George I

George I (March 28 1600 - October 11 1727).He was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1714 to 1727. Son of Sophia of Hanover, Elector (=Kurfürst) of Hanover.

After the death of the last Stuart, Queen Anne in 1714, George I inherited the throne of England and Ireland under the Act of Settlement (1701) and became the first king of the House of Hanover. He was chosen to be king because he was brought up a Protestant. “The other alternative was the Catholic son of James II by Mary of Modena, James Edward Stuart” (britannia.com).

There was an attempt to bring the so-called Old Pretender to the throne in 1715, but, like the subsequent Jacobite risings, it was not successful.

He knew his decision to become King would at least upset half of Britain's population. During George's reign, political power shifted more and more to Parliament, because the king did not speak fluent English and was in Hanover most of the time. At that time the Whigs dominated Parliament. And Robert Walpole dominated Parliament, Privy Council and politics: “After the South Sea Bubble crises of 1720, Robert Walpole took over. The most able of George’s ministers and known as the first ‘Prime Minister’. Walpole’s was the longest running administration in British history (1721-42)”.

His marriage

He married his cousin, Princess Sophia Dorothy of Celle, in 1682. She was the daughter of Duke Georg Wilhelm of Celle. They had one son, George, Prince of Wales (future King Geoge II), and one daughter, Sophia Dorothea. Their marriage had nothing to do with love; it happened for reasons of State. She suffered in their marriage from his infidelity. At Court, King Georg's Mistresses counted for more than she. Her mother-in-law treated her as inferior and an intruder, even though she had played a huge role in arranging the marriage. Sophia of Celle was often accused of infidelity. But she got caught starting an intrigue against her mother-in-law. She got imprisoned, and the trial led to a divorce between them. King Geoge I was allowed to re-marry.

Jacobite rising

In 1715 he faced a serious Jacobite rising. James Stuart claimed the throne for himself. The Scottish clans fought for him. The rebellion was ill-coordinated, and the French were unwilling to help. He withdrew his claims after the Scottish clans lost the battle of Felkirk. The Tories seemed to sympathise with the Jacobites.

His relationship with his son

The Jacobites claimed that Kin George's children were not his since Sophia Dorothea was divorced. George did dislike his son George, Prince of Wales, due to political intrigue. The Tories used this bad relationship to gain political power and connect with the Prince of Wales. While travelling to Hannover, King Goerge I never left leadership of the government in the Princes' control but rather to his Ministers. "This disdain between father and son was a blight which became a tradition in the House of Hanover" (britannia.com).

Sources

"https://www.royal.uk/george-i." royal.uk, The Royal Household, https://www.royal.uk/george-i.

Britannia Staff Article. "George I (1714-27 AD)." Britannia.com, original URL: http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon53.html, archive URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20180825064546/http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon53.html.

Michael, Wolfgang. England under George I: The Beginnings of the Hanoverian Dynasty. London: Greenwood Press, 1936.