George I of Great Britain

King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1714 to 1727

Photo by: John Chapman · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

Born:May 28, 1660

Died:June 11, 1727

Age at death:67

Manner of death:Natural Causes

Cause of death:Stroke

Zodiac Sign:Gemini

Born in:Hanover, Germany

Buried in:Germany

Languages:English, German

Politician

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Related People

Grandson: Frederick II of Prussia

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Photo credits (2)

George I of Great Britain:
Photo by: John Chapman · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons
Frederick II of Prussia:
Photo by: Anton Graff · Public Domain · Wikimedia Commons

Links

Wikipedia

Famous For

Books

1717–1718 Acts of GraceAndreasbergische Freiheit 1699

Awards

Knight of the Garter (1701)

George I of Great Britain

King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1714 to 1727

Biography

George I (George Louis; German: Georg Ludwig; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first British monarch of the House of Hanover. Born in Hanover to Ernest Augustus and Sophia of Hanover, George inherited the titles and lands of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg from his father and uncles. In 1682, he married his cousin Sophia Dorothea of Celle, with whom he had two children; he also had three daughters with his mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg. George and Sophia Dorothea divorced in 1694. A succession of European wars expanded George's German domains during his lifetime; he was ratified as prince-elector of Hanover in 1708. As the senior Protestant descendant of his great-grandfather James VI and I, George inherited the British throne following the deaths in 1714 of his mother, Sophia, and his second cousin Anne, Queen of Great Britain. During his reign the powers of the monarchy diminished, and Britain began a transition to the modern system of cabinet government led by a prime minister. Jacobites attempted, but failed, to depose George and replace him with James Francis Edward Stuart, Anne's Catholic half-brother. Towards the end of his reign, actual political power was held by Robert Walpole, now recognised as Britain's first de facto prime minister. George died in 1727 on a journey to his native Hanover, where he was buried. He is the most recent British monarch to be buried outside Britain. He was succeeded by his son, George II.

This biography uses content from the Wikipedia article “George I of Great Britain”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Photos

A portrait from the Welsh Portrait Collection at the National Library of Wales. Depicted person: George I of Great Britain – King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1714 to 1727

Great Britain, George I as King 1714-1727. Sn Medal with Cu plug 1714 on the accession to the British throne (44mm, 23g) by Georg Wilhelm Vestner, obverse: Portrait from the right with cape, circumscr.: GEORG• LVD[wig]• D[ei] G•[ratia] M•[agnæ] BRIT•[nniæ] FR•[anciæ] et HIB•[erniæ] R•[ex] DVX B•[runsvicensis] & L•[uneburgensis] S•[acri] R•[omani] I•[mperii] ELECT[or] * (George Louis by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire).

Exhibit in the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This artwork is in the public domain because the artist died more than 70 years ago. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction.

God the judge, putting down one, and setting up another. A sermon upon occasion of the death of our late sovereign lord King George, and the accession of His present Majesty, King George II to the British throne. By Thomas Foxcroft, A.M. Minister of the Old Church in Boston.