Hanoverian succession

Established by the Act of Settlement (1701). In order to prevent James Edward Stuart, the Catholic son of James II, to become king, the line of succession was passed on to Sophia of Hanover and her heirs. After Queen Anne's death, George I succeeded her in 1714. The Personal Union of the English and Hanoverian monarchy lasted from 1714 until 1837 when Queen Victoria inherited the throne.

Establishing the Hanoverian succession

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The establishment of the Hanoverian rule is a consequence of the changes following the Glorious Revolution. William and Mary were made joint rulers with the Parliament's consent. However, they had to agree to the Bill of Rights which ruled that no Catholic can inherit the throne. After their deaths, Mary's sister Anne became queen. During her time in power, she and her Parliament passed the Act of Settlement which regulated the line of succession because just like her sister, Anne had no living children. Although the Bill of Rights prevented already the succession of Catholics, the Act of Settlement was to drown all claims of potential Catholic successors. Before the Hanoverians came into power, 54 offsprings of the Catholic Stuart branch could raise a claim to the throne. The first in line to ascend the throne would have been James Francis Edward Stuart, son of James II. As he was a Catholic, however, this scenario was unacceptable for the protestant elite in England. The Gunpowder Plot and the notorious reign of Queen Mary are only two examples that contributed to a very reserved position towards Catholicism at that time. It was decreed in the Act of Settlement that Electress Sophia of Hanover and her heirs were to inherit the throne provided they were not Catholic. Sophia was the granddaughter of James I, and had not converted to Catholicism.

In June 1714, Sophiha died and her son George Louis became Elector of Brunswick and the official heir to the English throne. Only two months later, Queen Anne died and George Louis succeeded her as George I. This marks the beginning of the Hanoverian line that would govern the British kingdoms for more than 100 years.

The end of the Hanoverian succession

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The Hanoverian line of succession was ended when Victoria came into power in 1837. The Hanoverian law of succession ruled that male offsprings of the family have the stronger claim to the throne. Therefore, the Hanoverian throne fell to her uncle King Ernest Augustus which ended the Personal Union of the two monarchies. On top of that, also the name of her house changed marking when she married her cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1840.

Sources

Simms, Brendan. The Hanoverian dimension in British history. Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Wende, Peter. Englische Könige und Königinnen der Neuzeit. München: C.H.Beck, 2008.