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| Portrait by Godfrey Kneller (1714) |
Birth name: Georg Ludwig von Hannover
Born: 07 June 1660, Hanover, Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empire
Father: Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover
Mother: Princess Sophia of the Palatinate
House: Hanover
Nationality: German
Religion: Protestantism
Claim: Descendant of James I & VI and Chosen by Parliament
Reign: 01 August 1714 - 22 June 1727 (12 years)
Coronation: 20 October 1714
Predecessor: Anne
Successor: George II
Died: 22 June 1727 (aged 67), Schloss Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Holy Roman Empire
Cause: Stroke
Burial: Herrenhausen
Motto: God and my right
Spouse(s):
- Princess Sophia-Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle (m. 1682 - 1694)
Children:
- With Princess Sophia-Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle
- King George II of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover (1683 - 1760)
- Sophia, Queen of Prussia (1687 - 1757)
- With Lady Melusine von der Schulenburg
- Louise von der Schulenburg, Countess of Delitz (1692 - 1773)
- Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of Walsingham (1693 - 1778)
- Margarethe von Oeynhausen, Countess of Schaumburg-Lippe (1701 - 1726)
Appearance:
George was described as being of middle stature, and either average or handsome in appearance, depending on the source. He possessed large, blue eyes, often appearing to be quite expressionless. However, his wife described him as having a 'pig snout'. George tended to favour both elaborate clothing and wigs.
Character:
He was reported to have been very shy, guarded, and reclusive in nature. Contemporaries noted that he neither smoked, drank, nor took drugs, and often favoured activities such as hunting and attending the opera. George would often sneak out into London incognito to watch the opera while hidden away from the public. He was likely very introverted and preferred to be left alone.
However, George could also be quite strict, stubborn, and was notorious for holding grudges and possessing a fiery temper when provoked. He famously did not get along with both his wife and eldest son, even imprisoning his wife when she had an affair, despite him having committed the same misconduct. The arguments between himself and his son could be explosive, and his son in particular appeared to enjoy provoking him. George would even kick his own son out of the royal estates, and seize custody of his grandchildren. As previously mentioned, he was not loyal to his wife, and preferred the company of his mistress, fathering three illegitimate children with her.
His more strict personality was likely due to his upbringing, and receiving an intense military education from an early age. People tended to find him boring and rigid, which was not helped by his lack of interest in learning English, nor integrating into British culture.
Despite this, he was intelligent, particularly in military matters. He possessed a successful military career, and despite his stubbornness and unforgiving nature, he did also know when to compromise and be pragmatic in order to pacify any potential enemies. Though he did not learn much English, he could speak fluent French, Dutch, and Latin, as well as his native German.
Biography:
George was born in 1660 in Hanover, in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire. His father was Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover, and his mother was Princess Sophia of the Palatinate, the grand-daughter of King James I & VI of England, Scotland and Ireland. George was the eldest of his parents' legitimate children, and he would also have multiple half-siblings from his father's affairs with his mistress.
During his childhood, George was mostly brought up alongside his younger brother, Frederick, in Osnabrück in Lower Saxony. He quickly took up the role as the responsible older sibling, and took great care of his younger brothers and sisters, desiring to set the best possible example for them, something which was heavily praised by their mother. His father in particularly took a keen interest in George's education, personally tutoring him in hunting, horse riding, and military skills. Ernest would even bring George along into battles when he was just a teenager in order for him to gain experience.
When his elder uncles continued to produce no legitimate male children, George appeared more and more likely to inherit the Dukedom of Calenberg-Göttingen and the Electorate of Hanover. His parents were very keen on supporting his rise to power, and continued to thoroughly educate him for such a role.
In 1682, George was married to his first-cousin, Princess Sophia-Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle, the only daughter of his uncle who could not inherit her father's lands and titles due to German tradition of females being ineligible to rule in their own right. George was 22 at the time, while his new wife was 16. The marriage was purely political in order to unify Hanover and Celle.
Soon after his marriage, George went on to fight in the Great Turkish War. It was during this campaign that George found out that it was decided he would be the sole heir of his father's lands and titles, and that it would not be split between both him and his brothers as had been the previous tradition. As a result of his, George's once close relationship with his brother Frederick completely dissolved. They would remain at odds for the rest of their lives.
Meanwhile, George and Sophia-Dorothea did not particularly get along as a married couple, and only produced two children together. Their relationship quickly became a tense and unhappy one, with George much preferring the company of his mistresses. Sophia also conducted her own extra-marital affairs with a Swedish Count, who is believed to have been murdered on George's orders or with his involvement in 1694.
After this, George and Sophia-Dorothea officially divorced on the grounds of Sophia's affairs and the accusation that she had abandoned her husband. Sophia-Dorothea was then imprisoned by George, with her own father's blessing, and was denied access to their children. Though she was kept physically comfortable, Sophia-Dorothea would remain imprisoned for the rest of her life until she died in 1726. All the while, George continued to have his affair with his own mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, and the two of them would have three illegitimate daughters together.
In 1698, George's father passed away, and George officially became a Prince Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, acting as the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, with his own court based in Hanover. George's luck then further changed when Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, the only surviving son of Princess Anne of England, passed away in 1700, which meant that George was now third in line for the throne of Great Britain after Anne herself, and his mother. Sophia and George were the closest living Protestant relatives of the British monarchy, and were therefore selected by Parliament as the heirs to the British throne.
Upon the death of King William III & II of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1702, Anne and the British government once again officially recognised Sophia as the heir to the throne, thus both George and his mother looked set to inherit one of the most powerful kingdoms and empires in the world. During this time, George allowed himself to be naturalised as an English citizen in preparation for him to inherit the crown upon the death of Queen Anne.
Until then, George became embroiled in the War of Spanish Succession, which was fought between many different countries within Europe. George sided with England, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Dutch Republic against the French claimant to the Spanish throne. As part of this war, George invaded Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel which supported France, and he was handsomely rewarded for his efforts, in which Hanover's annexed land was officially recognised by his allies. George would then go on to become a commander in the Imperial army until he retired from active service in 1710.
In 1714, his mother passed away, closely followed by his distant cousin, Queen Anne of Great Britain, meaning that George officially became King George I of Great Britain and Ireland. However, George's arrival into Britain was briefly delayed by bad weather. Further disaster then occurred during his coronation when many people within Britain began rioting, protesting the Hanoverian succession. There were many in Britain that still favoured the pure heraldry rights of succession, therefore, in their eyes, James Stuart, son of the former deposed King James II & VII of England, Scotland and Ireland, was the rightful king. The majority of Catholics within Britain supported James' claim, and even a few Protestants also accepted that George possessed little right to the throne. Many other members of the royal family who possessed a much stronger claim to the throne were overlooked in favour of a Protestant succession.
Many politicians, particularly Tories, favoured the succession of James and sided with the Jacobite faction. George immediately faced rebellions from these sympathisers in Scotland, but they were swiftly defeated. However, George would show the rebels mercy, and even began more heavily investing in Scotland, particularly in education, in order to pacify the people there.
However, many of George's problems began occurring much closer to home. He had never fully got along with his eldest son, also named George, and their relationship was further worsened when Prince George began to fuel opposition to his father's policies. Upon the birth of his grandson, Prince George was horrified when his father insulted a noble at the baby's christening, almost resulting in a physical altercation. George banished his son and wife from the royal court as a result. Meanwhile, George kept custody of his grandchildren, resulting in his daughter-in-law begging both father and son to reconcile. This was further helped and supported by Robert Walpole, who would go on to become the first Prime Minister of Great Britain.
In 1719, George once again faced an invasion from the Jacobites, who were being supported by the Spanish. However, before their forces could reach Scotland, the majority of their fleet was prevented from landing due to stormy weather. Their bases were easily destroyed, and despite gaining support from clansmen of the Highlands, they were quickly defeated at the Battle of Glen Shiel. George's position on the throne once again remained secure.
During the majority of his reign, George would travel back and forth between Britain and Hanover, the latter of which he continued to reign as an absolute monarch. The ruling of Britain was primarily left in the hand of Parliament, particularly Robert Walpole, which would result in his appointment as the first Prime Minister. George knew very little English, and struggled to integrate into his new kingdom. When the economy collapsed in 1721, George primarily left Robert Walpole to deal with all of the financial matters. Ultimately, George demonstrated very little interest in governing Britain.
While on his way to visit Hanover in 1727, George suffered a stroke on the journey there. He would pass away just two days later. It's also reported that George's death may have been caused by an overindulgence of fruit.
Rule:
Unfortunately for George, he was not popular as a monarch, but nor did he care to be. He was quite reluctant to become the King of Great Britain, and always favoured his homeland within Germany. The fact that he never bothered to learn English, nor integrate into British culture only served to further decrease his popularity. It made the people of Britain suspicious of him, especially when he began to show a great deal of nepotism.
However, George was able to successfully delegate. Due to his lack of interest and understanding in helping to govern Britain, this was often left in the hands of members of Parliament, in particular, Robert Walpole, who would go on to be the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. This official office would become a crucial part of the British government, and still exists until this very day.
George's reign was also not without staunch contenders, since the Jacobite faction remained a problem, and still maintained a strong claim to the throne - even stronger than that of George's. There were politicians within George's own government that favoured James and Charles, the son and grandson of the previously deposed king, James II. However, Britain was now a deeply Protestant nation, whereas the Jacobites were Catholic, so despite George's unpopularity, it was likely his devotion to Protestantism that saved his reign, as the British public viewed him as the lesser of the two evils. Any serious attempts to seize the throne from him was often thwarted by pure luck, primarily bad weather, but also a successful defensive battle in Scotland.
George could be merciful, and knew how to keep potential enemies happy. He invested heavily in Scotland, and displayed a keen interest in education, as well as the renovations of historical palaces. Though he did not particularly enjoy his time in Britain, he also did not completely neglect it either. George revived the Order of the Bath, an honour which recognised services to the crown, thus bringing back a former English tradition.
However, his court was also known for its corruption and monopolies. George played a role in the South Sea Bubble, a monopoly that would collapse and result in an economic crisis. It seems that George was able to learn his lesson from this, as he did improve financial regulation afterwards, perhaps if only because he himself had lost a great deal of money in the company's investment.
Overall, George was mostly indifferent towards Britain, and seemed to only take the role of monarch because it was chosen for him. It's likely that he would have preferred to have been merely left as the Elector of Hanover.
Trivia:
- The people of Britain would often refer to him as 'King Log', or a 'turnip'.
Quotes:
"Gentlemen, I look to you to represent me in the parliament."
Statement to his ministers when first arriving in Britain.
Timeline of Reign:
| 1714: Coronation Riots - Rioting breaks out across Britain among those who opposed George's rule.
| 1715: Jacobite Rising - Former Prince James' attempts to seize the throne fail.
| 1715: Battle of Sheriffmuir - Stalemate between British army and Jacobite army.
| 1715: Battle of Preston - British victory against Jacobite uprisings.
| 1715: Septennial Act - Period between general elections increased from 3 years to 7 years.
| 1717: Triple Alliance created - Alliance formed between Britain, France and Dutch Republic.
| 1718: Blackbeard the Pirate is killed - Famous British pirate killed in battle with Royal Navy.
| 1718: Quadruple Alliance created - Austria joins alliance with Britain, France and Dutch Republic.
| 1718: War of the Quadruple Alliance begins - War breaks out against Spain.
| 1719: Jacobite invasion of Scotland - James fails to properly invade Scotland.
| 1719: Battle of Glen Shiel - Britain defeats Jacobite and Scottish clan army.
| 1719: Peerage Bill - Attempts to limit the size of the House of Lords ends in failure.
| 1720: Bubble Act - Formation of joint-stock companies forbidden without royal warrant.
| 1720: War of the Quadruple Alliance ends - Peace finally reached with some territory changes.
| 1720: South Sea Bubble - South Sea Company (slave traders) granted a monopoly.
| 1721: South Sea Bubble collapse - Economic crisis begins due to South Sea Company monopoly.
| 1721: First British Prime Minister - Robert Walpole becomes first Prime Minister of Britain.
| 1724: Drapier's Letters written - Movement begins in Ireland for economic independence.
| 1725: Order of the Bath - Reward for services to the crown revived by George.
| 1725: Treaty of Hanover - Defensive alliance formed between Britain, Hanover, France and Prussia.
Sources & Further Reading:
Brain, J. (2021). King George I. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/King-George-I/
Cartwright, M. (2023). George I of Great Britain. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/George_I_of_Great_Britain/
George I | King of Great Britain. (n.d.). In Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-I-king-of-Great-Britain
Kings and queens of the Georgian period. (2025). Historic Royal Palaces. https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/history-and-stories/kings-and-queens-of-the-georgian-period/
King George I by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (3).jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2009). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_George_I_by_Sir_Godfrey_Kneller,_Bt_(3).jpg
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