George I of Great Britain Biography

(Former King of Great Britain and Ireland (1714 - 1727))

Birthday: May 28, 1660 (Gemini)

Born In: Hanover, Germany

George I of Great Britain was a British monarch who ruled Britain and Ireland in the early 18th century. He also ruled the German regions of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, part of the Roman Empire in Germany. George was born in Hanover, into the family of the duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After the death of his father, George inherited the titles and lands in Hanover. Owing to the frequent wars in Europe, George’s lands extended further in Germany and he rose to become a powerful monarch. He got the chance to acquire the throne of England when the queen of Great Britain, Anne, passed away. He thus ascended to the throne and became the first monarch of the ‘House of Hanover.’ However, during his reign, the country was going through a major shift toward modernism and the monarch system was about to be replaced by a cabinet parliament. Toward the end of his reign, Britain came under the rule of its first de-facto prime minister, Robert Walpole. George passed away on June 11, 1727, and became the last British monarch to be buried outside Britain. He rests in his grave in his native region of Hanover.
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Quick Facts

German Celebrities Born In May

Also Known As: George Louis of Great Britain

Died At Age: 67

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Sophia Dorothea of Celle (m. 1682–1694)

father: Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

mother: Sophia of the Palatinate

children: Countess of Walsingham, George II of Great Britain, Melusina von der Schulenburg, Sophia Dorothea of Hanover

Emperors & Kings German Men

Died on: June 11, 1727

place of death: Osnabrück, Germany

Cause of Death: Stroke

City: Hanover, Germany

  • 1

    How did George I of Great Britain become king?

    George I became king of Great Britain in 1714 following the death of Queen Anne, as he was the closest Protestant relative in line to the throne.
  • 2

    What was George I's role in the formation of the Whig Party?

    George I played a significant role in the formation of the Whig Party, as he relied on Whig ministers to govern the country and favored their policies during his reign.
  • 3

    How did George I handle the Jacobite uprisings during his reign?

    George I faced several Jacobite uprisings during his reign, but he effectively dealt with them by suppressing rebellions and strengthening royal authority.
  • 4

    What was George I's attitude towards the Hanoverian succession?

    George I was a strong supporter of the Hanoverian succession, as it ensured a Protestant monarch on the British throne and secured the stability of the monarchy.
  • 5

    How did George I's reign impact the relationship between Britain and Hanover?

    George I's reign had a significant impact on the relationship between Britain and Hanover, as he spent a considerable amount of time in Hanover and prioritized Hanoverian interests in his policies.
Childhood & Early Life
George I was born on May 28, 1660, in Hanover, located in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg of the great Roman Empire. He was born into the royal family of Ernest Augustus, the duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and his wife, Sophia of the Palatinate. George was the eldest son in the family and the great-grandson of King James I of England.
When he was born, George was the sole successor of all the lands and fortunes that his entire family owned. His uncles were all childless and he became the rightful heir to their fortunes, too. That was until 1661, when his mother gave birth to another son, Frederick Augustus.
However, little George was away from his mother’s love for the first year of his life. She was mostly away on long holidays in Italy, but she kept corresponding to make sure George was taken care of. Upon coming back, she took care of George and his baby brother.
She later gave birth to five more children. She noted in her writings that George was a very mature young boy and that he took good care of all of his little siblings.
In 1675, one of his uncles died without having any sons of his own. This made his father the sole ruler of the territory. However, George’s remaining two uncles had married and this put a danger to his aspirations of inheriting the fortunes of his uncles.
When George was a teenager, his father took him to battles to train him in warfare. In 1679, another of George’s uncles died without any legitimate successor of his own. Subsequently, the territory went to Ernest. By 1692, George inherited all the territories that belonged to his uncles and father, by the principle of primogeniture.
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Wife & Children
George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, in 1682. The marriage took place with the intention of strengthening the bond between Celle and Hanover, as marrying into Celle meant there would be a good inflow of income for Hanover.
The next year, George Augustus was born, followed by a daughter, Dorothea. However, the couple did not have a happy married life. While George had a German mistress, Sophia Dorothea had her own affair. This led to problems that continued for many years.
The marriage was officially dissolved in 1694, on the grounds that Sophia Dorothea had abandoned her husband. George put Sophia Dorothea in jail, where she stayed until the day she died, almost 30 years later.
Rise as a Monarch
In 1701, the ‘Act of Settlement’ stated that George’s mother was to be named the successor to the British throne, if reigning monarch William III and his wife, Anne, passed away without any successor. The act was passed after it was decided that Protestant succession was the best option available.
However, there was some trouble on the way to the throne. Anne and William III had 50 close Catholic relatives who had more claim to the throne than George and his mother. However, some tweaks in the parliamentary laws made George’s mother, Sophia, the successor to the British throne after the death of Anne.
Sophia passed away in 1714. Following that, George was named the successor to the throne. Anne died in August 1714, and by then, George had made sure that he would be the one to inherit the throne after her, after he made a few amendments in the parliament. He was proclaimed the king of England and Ireland, upon Queen Anne’s death.
His coronation took place in October 1714, and the historical event also saw some unrest in the country. Unhappy to see an outsider on the throne of Britain, some rioters went loose. There was mayhem in many parts of England.
Soon after he was declared as the king, the Catholics and a close relative of Queen Anne, James Stuart, gathered a force of Jacobites and started protesting against George. George did not take this lightly and curbed the rebellion in a very short time. Another similar rebellion occurred in 1719. This was again easily suppressed by George.
The rebellion also received support from the Spanish, and the defeat they had to face had Spain pulling out of the rebellion. This weakened the relations between the English and Spanish monarchs.
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George was opposed by British nationalists on several accounts. The first issue was that he was not British. He was a German citizen and had refused to learn the English language. He also continued to visit his native land of Hanover almost once every year.
Meanwhile, George’s eldest son, the prince of Wales, was gradually turning against his father. George used the support of the ‘Whigs’ to form a parliamentary government system. However, he was far from being a popular monarch.
He earned a bad reputation for his refusal to learn English, and there were rumors that he treated his wife badly. He had two mistresses in Germany, and this worsened his position among the masses.
He had also stopped attending the cabinet meetings, which led to the dissemination of the cabinet. He organized all the important meetings with just a few key members at a private place. In a desperate attempt to win over the English public, he strengthened his political ties with France. His frequent visits to Hanover led the public to believe that George had tweaked the foreign policies in favor of Hanover.
Robert Walpole, who belonged to the ‘Whig Party,’ was one of the strongest figures in domestic politics. George lacked the diplomatic finesse required to deal with him. Robert and a few other politicians formed alliances with George’s son, George II, to prepare a strong opposition.
Robert and another politician, Charles Townshend, started working toward establishing a strong political movement in the country. They became close to George I when they successfully rescued him from a corruption scandal. Robert made sure that the ‘House of Commons’ freed George of the charges. As a result, Robert was given a significant place in the ministry.
By 1724, Robert and Charles took over the governance and threw many of George’s friends out of the ministry. George thus became helpless and had to rely on Robert’s judgements.
Shortly after this, Robert was made the first de-facto British prime minister after a cabinet government was established in the United Kingdom.
Death
On June 9, 1727, George I suffered a lethal stroke on his way to Hanover. Two days later, he died at the prince-bishop’s palace at Osnabrück. He was buried in Hanover.
His son, George Augustus, took over the throne after him, as George II.
Facts About George I of Great Britain

George I of Great Britain was the first British monarch from the House of Hanover, who ascended to the throne in 1714.

He was known for his love of hunting and spent much of his time in the countryside pursuing this passion.
George I had a keen interest in music and was a patron of composers such as Handel, who composed music for the royal court.
Despite facing political challenges during his reign, George I was able to establish a stable government and strengthen the monarchy.
George I was also known for his frugal lifestyle and was often seen as a modest and practical ruler.

See the events in life of George I Of Great Britain in Chronological Order

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