28 May 1660: Birth of George I of Great Britain
On 28 May 1660, the birth of George Louis
(in German: Georg Ludwig) took place in the city of Hanover
in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman
Empire.
Family
His parents were Ernest August, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
and Sophia of the Palatinate.
Sophia was the granddaughter of King James of I of England, through
her mother, Elizabeth of Bohemia.
In letters, Sophia describes George as a responsible child
who set an example to his younger brothers and sisters.
George's father took him hunting and riding and introduced him to
military matters, mindful of his uncertain future, Ernest August took
the then 15 year old George on campaign in the Franco-Dutch War for
testing and training his son in battle.
Love and marriage
In 1682, George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Celle. His
mother first opposed the marriage because she looked down on Sophia
Dorothea's mother, Eleonore (who came from lower nobility). She was
eventually won over by the advantages inherent in the marriage.
George and his brother Frederick Augustus served in the Great Turkish
War at the Battle of Vienna. Sophia Dorothea bore George a son, George
Augustus. In 1687, Sophia Dorothea had a second child, a daughter,
named after her but there were no other pregnancies and the couple
estranged. George preferred the company of his mistress
Melusine von der Schulenburg and Sophia Dorothea had her own romance
with a Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Köningsmarck.
In July 1694, the Swedish count was killed, possibly with George's
connivance and his body was thrown into the river Leine, weighted with
stones.
George's marriage to Sophia Dorothea was dissolved, on the ground that
she had abandoned her husband. With her father's agreement, George had
Sophia Dorothea imprisoned in Ahlden House in her native Celle. There
she stayed until she died, more than thirty years later. Meanwhile
Melusine von der Schulenburg acted as George's hostess openly from
1698 until his death.
Reign
On 23 January 1698, Ernest Augustus died, he left all his territories to
George with the exception of the Prince-Bioshopric of Osnabrück.
George thus became Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, also known as
Hanover, after its capital. His court in Hanover was graced by many
cultural icons such as the mathematician and philosopher Gottfried
Leibniz and the composers George Frideric Händel and Agostino Steffani.
His way to the power
Then, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, second-in-line to the
English and Scottish thrones died. By the terms of the English Act of
Settlement from 1701, George mother Sophia was designated as the heir
to the English throne if the reigning monarch, William III and his sister-in-
law, Anne, died without surviving issue. Sophia was the closest Protestant
relative of the British Royal Family.
In August 1701, George was invested with the Order of the Garter. Then
King James II died. William III died the following March and was
succeeded by Anne.
In 1707, the Parliaments of Scotland and England agreed on an Act of
Union between both countries. Scotland and England were united into
a single political entity: the Kingdom of Great Britain.
On 28 May 1714, George's mother, the Electress Sophia died at the age
of 83. George was now Queen Anne's heir presumptive.
On 1 August 1714, Anne died after a stroke. George was proclaimed
King of Great Britain and Ireland. Due to winds, he stayed at The Hague
waiting for his passage to his new country.
George was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 20 October 1714, but
there were riots in more than twenty towns in England.
After 1714, George lived in Great Britain, though he visited his home
in Hanover often. During his absences his power was vested in a
Regency Council rather than in his son, George August, Prince of Wales.
Rebellion
In the general election of 1715, the Whigs won an overwhelming victory.
Several members of the defeated Tory Party sympathised with the
Jacobites, who wanted to replace George with Anne's Catholic half-
brother James Francis Edward Stuart. In February 1716, facing a defeat,
James fled to France. However George distrusted the Tories and he
helped the Whigs.
An Order
George revived the Order of the Bath in 1725, he rewarded or he gained
political supporters by offering them the honour.
Death
George suffered a stroke on the road between Delden and Nordhorn
during a trip to his native Hanover. He died in the early hours on 11
June 1727.
George I was buried in the chapel of Leine Palace in Hanover but his
remains were moved to the chapel at Herrenhausen Gardens after
World War II.
George was succeeded by his son George Augustus, who took the throne
as George II.
Heritage
George was ridiculed by his British subjects. He was unpopular in Great
Britain due to his supposed inability to speak English. However
documents from that time show that he understood, spoke and wrote
English. He also spoke fluent German and French. He was good in
Latin and he even spoke some Italian and Dutch.
Of course his treatment of his wife became a scandal. However he left
the throne of Great Britain secured in the hands of the Hanoverians.
Source pictures: Wikipedia
(in German: Georg Ludwig) took place in the city of Hanover
in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman
Empire.
Family
His parents were Ernest August, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
and Sophia of the Palatinate.
Sophia was the granddaughter of King James of I of England, through
her mother, Elizabeth of Bohemia.
In letters, Sophia describes George as a responsible child
who set an example to his younger brothers and sisters.
George's father took him hunting and riding and introduced him to
military matters, mindful of his uncertain future, Ernest August took
the then 15 year old George on campaign in the Franco-Dutch War for
testing and training his son in battle.
Love and marriage
In 1682, George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Celle. His
mother first opposed the marriage because she looked down on Sophia
Dorothea's mother, Eleonore (who came from lower nobility). She was
eventually won over by the advantages inherent in the marriage.
George and his brother Frederick Augustus served in the Great Turkish
War at the Battle of Vienna. Sophia Dorothea bore George a son, George
Augustus. In 1687, Sophia Dorothea had a second child, a daughter,
named after her but there were no other pregnancies and the couple
estranged. George preferred the company of his mistress
Melusine von der Schulenburg and Sophia Dorothea had her own romance
with a Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Köningsmarck.
In July 1694, the Swedish count was killed, possibly with George's
connivance and his body was thrown into the river Leine, weighted with
stones.
George's marriage to Sophia Dorothea was dissolved, on the ground that
she had abandoned her husband. With her father's agreement, George had
Sophia Dorothea imprisoned in Ahlden House in her native Celle. There
she stayed until she died, more than thirty years later. Meanwhile
Melusine von der Schulenburg acted as George's hostess openly from
1698 until his death.
Reign
On 23 January 1698, Ernest Augustus died, he left all his territories to
George with the exception of the Prince-Bioshopric of Osnabrück.
George thus became Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, also known as
Hanover, after its capital. His court in Hanover was graced by many
cultural icons such as the mathematician and philosopher Gottfried
Leibniz and the composers George Frideric Händel and Agostino Steffani.
His way to the power
Then, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, second-in-line to the
English and Scottish thrones died. By the terms of the English Act of
Settlement from 1701, George mother Sophia was designated as the heir
to the English throne if the reigning monarch, William III and his sister-in-
law, Anne, died without surviving issue. Sophia was the closest Protestant
relative of the British Royal Family.
In August 1701, George was invested with the Order of the Garter. Then
King James II died. William III died the following March and was
succeeded by Anne.
In 1707, the Parliaments of Scotland and England agreed on an Act of
Union between both countries. Scotland and England were united into
a single political entity: the Kingdom of Great Britain.
On 28 May 1714, George's mother, the Electress Sophia died at the age
of 83. George was now Queen Anne's heir presumptive.
On 1 August 1714, Anne died after a stroke. George was proclaimed
King of Great Britain and Ireland. Due to winds, he stayed at The Hague
waiting for his passage to his new country.
George was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 20 October 1714, but
there were riots in more than twenty towns in England.
After 1714, George lived in Great Britain, though he visited his home
in Hanover often. During his absences his power was vested in a
Regency Council rather than in his son, George August, Prince of Wales.
Rebellion
In the general election of 1715, the Whigs won an overwhelming victory.
Several members of the defeated Tory Party sympathised with the
Jacobites, who wanted to replace George with Anne's Catholic half-
brother James Francis Edward Stuart. In February 1716, facing a defeat,
James fled to France. However George distrusted the Tories and he
helped the Whigs.
An Order
George revived the Order of the Bath in 1725, he rewarded or he gained
political supporters by offering them the honour.
Death
George suffered a stroke on the road between Delden and Nordhorn
during a trip to his native Hanover. He died in the early hours on 11
June 1727.
George I was buried in the chapel of Leine Palace in Hanover but his
remains were moved to the chapel at Herrenhausen Gardens after
World War II.
George was succeeded by his son George Augustus, who took the throne
as George II.
Heritage
George was ridiculed by his British subjects. He was unpopular in Great
Britain due to his supposed inability to speak English. However
documents from that time show that he understood, spoke and wrote
English. He also spoke fluent German and French. He was good in
Latin and he even spoke some Italian and Dutch.
Of course his treatment of his wife became a scandal. However he left
the throne of Great Britain secured in the hands of the Hanoverians.
Source pictures: Wikipedia
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