George I

George I by Godfrey Kneller, 1714.

George I of Great Britain, or Georg Ludwig of Hanover, was a living symbol of loss of power in the monarchy. Originally the Elector of Hanover before his accession to the very foreign British throne, he much preferred to be in his homeland and the British people, with whom he was not popular, preferred him there as well. Nevertheless, George I became the first Hanoverian monarch and the first Georgian monarch to rule over a country experiencing an influx of wealth, industry and agriculture unlike anything they had ever seen before.

George I, for all intents and purposes, should not have been king. His claim to throne was slim at best. After the glorious revolution and the Catholic James II being deposed, parliament passed the Act of Settlement which barred Roman Catholics from coming to the throne given that the monarch was head of the Protestant Church of England. This meant that after the death of Anne, the last of the Stuart Monarchs who had ruled England for 111 years and Scotland for 343 year, only her Protestant heirs could ascend the British throne. This meant that over fifty potential heirs were passed over, including her brother, James Stuart, and nephew, Charles Stuart or Bonnie Prince Charlie as he is commonly known. The next heir was Anne's second cousin, once removed: Sophia of Hanover. The granddaughter of James I, Sophia was the elderly widowed Electress of the German state of Hanover. Her eldest childwas the current Elector, Georg Ludwig.

Sophia of Hanover (George I's mother) 

Only months before the death of Queen Anne, Sophia died and Georg Ludwig was suddenly the heir to a country he had only seen once. From the beginning, Georg was not popular. His mother, Sophia, had been a great renaissance woman and patron of the arts. Her vivacious personality had made her a popular presence at the British court. People were disappointed to see that her stuffy, fat son who could hardly speak English was now the heir. When Queen Anne died, George I arrived in London with his son, grandchildren and two mistresses. As a result of a scandal that had rocked the German states, the Queen was absent.

George I's wife was Sophia Dorothea, the daughter of the Duke of Luneberg-Celle. She was his first cousin and the two married in 1682. They went on to have two children: George and Sophia. About ten years after their marriage, Sophia Dorothea admitted to a long standing affair with Count Philip Konigsmark, a Swedish soldier. George I was furious with his wife and divorced her immediately. Poor Sophia Dorothea was then imprisoned for the remaining 32 years of her life. Although George I had had mistresses during his marriage, he took two official "companions" after his divorce. They were Melusine von der Schulenburg and Sophia von Kielmansegge, George I's half-sister. Both women were large and they earned harsh nicknames as a result. Von Kielmansegge was known as "the elephant" and von der Schulenberg was known as "the maypole" because she was slightly thinner.

Sophia Dorothea of Celle (George I's ex-wife)

Prince George, Prince of Wales, later George II of Great Britain (George I's son)

Sophia Dorothea, Queen of Prussia (George I's daughter)

By the time George I was king of Great Britain, his daughter was married and had become Queen of Prussia. His son, the Prince of Wales, had also married and was coming to reside in Great Britain with his family. When the Hanoverian royal family arrived, people shouted "Hail mighty George!" and "Thee long we wish'd." The issue was, they were shouting it at the Prince of Wales whom they had mistaken for the King. The crowd went silent when they saw the somber old man who was their actual King. Upon the family's arrival at the palace, George I was so angry about the incident that he spanked his 31 year old son. Great divisions would soon arise between the King and his son, eventually resulting in rival courts. 

Although George I was a strong willed man, he had governed Hanover as an autocracy and now had parliament to contend with. He created a fascinating court full of exotic Turks, dancers from the far east and even a feral child he kept as a pet. Nevertheless, he spent as much time in Hanover as he possible could, resenting his British life. This created backlash and many high ranking politicians sided with George's son and enemy, the Prince of Wales. In the public, George was continually scrutinized for not speaking English and the popularity of his son's court was only strengthened by the backlash.

James Stuart

One of George I's worst enemies was James Stuart, his second cousin and the half brother of Queen Anne. He headed up the Jackobite cause in France and many Catholics and Protestants alike saw him as the rightful ruler. However, James Stuart was never victorious and George I remained the unhappy ruler of Great Britain. In 1727, he died largely unmourned of stroke. His mistresses, the elephant and the maypole, were by his side. He was buried in Hanover.

George I on his coronation