The English Parliament’s Act of Settlement (1701), seeking to ensure a Protestant succession to the throne in opposition to the exiled Roman Catholic claimant (James Edward, the Old Pretender), made George third in line for the throne after Princess Anne (queen from 1702–14) and his mother. Some disgruntled Tories sided with a Jacobite rebellion, which became known as "The Fifteen". Writers of the nineteenth century, such as Thackeray, Sir Walter Scott and Lord Mahon, were reliant on biased first-hand accounts published in the previous century such as Lord Hervey's memoirs, and looked back on the Jacobite cause with romantic, even sympathetic, eyes. [30], George mainly lived in Great Britain after 1714, though he visited his home in Hanover in 1716, 1719, 1720, 1723 and 1725;[31] in total George spent about one fifth of his reign as king in Germany. George was succeeded by his son, George Augustus, who took the throne as George II. Juni 1727 greg. [22] The emperor's death in 1711 threatened to destroy the balance of power in the opposite direction, so the war ended in 1713 with the ratification of the Treaty of Utrecht. [39] In 1717 the birth of a grandson led to a major quarrel between George and the Prince of Wales. With the French now fighting against him, Philip's armies fared poorly. [69], As requested by Walpole, George revived the Order of the Bath in 1725, which enabled Walpole to reward or gain political supporters by offering them the honour. But upon Louis XIV's death in 1715, Philip sought to overturn the treaty. [34], Within a year of George's accession the Whigs won an overwhelming victory in the general election of 1715. He suffered a stroke on the road between Delden and Nordhorn on 9 June 1727,[73] and was taken by carriage to the Prince-Bishop's palace at Osnabrück[e] where he died in the early hours before dawn on 11 June 1727. George was active in directing British foreign policy during his early reign. By the end of the year the rebellion had all but collapsed. Shortly after George's accession to his paternal duchy, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, who was second-in-line to the English and Scottish thrones, died. George's prospects were now better than ever as the sole heir to his father's electorate and his uncle's duchy. George married his cousin Sophia Dorothea of Celle in 1682, but in 1694, accusing her of infidelity, he divorced her and imprisoned her in the castle of Ahlden, where she died 32 years later. 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. In 1710, George announced that he would succeed in Britain by hereditary right, as the right had been removed from the Stuarts, and he retained it. Sophia was in her seventy-first year, thirty-five years older than Anne, but she was very fit and healthy and invested time and energy in securing the succession either for herself or for her son. But after the quarrel at the baptism, father and son were never again on cordial terms.[42]. [15], In August 1701 George was invested with the Order of the Garter and, within six weeks, the nearest Catholic claimant to the thrones, the former king James II, died. 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. [79], The British perceived George as too German, and in the opinion of historian Ragnhild Hatton, wrongly assumed that he had a succession of German mistresses. [49], Lord Sunderland's power began to wane in 1719. [54] Company prices rose rapidly; the shares had cost £128 on 1 January 1720,[55] but were valued at £500 when the conversion scheme opened in May. The Treaty of Utrecht (1713) had recognised the grandson of King Louis XIV of France, Philip, as king of Spain on the condition that he gave up his rights to succeed to the French throne. Sophia was the granddaughter of King James I of England through her mother, Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia. He was the first British monarch of the House of Hanover. [9], Sophia Dorothea had a second child, a daughter named after her, in 1687, but there were no other pregnancies. [67] Claims that George had received free stock as a bribe[68] 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. Born in Hanover to its Elector Ernest Augustus and Electress Sophia, George inherited the titles and lands of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg from his father and uncles. [52] The Company bribed Lord Sunderland, George's mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg, and Lord Stanhope's cousin, Secretary of the Treasury Charles Stanhope, to support their plan. [f] George I was buried in the chapel of Leine Palace in Hanover, but his remains were moved to the chapel at Herrenhausen Gardens after World War II. [28] Partly due to contrary winds, which kept him in The Hague awaiting passage,[29] he did not arrive in Britain until 18 September. [33] During all but the first of the king's absences power was vested in a Regency Council rather than in his son, George Augustus, Prince of Wales. George's brother, Frederick Augustus, was born in 1661, and the two boys (known as Görgen and Gustchen by the family) were brought up together. He was the eldest son of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and his wife, Sophia of the Palatinate. In 1718 the Holy Roman Empire was added to the body, which became known as the Quadruple Alliance. He introduced a Peerage Bill that attempted to limit the size of the House of Lords by restricting new creations. George remained Lutheran but was the head of the Church of England (Anglican Church) and the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian Church). George was happy to leave the affairs of Great … George was now Queen Anne's heir presumptive. [11] However, sources in Hanover itself, including Sophia, denied any knowledge of Königsmarck's whereabouts.[10]. [5], 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, should they have had any, instead of to George. Nevertheless, he often found it difficult to get his way in domestic politics, in which he had to deal with such strong-willed ministers as Robert Walpole (later earl of Orford), James Stanhope, and Viscount Charles Townshend. These rebel colonies would eventually band together to form the United States of America. 151–152; Dickinson, p. 58; and Hatton, p. 250, Dickinson, p. 58; Erleigh, pp. [32] His treatment of his wife, Sophia Dorothea, became something of a scandal. However, Walpole commanded a substantial majority in Parliament and George II had little choice but to retain him or risk ministerial instability. Shortly after this faction was reconciled to George in 1720, the South Sea Company suffered a financial collapse. The Holy Roman Empire, the United Dutch Provinces, England, Hanover and many other German states opposed Philip's right to succeed because they feared that the French House of Bourbon would become too powerful if it also controlled Spain. Although the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1719 were readily suppressed, he was far from popular in England. [51] 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. [59] With the rise in the market now halted,[60] uncontrolled selling began in August, which caused the stock to plummet to £150 by the end of September. Since he could not speak English, he communicated with his ministers in French. / 7. Although George spoke four languages fairly well (Latin, French, Italian, and English) in addition to German, the notion still persists that he only spoke German and hardly understood a word of English. England’s Whig politicians began to court his favour, but many Tories remained loyal to the Old Pretender. Though both England and Scotland recognised Anne as their queen, only the English Parliament had settled on Sophia, Electress of Hanover, as the heir presumptive. By joining with George’s son, the prince of Wales (later King George II), whom the king detested, these dissidents formed an effective opposition movement within the Whig Party. In 1709 George resigned as field marshal, never to go on active service again. 19–20, and Dickinson, pp. In addition to his son and successor, George II, he had a daughter, Sophia Dorothea (1687–1757), wife of King Frederick William I of Prussia and mother of Frederick the Great. 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. [53] The Company enticed bondholders to convert their high-interest, irredeemable bonds to low-interest, easily tradeable stocks by offering apparently preferential financial gains. Mai jul. [25], Whig politicians believed Parliament had the right to determine the succession, and to bestow it on the nearest Protestant relative of the Queen, while many Tories were more inclined to believe in the hereditary right of the Catholic Stuarts, who were nearer relations. [23] Eventually, in 1707, both Parliaments agreed on an Act of Union, which 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. [13] His court in Hanover was graced by many cultural icons such as the mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Leibniz and the composers George Frideric Händel and Agostino Steffani. Updates? The Prince was told to leave the royal residence, St. James's Palace. James's supporters, led by Lord Mar, an embittered Scottish nobleman who had previously served as a secretary of state, instigated rebellion in Scotland where support for Jacobitism was stronger than in England. When Georg Ludwig, elector of Hanover, became king of Great Britain on August 1, 1714, the country was in some respects bitterly divided. "[5] 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. [43] A base was established at Eilean Donan Castle on the west Scottish coast in April, only to be destroyed by British ships a month later. [3] Leine Palace had burnt out entirely after British aerial bombings and the king's remains, along with his parents', were moved to the 19th-century mausoleum of King Ernest Augustus in the Berggarten.[74]. 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 the Alien Act 1705, which threatened to restrict Anglo-Scottish trade and cripple the Scottish economy if the Estates did not agree to the Hanoverian succession. [c] George thus became Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (also known as Hanover, after its capital) as well as Archbannerbearer and a Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. 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. Naturally, George formed a predominantly Whig ministry. George I, in full George Louis, German Georg Ludwig, (born May 28, 1660, Osnabrück, Hanover [Germany]—died June 11, 1727, Osnabrück), elector of Hanover (1698–1727) and first Hanoverian king of Great Britain (1714–27). She was, however, endowed with an income, establishment, and servants, and allowed to ride in a carriage outside her castle under supervision. Premium Membership is now 50% off! Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Unlike his predecessor, Queen Anne, George rarely attended meetings of the cabinet; most of his communications were in private, and he only exercised substantial influence with respect to British foreign policy. Simultaneously, Hanover gained from the resolution of the Great Northern War, which had been caused by rivalry between Sweden and Russia for control of the Baltic. The Prince-Bishopric was not an hereditary title; instead it alternated between Protestant and Roman Catholic incumbents. Married 1707 Ernst August Philipp von dem Bussche-Ippenburg (divorced before 1714); Created Countess of Walsingham for life; married 1733, Leonora von Meyseburg-Züschen, widow of a. Baroness Sophie Caroline Eva Antoinette von Offeln (2 November 1669 – 23 January 1726), Ellis, Kenneth L. "The administrative connections between Britain and Hanover. [3] His coronation was accompanied by rioting in over twenty towns in England. Sophia became heiress presumptive to the new Queen of England. 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. Fundamentally, however, it was prosperous, cohesive, and already a leading European and imperial power. Certain government bonds could not be redeemed without the consent of the bondholder and had been issued when interest rates were high; consequently each bond represented a long-term drain on public finances, as bonds were hardly ever redeemed. Cynical and selfish, as he was, he was better than a king out of St. Germains [James, the Stuart Pretender] with the French king's orders in his pocket, and a swarm of Jesuits in his train.[81]. In February 1716, facing defeat, James and Lord Mar fled to France. Jacobites attempted, but failed, to depose George and replace him with James Francis Edward Stuart, Anne's Catholic half-brother. [19], In 1706 the Elector of Bavaria was deprived of his offices and titles for siding with Louis against the Empire. [32], As King his 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-lis 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 Brunswick), II Or a semy of hearts Gules a lion rampant Azure (for Lüneburg), III Gules a horse courant Argent (for Westphalia), overall an escutcheon Gules charged with the crown of Charlemagne Or (for the dignity of Archtreasurer of the Holy Roman Empire). George I (George Louis; German: Georg Ludwig; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727)[a] was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) in the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He spoke not a word of English, and his slow, pedantic nature did not sit well with the English. The Swedish territories of Bremen and Verden were ceded to Hanover in 1719, with Hanover paying Sweden monetary compensation for the loss of territory. In 1716–17 Townshend and Walpole left his government in protest over Stanhope’s alleged efforts to mold English foreign policy to the needs of George’s Hanoverian possessions. ", This page was last edited on 4 November 2020, at 13:53. The succession was so designed because Sophia was the closest Protestant relative of the British royal family. 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. [46], In Hanover, the king was an absolute monarch. [44] Jacobite attempts to recruit Scottish clansmen yielded a fighting force of only about a thousand men. She had collapsed in the gardens at Herrenhausen after rushing to shelter from a shower of rain. [17] In the same year, George's surviving uncle died and he inherited further German dominions: the Principality of Lüneburg-Grubenhagen, centred at Celle. 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. Juni jul. [14] The likelihood of any of them converting to Protestantism for the sake of the succession was remote; some had already refused. The Parliament of Scotland (the Estates) had not formally settled the succession question for the Scottish throne. The list of regents was opened, the members sworn in, and George was proclaimed King of Great Britain and Ireland. The economic crisis, known as the South Sea Bubble, made George and his ministers extremely unpopular. He is the most recent British monarch to be buried outside the United Kingdom. 61–62, Kilburn, Matthew (2004; online edition January 2008), Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover), Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal, Sophia von Kielmansegg, Countess of Darlington, (Petronilla) Melusina von der Schulenburg, Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, Albrecht Wolfgang, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe, Clara Elisabeth von Meyseburg-Züschen, Countess von Platen, Sophia Charlotte von Platen, later Countess of Darlington, Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg, George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, "Schulenburg, (Ehrengard) Melusine von der, suo jure duchess of Kendal and suo jure duchess of Munster (1667–1743)", "Petronilla Melusina Stanhope, suo jure countess of Walsingham, and countess of Chesterfield (1693–1778)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_I_of_Great_Britain&oldid=987035775, Burials at Berggarten Mausoleum, Herrenhausen (Hanover), Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CINII identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Arms of George I Louis as Elector-Designate of Hanover 1689–1708, Arms of George I Louis as Elector of Hanover 1708–1714, Coat of Arms of George I as King of Great Britain 1714–1727, Married 1706 Frederick William, Margrave of Brandenburg (later. 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. [50], Greater problems arose over financial speculation and the management of the national debt. In 1717 he contributed to the creation of the Triple Alliance, an anti-Spanish league composed of Great Britain, France and the Dutch Republic. George's surviving uncle, George William of Celle, had married his mistress in order to legitimise his only daughter, Sophia Dorothea, but looked unlikely to have any further children. "This declaration was meant to scotch any Whig interpretation that parliament had given him the kingdom [and] ... convince the Tories that he was no usurper. Despite this, the German princes thought he had acquitted himself well. George Louis of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the son of Ernest Augustus, elector of Hanover, and Sophia of the Palatinate, a granddaughter of King James I of England. [12] Melusine von der Schulenburg acted as George's hostess openly from 1698 until his death, and they had three daughters together, born in 1692, 1693 and 1701. / 22. 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 thalers, about one hundred times the annual salary of the highest-paid minister. George III's reign as King of England was marred by the loss of many of Great Britain's colonies in North America during the American Revolution. 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. Many individuals—including aristocrats—lost vast sums and some were completely ruined. In 1708 they formally confirmed George's position as a Prince-Elector in recognition of, or because of, his service. His management of the South Sea crisis, by rescheduling the debts and arranging some compensation, helped the return to financial stability. Threatened with the scandal of an elopement, the Hanoverian court, including George's brothers and mother, urged the lovers to desist, but to no avail. [7], The same year, George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, thereby securing additional incomes that would have been outside Salic laws. He was more than fifty 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. "[26], George's mother, the Electress Sophia, died on 28 May 1714[d] at the age of 83. As a reward, the prior Hanoverian annexation of the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg by George's uncle was recognised by the British and Dutch. [70] Walpole became extremely powerful and was largely able to appoint ministers of his own choosing. Georg I. Sophia Dorothea had inherited her mother's property in 1722 upon Eleanore's death and left it in her will to her children, but George destroyed the will and appropriated her property for himself. 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 Sweden's expense. [61] 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.[62]. [50] Walpole and Townshend were reappointed as ministers the following year and a new, supposedly unified, Whig government formed. [80] However, in mainland 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. Back home in England, the formerly separate countries of Great Britain and Ireland were finally joined together to form the United Kingdom. As a result, the Spanish and French thrones remained separate. [16] However, it was George who understood the complexities of English politics and constitutional law, which required further acts in 1705 to naturalise Sophia and her heirs as English subjects, and to detail arrangements for the transfer of power through a Regency Council. Under Salic law, where inheritance of territory was restricted to the male line, the succession of George and his brothers to the territories of their father and uncle now seemed secure. Ugly rumours concerning his treatment of his wife were widely disseminated, and the greed of his two German mistresses reflected badly on his court. The subsequent War of the Quadruple Alliance involved the same issue as the War of the Spanish Succession. Black Friday Sale! Walpole was actually afraid of being removed from office towards the end of George I's reign,[72] but such fears were put to an end when George died during his sixth trip to his native Hanover since his accession as king. At issue was the right of Philip, the grandson of King Louis XIV of France, to succeed to the Spanish throne under the terms of King Charles II of Spain's will. – geboren als Herzog Georg Ludwig von Braunschweig-Lüneburg – (* 28. [32] 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. Although he stopped attending Cabinet meetings, he met with key ministers in private—a step that led to the decline of the Cabinet, which had largely controlled the government during Queen Anne’s reign. By contrast in Great Britain, George had to govern through Parliament. Fifty-six Catholics with superior hereditary claims were bypassed. 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". By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. In 1710 he was granted the dignity of Arch-Treasurer of the Empire,[21] an office formerly held by the Elector Palatine; the absence of the Elector of Bavaria allowed a reshuffling of offices. He succeeded his father as elector of Hanover in 1698. All government expenditure above 50 thalers (between 12 and 13 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. His mother at first opposed the marriage because she looked down on Sophia Dorothea's mother, Eleonore (who came from lower nobility), and because she was concerned by Sophia Dorothea's legitimated status. [3], For the first year of his life, George was the only heir to the German territories of his father and three childless uncles. Philip was allowed to succeed to the Spanish throne but removed from the French line of succession, and the Elector of Bavaria was restored. Corrections? George died of a stroke on a trip to Hanover. [78] He certainly spoke fluent German and French, good Latin, and some Italian and Dutch. There were some 50 Roman Catholic relatives with stronger claims. 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. During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14) George fought with distinction against the French. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Several members of the defeated Tory Party sympathised with the Jacobites, who sought to replace George with Anne's Catholic half-brother, James Francis Edward Stuart (called "James III and VIII" by his supporters and "the Pretender" by his opponents). His shrewd diplomatic judgment enabled him to help forge an alliance with France in 1717–18. In her letters, Sophia describes George as a responsible, conscientious child who set an example to his younger brothers and sisters. Their mother was absent for almost a year (1664–65) during a long convalescent holiday in Italy, but corresponded regularly with her sons' governess and took a great interest in their upbringing, even more so upon her return. [37] Thus Whigs already in power could remain in such a position for a greater period of time. [77] Though he was unpopular in Great Britain due to his supposed inability to speak 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. Abroad, Britain’s involvement in the War of the Spanish…. George did not hold Marlborough's actions against him; he understood they were part of a plan to lure French forces away from the main attack.[20]. 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. He attempted diligently, however, to fulfill his obligations to his new kingdom. After the deaths in 1714 of his mother and his second cousin Anne, Queen of Great Britain, George ascended the British throne as Anne's closest living Protestant relative under the Act of Settlement 1701. Juni 1660 greg. In 1703, the Estates passed a bill declaring 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.
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