1. George I
Name: King George I
Full Name: George Louis
Born: May 28, 1660 at Osnabruck,
Hanover
Parents: Ernst August, Duke of
Brunswick and Elector of Hanover, and
Sophia Stuart
House of: Hanover
Married: his cousin Sophia Dorothea
of Celle
Children: One son, one daughter, three
illegitimate children
Died in: Schloss Osnabrück,Osnabrück,
in 1727 (aged 67)
Succeeded by: his son George II
2. Reign
(1 August 1714 - 11 June 1727)
• Proved unpopular in Britain
• Spoke only a few words of
English.
• Showed no appreciation of
English culture.
• Monarchy started to lose power
to the Parliament.
• Transition to the system
of cabinet government led by a
prime minister.
3. Sophia Dorothea of
Celle
George had several
mistresses, and his wife
Sophia eloped with
Swedish Count Philip
Konigsmark who in 1694
mysteriously
disappeared .
Sophia was imprisoned
in Castle Ahlden in Celle
where she remained
until she died 30 years
later.
4. Succession to the throne
The
Electress
Sophia and
Anne died
in quick
succession
and George
became
king in
August
1714.
5. House of Hanover
• Queen Anne´s death marked the end of the
House of Stuart
• George ascended the British throne as
the first monarch of the House of Hanover
6. With some Tories sympathetic to
the Jacobites, George turned to the
Whigs to form a government, and
they were to dominate politics for
the next generation.
Whigs
7. Parliament’s role
• In Hanover King George was
absolute ruler but in England he
had to work with Parliament. As the
King grew more and more
dependent upon his advisers, his
supporters turned against him.
