George I (1714–1727) – The German King Who Gave Britain the Georgians

Who Was George I?

When Queen Anne died without a surviving child, Britain had a problem. Her closest Catholic relatives were deliberately excluded from the throne, so Parliament searched the royal family tree for the nearest suitable Protestant heir.

George I

They found George, Elector of Hanover, a 54-year-old German prince who was descended from James I through his mother, Sophia. In 1714, George arrived from Hanover and became George I of Great Britain, beginning the Georgian dynasty.

George wasn't exactly an obvious British king. He had been born and raised in Germany, continued to spend considerable time in Hanover and spoke limited English. Yet his arrival tells us something very important about how Britain had changed: Parliament was now powerful enough to help determine who could—and couldn't—inherit the crown.

Why Didn't James II's Son Become King?

There was actually a Stuart with a closer blood claim: James Francis Edward Stuart, the son of the deposed James II and half-brother of Queen Anne. The problem was that he was Catholic.

Parliament had already passed laws ensuring that the British throne would remain Protestant, so instead of giving the crown to the closer Catholic relative, it went further along the family tree to George and the Protestant Hanoverians. Not everyone was happy about this. Supporters of James and the Stuart family became known as Jacobites, from Jacobus, the Latin form of James. They hadn't given up on getting the Stuarts back.

The Jacobites Try to Bring Back the Stuarts

Soon after George became king, the Jacobites launched a rebellion in 1715 hoping to put James Francis Edward Stuart—known to his supporters as James III and to his enemies as the Old Pretender—on the throne. The rebellion failed, and James returned to exile. But the Jacobite story wasn't over. His son, Bonnie Prince Charlie, would make a much more famous attempt to recover the crown during the reign of George II.

So although the Hanoverians were now sitting on the throne, there were still people who believed the crown belonged to the Stuarts.

Did George I Really Speak No English?

You often hear that George I couldn't speak English at all, but that's an exaggeration. He appears to have understood and spoken some English, although he was certainly much more comfortable communicating in German or French.

This mattered because George relied heavily on ministers to manage British politics. He also spent significant periods back in Hanover and was less personally involved in Cabinet discussions than some earlier monarchs had been. As the king became less involved in the everyday running of government, his leading ministers became more powerful. And one man in particular benefited.

Britain's First Prime Minister?

Sir Robert Walpole became the dominant politician of George I's later reign and is generally regarded as Britain's first prime minister, although nobody officially gave him that job title at the time.

Sir Robert Walpole, Great Britain's First Prime Minister

Walpole was First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, but his real importance was his ability to manage Parliament, coordinate government and maintain the confidence of the king.

This is a major shift in our monarchy story. Think back to Charles I, who went to war partly because he refused to accept Parliament limiting his power. Less than a century later, Britain was developing a system where a leading politician increasingly ran the government while the king remained monarch.

The modern British system hadn't fully arrived—but you can see it beginning to take shape.

George and His Son Couldn't Stand Each Other

If there's one reassuringly consistent theme in the Hanoverian royal family, it's that fathers and sons frequently hated each other.

George had an extremely difficult relationship with his eldest son, the future George II. Their arguments became so bitter that George once banished his son and daughter-in-law from the royal court. That created an awkward situation because George II's children remained with their grandfather.

So the future king was effectively thrown out while the king kept the grandchildren. Royal family drama definitely didn't begin with the modern tabloids.

George's Unhappy Marriage

George's own marriage was considerably worse. He married his cousin Sophia Dorothea of Celle, but the marriage became deeply unhappy. Sophia Dorothea developed a close relationship with the Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck and planned to leave her husband. Then Königsmarck mysteriously disappeared.

Marrying your cousin may sound alarming today, but marrying cousings was surprisingly common amont Europe's royal families, who had a rather limited dating pool!

George divorced Sophia Dorothea and had her confined to Ahlden Castle, where she remained for more than 30 years until her death. George never allowed her to see their children again. Unsurprisingly, she did not accompany him to Britain to become queen.

The South Sea Bubble

George's reign also saw one of Britain's first great financial crashes: the South Sea Bubble of 1720.

Investors rushed to buy shares in the South Sea Company as prices soared wildly. People dreamed of making fortunes, speculation became feverish—and then the bubble burst. Thousands of investors lost money, including members of the aristocracy and royal household. Even Isaac Newton lost a substantial amount after investing in the company. The scandal badly damaged confidence in the government, but Robert Walpole helped restore stability, strengthening his own political position in the process.

More than 300 years later, the basic story of an investment everyone believes can only go up before suddenly collapsing feels remarkably familiar.

Three Things to See

Hampton Court Palace

George I used Hampton Court, although the Hanoverians would gradually move away from it as a main royal residence.

Hampton Court Palace

The palace is particularly useful because you can physically see the changing monarchy there: Henry VIII's Tudor palace sits alongside the Baroque additions created for William and Mary, while rooms were later decorated for the Georgian court. Walk through Hampton Court and you're effectively walking through several centuries of royal history in one building.

Kensington Palace

George I inherited Kensington Palace from the Stuarts and made further improvements there. It became an important centre of Georgian court life and was used extensively by George II and his family. The palace therefore gives you a wonderful transition from William and Mary into the Georgian dynasty—and eventually into the story of Queen Victoria, who was born there.

St James's Palace

St James's Palace became particularly important during the Georgian period as the centre of royal court life. George I lived here, and although monarchs later moved into Buckingham House and eventually Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace remains the official royal court today. That's why foreign ambassadors are still formally accredited to the Court of St James's.

Did You Know? – George I Locked His Wife in a Castle for 32 Years

George's marriage to Sophia Dorothea ended spectacularly badly. After her relationship with Count Königsmarck became a scandal—and Königsmarck mysteriously disappeared—George divorced her and had her confined at Ahlden Castle. She spent more than three decades there, unable to see her children, and died in 1726. The following year George himself died. So Britain's first Georgian king arrived without a queen—not because his wife was dead, but because he'd left her imprisoned in Germany.

Historical Highlights

1660 – George is born in Hanover.

1714 – Queen Anne dies and George becomes king of Great Britain.

1715 – Jacobite rebellion attempts to restore the Stuarts.

1720 – The South Sea Bubble crashes.

1721 – Robert Walpole emerges as Britain's leading minister and is regarded as the first prime minister.

1727 – George dies and his son becomes George II.

Imagine This...

It's 1714 and Britain's new king arrives from Germany. George is 54 years old, speaks limited English and has spent his entire life in Hanover, yet Parliament has chosen his branch of the royal family because he is Protestant while closer Catholic relatives have been excluded. Londoners now have a German king, Jacobites are plotting to restore the Stuarts and George himself still considers Hanover enormously important. But something bigger is quietly happening behind all the royal drama: ministers are becoming increasingly powerful and Parliament is taking a greater role in running the country. Britain still has a king, but the days when a monarch such as Henry VIII could personally dominate government are disappearing fast.

Guide's Insider Tip

When you're near St James's Palace, remember that the phrase “Court of St James's” is still used today even though the monarch lives at Buckingham Palace. Foreign ambassadors to the UK are officially accredited to the Court of St James's, a reminder of just how important this palace once was to monarchs such as George I.

If you're visiting Kensington Palace, it's also a great place to follow the royal story from one dynasty to another. William and Mary transformed it into a royal residence, the Hanoverians inherited it, and little more than a century after George I arrived from Germany, another Hanoverian princess would be born there: Queen Victoria.

What Happened Next?

When George I died in 1727, the throne passed to his son George II—the same son with whom he'd spent years arguing. George II would become the last British monarch personally to lead his troops into battle, while the Jacobites would make their most famous attempt to restore the Stuarts under Bonnie Prince Charlie. And the Georgian family arguments weren't going anywhere either.