Empire|last=Velde|first=François R.|date=[[26 September]] [[2006]]|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> In 1711, the Emperor Joseph died, which threatened to destroy the balance of power in the opposite direction, and the war ended in 1713 with the ratification of the [[Treaty of Utrecht]]. Philip was allowed to succeed to the Spanish throne, but he was removed from the line of succession to the French throne, and the Elector of Bavaria was restored. ==Accession in Great Britain== Though both England and Scotland recognised Anne as their Queen, only the English Parliament had settled on Sophia, Electress of Hanover, as the heir. The [[Parliament of Scotland|Estates of Scotland (the Scottish Parliament)]] had not yet formally settled the question over who would succeed to the Scottish throne on Anne's death. In 1703, the Estates passed a bill that declared that their selection for Queen Anne's successor would not be the same individual as the successor to the English throne, unless England granted full freedom of trade to Scottish merchants in England and its colonies. At first, [[Royal Assent]] was withheld but the following year Anne capitulated to the wishes of the Estates, and assent was granted to the bill, which became the [[Act of Security 1704]]. In response, the English Parliament passed measures which threatened to restrict Anglo-Scottish trade and cripple the Scottish economy if the Estates did not agree to the Hanoverian succession.<ref>{{cite book|last=Whatley|first=Christopher A.|year=2001|title=Bought and Sold for English Gold?: Explaining the Union of 1707, Second edition|location=East Linton, Scotland|publisher=Tuckwell Press|isbn=186232140X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Riley|first=P. W. J.|year=1978|title=The Union of England and Scotland: A Study in Anglo-Scottish Politics of the Eighteenth Century|location=Totowa, New Jersey|publisher=Rowman and Littlefield|isbn=0847661555}}</ref> Eventually, in 1707, both Parliaments agreed an [[Acts of Union 1707|Act of Union]], creating the largest free trade area in eighteenth-century Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/history/treatyofunion/index.htm|title=The Treaty of Union|publisher=The Scottish Parliament|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> It united [[England]] and [[Scotland]] into a single political entity, the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], and established the rules of succession as laid down by the [[Act of Settlement 1701]].<ref>{{UK-SLD|2078400|the Union with Scotland Act 1706}}</ref> George's mother, the Electress Sophia, died on [[28 May]] [[1714]]<ref>[[8 June]] in the [[Old Style and New Style dates|New Style]] [[Gregorian calendar]] adopted by Hanover in 1700.</ref> at the age of 83. She had collapsed after rushing to shelter from a shower of rain in [[Herrenhausen gardens]]. George was now Queen Anne's direct heir. He swiftly revised the membership of the Regency Council that would take power after Anne's death, as it was known that Anne's health was failing and politicians in Britain were jostling for power.<ref>Hatton, p.108</ref> She suffered a stroke, which left her unable to speak, and died on [[1 August]]. The list of regents was opened, the members sworn in, and George was proclaimed King of Great Britain and Ireland.<ref>Hatton, p.109</ref> Partly due to contrary winds, which kept him in [[The Hague]] awaiting passage,<ref>Hatton, p.123</ref> he did not arrive in Britain until [[18 September]]. George was crowned at [[Westminster Abbey]] on [[20 October]].<ref name="weir" /> {| class="wikitable" |- | rowspan="2" align="left" valign="bottom" | '''[[James I of England|James I]]'''<br />[[Image:James I of England face.jpg|80px]]<br /><small>King of England,<br />Scotland and Ireland<br />[[James I of England#Ancestry|See Ancestors]]<br />[[Descendants of James I of England|See Descendants]]</small> | bgcolor=cccccc align="left" valign="top" | '''Daughter''' | bgcolor=cccccc align="left" valign="top" | '''Granddaughter''' | bgcolor=cccccc align="left" valign="top" | '''Great-grandson''' |- | align="left" valign="top" | '''[[Elizabeth of Bohemia]]'''<br />[[Image:Elizabeth of Bohemia face.jpg|80px]]<br /><small>Electress Palatine and<br />Queen of Bohemia<br />[[Descendants of Elizabeth of Bohemia|See Descendants]]</small> | align="left" valign="top" | '''[[Sophia of Hanover]]'''<br />[[Image:Sophia of Hanover.jpg|80px]]<br /><small>Electress of Hanover<br />[[Descendants of Sophia of Hanover|See Descendants]]</small> | align="left" valign="top" | '''[[George I of Great Britain|George I]]'''<br />[[Image:GeorgeIGreatBritain.jpg|80px]]<br /><small>King George I of Great Britain<br />[[Descendants of George I of Great Britain|See Descendants]]</small> |- |} George mainly lived in Great Britain after 1714, though he visited his home in Hanover in 1716, 1719, 1720, 1723 and 1725;<ref>Hatton, p.158</ref> in total George spent about one fifth of his reign as King in Germany.<ref name="dnb">{{citation|author=Gibbs, G. C.|title=George I (1660–1727)|journal=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=September 2004; online edn, Jan 2006|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10538|accessdate=2007-07-30|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/10538}}</ref> A clause in the Act of Settlement that forbade the British monarch from leaving the country without Parliament's permission was unanimously repealed in 1716.<ref name="plumb">{{cite book|last=Plumb|first=J. H.|authorlink=John H. Plumb|title=The First Four Georges|year=1956}}</ref> During all but the first of the King's absences, power was vested in a Regency Council rather than his son, George Augustus, Prince of Wales.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page106.asp|title=George I|publisher=The Official Web Site of the British Monarchy|accessdate=2007-07-30}}</ref> Within a year of George's accession, the [[British Whig Party|Whigs]] won an overwhelming victory in the [[British general election, 1715|general election of 1715]]. Several members of the defeated [[Tory]] Party sympathised with the [[Jacobitism|Jacobites]], and some disgruntled Tories sided with a Jacobite rebellion, which became known as "The Fifteen". The Jacobites sought to put Anne's Catholic half-brother, [[James Francis Edward Stuart|James]] (whom they called "James III", and who was known to his opponents as the "Pretender") on the Throne. The Pretender's supporters, led by [[John Erskine, 22nd Earl of Mar|Lord Mar]], an embittered Scottish nobleman who had previously supported the [[Revolution of 1688|"Glorious Revolution"]], instigated rebellion in Scotland, where support for Jacobitism was stronger than in England. The Fifteen, however, was a dismal failure; Lord Mar's battle plans were poor, and the Pretender arrived late with too little money and too few arms. By the end of the year, the rebellion had all but collapsed. Faced with impending defeat, Lord Mar and the Pretender fled to France in February 1716. After the rebellion was defeated, although there were some executions and forfeitures, George acted to moderate the Government's response, showed leniency, and spent the income from the forfeited estates on schools for Scotland and paying off part of the [[national debt]].<ref>Hatton, pp.174–179</ref> George's distrust of the Tories aided the passing of power to the Whigs.<ref>{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Basil|authorlink=Basil Williams (historian)|coauthors=Revised by C. H. Stuart|year=1962|title=The Whig Supremacy 1714–1760. Second edition|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=pp.151–152}}</ref> Whig dominance would grow to be so great under George that the Tories would not return to power for another half-century. After the election, the Whig-dominated Parliament passed the [[Septennial Act 1715]], which extended the maximum duration of Parliament to seven years (although it could be dissolved earlier by the Sovereign).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?LegType=All+Primary&PageNumber=104&NavFrom=2&parentActiveTextDocId=1516478&ActiveTextDocId=1516478&filesize=5567|title=Septennial Act 1715 (c.38)|publisher=The UK Statute Law Database, Ministry of Justice|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> Thus, Whigs already in power could remain in such a position for a greater period of time.<ref>{{citation|author=Lease, Owen C.|title=The Septennial Act of 1716|journal=[[The Journal of Modern History]]|year=1950|volume=22|pages=42–47}}</ref> ==Wars and rebellion== {{House of Hanover|george1}} After his accession in Great Britain, George's relationship with his son (which had always been poor) worsened. George Augustus, Prince of Wales, encouraged opposition to his father's policies, including measures designed to increase religious freedom in Britain and expand Hanover's German territories at the expense of Sweden.<ref>Hatton, pp.199–202</ref> In 1717, the birth of a grandson led to a major quarrel between George and the Prince of Wales. The King, supposedly following custom, appointed the [[Lord Chamberlain]], the [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne|Duke of Newcastle]], as one of the [[baptism]]al sponsors of the child. The King was angered when the Prince of Wales, disliking Newcastle, verbally insulted the Duke at the christening, which the Duke misunderstood as a challenge to a duel. The Prince was told to leave the royal residence, [[St. James's Palace]].<ref>Hatton, pp.207–208</ref> The Prince's new home, [[Leicester Square|Leicester House]], became a meeting place for the King's political opponents.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dickinson|first=Harry T.|coauthors=Introduced by [[A. L. Rowse]]|title=Walpole and the Whig Supremacy|year=1973|location=London|publisher=The English Universities Press|pages=p.52|isbn=0340115157}}</ref> George and his son were later reconciled, at the insistence of Walpole and the desire of [[Caroline of Ansbach|the Princess of Wales]], who had moved out with her husband but missed her children who had been left in the care of the King. Father and son would never again be on cordial terms.<ref>{{citation|author=Arkell, R. L.|title=George I's Letters to His Daughter|journal=[[The English Historical Review]]|year=1937|volume=52|pages=492–499}}</ref> George was active in directing British foreign policy during his early reign. In 1717, he contributed to the creation of the [[Triple Alliance (1717)|Triple Alliance]], an anti-Spanish league composed of Great Britain, France and the United Provinces. In 1718, the [[Holy Roman Empire]] was added to the body, which became known as the [[Quadruple Alliance]]. The subsequent [[War of the Quadruple Alliance]] involved the same issue as the War of the Spanish Succession. The Treaty of Utrecht (1713) had recognised the grandson of King Louis XIV of France, Philip, as the King of Spain on the condition that he gave up his rights to succeed to the French throne. Upon the death of Louis XIV in 1715, however, Philip sought to overturn the treaty. Spain supported a Jacobite-led invasion of Scotland in 1719, but stormy seas allowed only about three hundred Spanish troops to arrive in Scotland.<ref>Hatton, p.239</ref> A base was established at [[Eilean Donan]] Castle on the west Scottish coast, only for it to be destroyed by British ships a month later.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lenman|first=Bruce|year=1980|title=The Jacobite Risings in Britain 1689–1746|location=London|publisher=Eyre Methuen|pages=pp.192–193|isbn=0413396509}}</ref> Attempts by the Jacobites to recruit Scottish clansmen yielded a fighting force of only about a thousand men. The Jacobites were poorly equipped, and were easily defeated by British [[artillery]] at the [[Battle of Glen Shiel]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Szechi|first=Daniel|year=1994|title=The Jacobites: Britain and Europe 1688–1788|location=Manchester and New York|publisher=Manchester University Press|pages=pp.109–110|isbn=0719037743}}</ref> The clansmen dispersed into the [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]], and the Spaniards surrendered. The invasion never posed any serious threat to George's government. With even the French fighting against him in the War, Philip's armies fared poorly. As a result, the Spanish and French thrones remained separate. Simultaneously, Hanover gained from the resolution of the [[Great Northern War]], which had been caused by rivalry between [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] and [[Russian Empire|Russia]] for control of [[Baltic Sea|the Baltic]]. The Swedish territories of [[Bremen-Verden|Bremen and Verden]] were ceded to Hanover in 1719, with Hanover paying Sweden a money compensation for the loss of territory.<ref>Hatton, p.238</ref> ==Ministries== In Hanover, the King was [[absolute monarch]]. All government expenditure above 50 thalers (between 12 and 13 [[pound sterling|British pounds]]), and the appointment of all army officers, all ministers, and even government officials above the level of copyist, was in his personal control. In contrast, in Great Britain, George had to govern through Parliament.<ref>Williams, pp.13–14</ref> In 1715, when the Whigs came to power, George's chief ministers included Sir Robert Walpole, [[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend|Lord Townshend]] (Walpole's brother-in-law), [[James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope|Lord Stanhope]] and [[Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland|Lord Sunderland]]. In 1717, Lord Townshend was dismissed and Walpole resigned from the Cabinet over disagreements with their colleagues;<ref>Dickinson, p.49</ref> Lord Stanhope became supreme in foreign affairs, and Lord Sunderland the same in domestic matters.<ref>{{cite book|last=Carswell|first=John|year=1960|title=The South Sea Bubble|location=London|publisher=Cresset Press|pages=p.72}}</ref> [[Image:George I Quarter Guinea 641648.jpg|thumb|A 1718 quarter-[[Guinea (British coin)|guinea]] coin from the reign of George I, showing him in profile.]] Lord Sunderland's power began to wane in 1719. He introduced a Peerage Bill, which attempted to limit the size of the [[House of Lords]] by restricting new creations. The measure would have solidified Sunderland's control of the House by preventing the creation of opposition peers but it was defeated after Walpole led the opposition to the bill by delivering what was considered "the most brilliant speech of his career".<ref name="hatton">Hatton, pp.244–246</ref> Walpole and Townshend were reappointed as ministers the following year and a new, supposedly unified, Whig government formed.<ref name="hatton" /> Greater problems arose over financial speculation and the management of the national debt. Certain government bonds could not be redeemed without the consent of the proprietor and had been sold when interest rates were high; consequently, each bond represented a long-term drain on public finances, as bonds were hardly ever redeemed.<ref>Carswell, p.103</ref> In 1719, [[the South Sea Company]] proposed to take over £31 million (three fifths) of the British national debt by exchanging government securities for stock in the company.<ref>Carswell, p.104; Hatton, p.249 and Williams, p.176</ref> The Company bribed Lord Sunderland, Melusine von der Schulenburg and Lord Stanhope's cousin, [[Charles Stanhope]], who was Secretary of the Treasury, to support their plan.<ref>Carswell, p.115 and Hatton, p.251</ref> The Company enticed bondholders to convert their high-interest, irredeemable bonds to low-interest, easily-tradeable stocks by offering apparently preferential financial gains.<ref>Carswell, pp.151–152; Dickinson, p.58; and Hatton, p.250</ref> Company prices rose rapidly; the shares had cost £128 on [[1 January]] [[1720]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Erleigh|first=Viscount|authorlink=Gerald Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading|year=1933|title=The South Sea Bubble|location=Manchester|publisher=Peter Davies Ltd|pages=p.65}}</ref> but were valued at £500 when the conversion scheme opened in May;<ref>Erleigh, p.70</ref> on [[24 June]] the price reached a peak of £1050.<ref>Dickinson, p.58; Erleigh, pp.77, 104; and Hatton, p.251</ref> The company's success led to the speculative flotation of other companies, some of a bogus nature,<ref>Dickinson, p.59 and Erleigh, pp.72, 90–96</ref> and the Government, in an attempt to suppress these schemes and with the support of the Company, passed the [[Bubble Act]].<ref>Dickinson, p.59 and Erleigh, pp.99–100</ref> With the rise in the market now halted,<ref>Dickinson, p.59</ref> uncontrolled selling began in August, which caused the stock to plummet to £150 by the end of September. Many individuals—including aristocrats—lost vast sums and some were completely ruined.<ref>Erleigh, pp.112–117</ref> George, who had been in Hanover since June, returned to London in November—sooner than he wanted or was usual—at the request of the ministry.<ref>Erleigh, p.125 and Hatton, p.254</ref> The economic crisis, known as the South Sea Bubble, made George and his ministers extremely unpopular.<ref>Erleigh, pp.147–155 and Williams, p.177</ref> In 1721, Lord Stanhope, though personally innocent,<ref>Erleigh, p.129; Hatton, p.255 and Williams, p.176</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Black|first=Jeremy|authorlink=Jeremy Black (historian)|title=Walpole in Power|publisher=Sutton Publishing|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|year=2001|pages=p.20|isbn=075092523X}}</ref> collapsed and died after a stressful debate in the House of Lords, and Lord Sunderland resigned from public office. Lord Sunderland retained a degree of personal influence with George until his sudden death in 1722 allowed the rise of Sir Robert Walpole. Walpole became ''de facto'' [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], although the title was not formally applied to him (officially, he was [[First Lord of the Treasury]] and [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]]). His management of the South Sea crisis, by rescheduling the debts and arranging some compensation, helped the return to financial stability.<ref>Black, pp.19–20 and Dickinson, pp.61–62</ref> Through Walpole's skillful management of Parliament, George managed to avoid direct implication in the Company’s fraudulent actions.<ref>Dickinson, p.63</ref> Claims that George had received free stock as a bribe<ref>e.g. Black, pp.19–20</ref> are not supported by evidence, indeed receipts in the [[Royal Archives]] show that he paid for his subscriptions and that he lost money in the crash.<ref>Hatton, pp.251–253</ref> ==Later years== As requested by Walpole, George revived [[Order of the Bath|The Most Honourable Order of the Bath]] in 1725, which enabled Walpole to reward or gain political supporters by offering them the honour.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page4883.asp|title=Order of the Bath|publisher=The Official Web Site of the British Monarchy|accessdate=2007-08-20}}</ref> Walpole became extremely powerful, and was largely able to appoint ministers of his own choosing. Unlike his predecessor, Queen Anne, George rarely attended meetings of the Cabinet; most of his communications were in private. George only exercised substantial influence with respect to British foreign policy. He, with the aid of Lord Townshend, arranged for the ratification by Great Britain, France and [[Prussia]] of the [[Treaty of Hanover]], which was designed to counter-balance the Austro-Spanish [[Treaty of Vienna (1725)|Treaty of Vienna]] and protect British trade.<ref>Hatton, p.274</ref> George, although increasingly reliant on Walpole, could still have replaced his ministers at will. Walpole was actually afraid of being removed towards the end of George I's reign,<ref>"[http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/George_I_Of_Britain George I]" (1911). ''Encyclopædia Britannica,'' 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press</ref> but such fears were put to an end when George died during his sixth trip to his native Hanover since his accession as King. George suffered a stroke on the road between [[Delden]] and [[Nordhorn]] on the [[9 June]] [[1727]].<ref>Hatton, p.282</ref> He was taken by carriage to the prince-bishop's palace at Osnabrück<ref>His younger brother, [[Ernest Augustus, Duke of York and Albany]], was Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück from 1715 until 1728.</ref> where he died in the early hours of [[11 June]] [[1727]].<ref>[[22 June]] in the [[Old Style and New Style dates|New Style]] [[Gregorian calendar]] adopted by Hanover in 1700.</ref> He was buried in the Chapel of [[Leineschloss|Leine Castle]] but his remains were moved to the chapel at [[Herrenhausen Gardens|Herrenhausen]] after [[World War II]].<ref name="weir" /> George was succeeded by his son, George Augustus, who took the throne as [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]. It was widely assumed, even by Walpole for a time, that George II planned to remove Walpole from office but was prevented from doing so by his wife, Queen Caroline. However, Walpole commanded a substantial majority in Parliament and George II had little choice but to retain him or risk ministerial instability.<ref>Black, pp.29–31, 53, and 61</ref> In subsequent reigns, the power of the Sovereign further deteriorated, and the power of the Prime Minister increased. ==Legacy== George was ridiculed by his British subjects;<ref name="p291">Hatton, p.291</ref> some of his contemporaries, such as Lady [[Mary Wortley Montagu]], thought him unintelligent on the flimsy grounds that he was wooden in public.<ref>Hatton, p.172</ref> Though he was unpopular due to his supposed inability to speak [[English language|English]], such an inability may not have existed later in his reign, as documents from that time show that he understood, spoke and wrote English.<ref>Hatton, p.131</ref> He certainly spoke fluent [[German language|German]] and [[French language|French]], good [[Latin language|Latin]], and some [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch]].<ref name="dnb" /> His treatment of his wife, Sophia Dorothea, became something of a scandal.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ashley|first=Mike|year=1998|title=The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens|location=London|publisher=Robinson|pages=p.672|isbn=1841190969}}</ref> The British perceived him as too German, and, in the opinion of historian [[Ragnhild Hatton]], wrongly assumed that he had a succession of German mistresses.<ref>Hatton, pp.132–136</ref> However, in Europe he was seen as a progressive ruler supportive of [[the Enlightenment]], who permitted his critics to publish without risk of severe censorship, and provided sanctuary to [[Voltaire]], when the philosopher was exiled from [[Paris]] in 1726.<ref name="p291" /> European and British sources agree that George was reserved, temperate and financially prudent;<ref name="dnb" /> George disliked to be in the public light at social events, avoided the royal box at the opera and often travelled incognito to the house of a friend to play cards.<ref name="plumb" /> Despite some unpopularity, the Protestant George I was seen by most of his subjects as a better alternative to the Roman Catholic Pretender [[James Francis Edward Stuart|James]]. [[William Makepeace Thackeray]] indicates such ambivalent feelings when he writes, "His heart was in Hanover. He was more than fifty-four years of age when he came amongst us: we took him because we wanted him, because he served our turn; we laughed at his uncouth German ways, and sneered at him&nbsp;... I, for one, would have been on his side in those days. Cynical, and selfish, as he was, he was better than a King out of [[Saint-Germain-en-Laye|St Germains]] [James the Pretender] with a French King's orders in his pocket, and a swarm of [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] in his train."<ref>{{cite book|last=Thackeray|first=W. M.|authorlink=William Makepeace Thackeray|year=1860|title=The Four Georges: Sketches of Manners, Morals, Court and Town Life}}</ref> Writers of the nineteenth century, such as Thackeray, [[Walter Scott|Sir Walter Scott]] and [[Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope|Lord Mahon]] were reliant on biased first-hand accounts published in the previous century, such as [[John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey|Lord Hervey's]] memoirs, and looked back on the Jacobite cause with romantic, even sympathetic, eyes. They, in turn, influenced British authors of the first half of the twentieth century, such as [[G. K. Chesterton]], who introduced further anti-German and anti-Protestant bias into the interpretation of George's reign. However, in the wake of [[World War II]], continental European archives were opened to historians of the later twentieth century, and nationalistic anti-German feeling subsided. George's life and reign were re-explored by scholars, such as Beattie and Hatton, and his character, abilities and motives re-assessed in a more generous light.<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Hannah|title=Georgian Monarchy: Politics and Culture, 1714–1760|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|pages=pp.3–9|year=2006|isbn=0521828767}}</ref> As [[John H. Plumb]] noted, "Some historians have exaggerated the king's indifference to English affairs and made his ignorance of the English language seem more important than it was. He had little difficulty in communicating with his ministers in French, and his interest in all matters affecting both foreign policy and the court was profound."<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Plumb|first=J. H.|authorlink=John H. Plumb|title=George I|encyclopedia=Collier's Encyclopedia|year=1967|pages=p.703|volume=10}}</ref> Yet the character of George I remains elusive—he was in turn genial and affectionate in private letters to his daughter, and then dull and awkward in public. Perhaps his own mother summed him up when "explaining to those who regarded him as cold and overserious that he could be jolly, that he took things to heart, that he felt deeply and sincerely and was more sensitive than he cared to show."<ref name="p29" /> Whatever his true character, he ascended a precarious throne, and either by political wisdom and guile, or through accident and indifference, he left it secure in the hands of the Hanoverians and of Parliament.<ref name="dnb" /> ==Titles, styles, honours and arms== {{Infobox_UKkingstyles| royal name=King George I of Great Britain| dipstyle=[[Majesty|His Majesty]]| offstyle=Your Majesty| altstyle=Sire|}} ===Titles and styles=== *'''[[28 May]] [[1660]] – [[18 December]] [[1679]]''': ''His Highness'' Duke Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Lüneburg :*{{lang-de|Herzog Georg Ludwig von Braunschweig und Lüneburg}} *'''[[18 December]] [[1679]] – October 1692''': ''His Highness'' The Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg *'''October 1692 – [[23 January]] [[1698]]''': ''His Serene Highness'' The Electoral Prince of Hanover and Brunswick-Lüneburg *'''[[23 January]] [[1698]] – [[1 August]] [[1714]]''': ''His Most Serene Highness'' George Louis, Archbannerbearer of the Holy Roman Empire and Prince-Elector, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg :*{{lang-de|Seine Churfürstliche Durchlauchtigste Hoheit Georg Ludwig - Des Heiligen Römischen Reiches Erzbannermeister und Kurfürst, Herzog von Braunschweig und Lüneburg}} :*''until 1705, when the principalities of Calenberg and Lüneburg were united:'' Reining Prince of Calenberg at Hanover *'''[[1 August]] [[1714]] – [[11 June]] [[1727]]''': ''His Majesty'' The King The legally correct name of the Hanoverian state was "Electoral Principality of Brunswick and Lüneburg". "Electorate of Hanover" ({{lang-de|Kurhannover}}) was used more often, though legally incorrect. The same is true for the name of the House (family). In Great Britain, George I used the official style "George, by the Grace of God, [[List of British monarchs|King of Great Britain]], [[English claims to the French throne|France]] and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Fidei defensor|Defender of the Faith]], etc." In some cases (especially in treaties), the formula "Duke of [[Brunswick-Lüneburg]], Arch[[treasurer]] and [[Prince-Elector]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]" was added before the phrase "etc." ===Arms=== George I's [[heraldry|arms]] were: ''Quarterly, I Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or (for [[England]]) impaling Or a lion rampant within a tressure flory-counter-flory Gules (for [[Scotland]]); II Azure three fleurs-de-lys Or (for [[France]]); III Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (for [[Ireland]]); IV tierced per pale and per chevron (for [[Hanover]]), I Gules two lions passant guardant Or (for [[Braunschweig|Brunswick]]), II Or a semy of hearts Gules a lion rampant Azure (for [[Lüneburg]]), III Gules a horse courant Argent (for the medieval [[Duchy of Saxony]], which was divided into the three parts of [[Eastphalia]], [[Angria]] and [[Duchy of Westphalia|Westphalia]]),<ref>Falen (Phalia) is an old German word for a young horse, with the same root as "foal" and "filly".</ref> overall an escutcheon Gules charged with the crown of [[Charlemagne]] Or (for the dignity of Arch[[treasurer]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]])''.<ref>Williams, p.12</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Louda|first=Jiří|coauthors=Maclagan, Michael|title=Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe|publisher=Little, Brown|location=London|year=1999|isbn=0856054691|pages=p.29}}</ref> ==In popular culture== On screen, George has been portrayed by [[Peter Bull]] in ''[[Saraband for Dead Lovers]]'' (1948), [[Eric Pohlmann]] in ''[[Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue]]'' (1953), [[Otto Waldis]] in ''[[The Iron Glove]]'' (1954), and [[Steve Plytas]] in an episode of the [[Granada Television]] series ''Rogues' Gallery'' entitled "A Bed-Full of Miracles" (1969). ==Ancestors== {{ahnentafel top|width=100%}} {{ahnentafel-compact5 |style=font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%; |border=1 |boxstyle=padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; |boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; |boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; |boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; |boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; |boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; |1= 1. '''George I of Great Britain''' |2= 2. [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover]] |3= 3. [[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia, Princess Palatine of the Rhine]] |4= 4. [[George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] |5= 5. [[Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt]] |6= 6. [[Frederick V, Elector Palatine]] |7= 7. [[Elizabeth of Bohemia|Princess Elizabeth Stuart of Scotland]] |8= 8. [[William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] |9= 9. [[Dorothea of Denmark]] |10= 10. [[Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt]] |11= 11. Margravine Magdalene of Brandenburg |12= 12. [[Frederick IV, Elector Palatine]] |13= 13. [[Louise Juliana of Nassau|Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau]] |14= 14. [[James I of England]] |15= 15. [[Anne of Denmark]] |16= 16. [[Ernest I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] |17= 17. Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |18= 18. [[Christian III of Denmark]] |19= 19. [[Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg]] |20= 20. [[George I, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt]] |21= 21. Magdalene of Lippe |22= 22. [[John George, Elector of Brandenburg]] |23= 23. Princess Elizabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst |24= 24. [[Louis VI, Elector Palatine]] |25= 25. [[Elisabeth of Hesse]] |26= 26. [[William the Silent|Prince William I of Orange]] |27= 27. [[Charlotte of Bourbon]] |28= 28. [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley]] |29= 29. [[Mary I of Scotland]] |30= 30. [[Frederick II of Denmark]] |31= 31. [[Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1631)|Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]] }}</center> {{ahnentafel bottom}} ==Issue== {| border=1 style="border-collapse: collapse;" |- bgcolor=cccccc !width="20%"|Name!! width="15%"|Birth!! width="15%"|Death!! width="45%"|Notes<ref>Dates given in this table are New Style.</ref> |- |[[George II of Great Britain|George II]]||[[10 November]] [[1683]]||[[25 October]] [[1760]]||married, 1705, [[Caroline of Ansbach]]; had issue |- |[[Sophia Dorothea of Hanover|Sophia, Queen in Prussia]]||[[26 March]] [[1687]]||[[28 June]] [[1757]]||married, 1706, Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg (later [[Frederick William I of Prussia]]); had issue |} He also had three illegitimate children with his mistress [[Ehrengard Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal and Munster|Ehrengard Melusine von der Schulenburg]]: * Anna Luise Sophie von der Schulenburg, Countess of Dölitz (1692–1773), who married Ernst August Philipp von dem Bussche zu Ippenburg (1681–1761) * [[Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of Walsingham]] (1693–1778), who married [[Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield]] * Margaret Gertrude von der Schulenburg, Countess of Oeynhausen (1701–1726), who married [[Albrecht Wolfgang, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe]]. ==See also== *[[List of British monarchs]] *[[Succession to the British Throne]] ==Notes and sources== {{reflist|2}} ==References== *{{cite book|last=Black|first=Jeremy|authorlink=Jeremy Black (historian)|title=Walpole in Power|publisher=Sutton Publishing|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|year=2001|isbn=075092523X}} *{{cite book|last=Carswell|first=John|year=1960|title=The South Sea Bubble|location=London|publisher=Cresset Press}} *{{cite book|last=Dickinson|first=Harry T.|coauthors=Introduced by [[A. L. Rowse]]|title=Walpole and the Whig Supremacy|year=1973|location=London|publisher=The English Universities Press|isbn=0340115157}} *"[http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/George_I_Of_Britain George I]" (1911). ''Encyclopædia Britannica,'' 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press. *{{cite book|last=Erleigh|first=Viscount|authorlink=Gerald Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading|year=1933|title=The South Sea Bubble|location=Manchester|publisher=Peter Davies Ltd}} *{{citation|author=Gibbs, G. C.|title=George I (1660–1727)|journal=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=September 2004; online edn, Jan 2006|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10538|accessdate=2007-07-30|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/10538}} *{{cite book|last=Hatton|first=Ragnhild|authorlink=Ragnhild Hatton|title=George I: Elector and King|publisher=Thames and Hudson|location=London|year=1978|isbn=050025060X}} *{{cite book|last=Plumb|first=J. H.|authorlink=John H. Plumb|title=The First Four Georges|year=1956}} *{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Basil|authorlink=Basil Williams (historian)|coauthors=Revised by C. H. Stuart|year=1962|title=The Whig Supremacy 1714–1760. Second edition|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press}} ==Further reading== {{wikicommons}} *{{cite book|last=Beattie|first=John M.|title=The English Court in the Reign of George I|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|year=1967}} *{{cite web|url=http://www.thepeerage.com/p10099.htm#i100988|title=George I|last=Lundy|first=Darryl|publisher=thepeerage.com|accessdate=2007-08-21}} *{{cite book|last=Marlow|first=Joyce|title=The life and times of George I|coauthors=Introduction by [[Antonia Fraser]]|publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson|location=London|year=1973|isbn=0297765922}} *{{cite book|last=Michael|first=Wolfgang|coauthors=Translated/adapted by [[Lewis Namier]]|title=England under George I (2 volumes)|year=1936 and 1939}} *"George I." (1997). ''Harvester's Encyclopedia,'' 252nd ed. Philadelphia: Ben Franklin Press. {{s-start}} {{s-hou|[[House of Hanover]]|28 May|1660|11 June|1727|[[House of Welf]]}} {{s-reg}} {{s-bef|before=[[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Ernest Augustus]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Calenberg|Duke of Calenberg]]<br />[[Elector of Hanover|Elector-designate of Hanover]]|years=23 January 1698 – 7 September 1708}} {{s-non|rows=2|reason=Titles combined in new<br />[[Electorate of Hanover]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg|George William]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Lüneburg-Celle|Duke of Lüneburg-Celle]]|years=28 August 1705 – 7 September 1708}} {{s-new}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Elector of Hanover]]|years=7 September 1708 – 11 June 1727}} {{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[George II of Great Britain|George II]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Anne of Great Britain|Anne]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of British monarchs|King of Great Britain]]<br />[[King of Ireland]]|years=1 August 1714 – 11 June 1727}} {{s-roy|uk}} {{s-bef|before=[[Sophia of Hanover|Electress Sophia]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of heirs to the English and British thrones|Heir to the Thrones]]'''<br />''as [[heir presumptive]]''|years='''8 June 1714 – 1 August 1714}} {{s-aft|after=[[George II of Great Britain|George, Prince of Wales]]<br /><small>''later became King George II''</small>}} {{end}} {{British Monarchs}} {{Rulers of Hanover}} {{featured article}} <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> {{Persondata |NAME=George I of Great Britain |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=George Louis |SHORT DESCRIPTION=King of Great Britain, Elector of Hanover |DATE OF BIRTH=[[28 May]]; [[7 June]] [[1660]] ([[Old and New Style dates]]) |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Osnabrück]], [[Electorate of Hanover|Hanover]] |DATE OF DEATH=[[11 June]], [[22 June]] [[1727]] ([[Old and New Style dates]]) |PLACE OF DEATH=[[Osnabrück]], [[Electorate of Hanover|Hanover]] }} [[Category:Monarchs of Great Britain]] [[Category:Pretenders to the throne of the kingdom of France (Plantagenet)]] [[Category:House of Hanover]] [[Category:Protestant monarchs]] [[Category:Knights of the Garter]] [[Category:People from Hanover]] [[Category:British Monarchs buried abroad]] [[Category:1660 births]] [[Category:1727 deaths]] [[ar:جورج الأول من بريطانيا العظمى]] [[bs:George I od Velike Britanije]] [[ca:Jordi I del Regne Unit]] [[cy:Siôr I, brenin Prydain Fawr]] [[da:George 1. af Storbritannien]] [[de:Georg I. (Großbritannien)]] [[et:George I]] [[es:Jorge I de Gran Bretaña]] [[fr:George Ier de Grande-Bretagne]] [[ga:Seoirse I na Breataine Móire]] [[gd:Deòrsa I Bhreatainn is Èireann]] [[ko:그레이트브리튼의 조지 1세]] [[hr:Đuro I., kralj Velike Britanije i Irske]] [[it:Giorgio I di Gran Bretagna]] [[he:ג'ורג' הראשון, מלך בריטניה]] [[ka:ჯორჯ I]] [[la:Georgius I (rex Britanniae)]] [[lv:Džordžs I (Lielbritānija)]] [[hu:I. György brit király]] [[nl:George I van Groot-Brittannië]] [[ja:ジョージ1世 (イギリス王)]] [[no:Georg I av Storbritannia]] [[nn:Georg I av Storbritannia]] [[pl:Jerzy I Hanowerski]] [[pt:Jorge I da Grã-Bretanha]] [[ro:George I al Marii Britanii]] [[ru:Георг I (король Великобритании)]] [[simple:George I of Great Britain]] [[sr:Џорџ I]] [[fi:Yrjö I (Iso-Britannia)]] [[sv:Georg I av Storbritannien]] [[th:สมเด็จพระเจ้าจอร์จที่ 1 แห่งบริเตนใหญ่]] [[tr:I. George]] [[uk:Георг I]] [[zh:乔治一世 (英国)]]