George I (George Louis; German: Georg Ludwig; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) is King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698.
George, born in Lower Saxony, in what is now Germany, eventually inherits the title and lands of the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
A succession of European wars expands his German domains during his lifetime, and in 1708 he is ratified as prince-elector of Hanover.
At the age of 54, after the death of Queen Anne of Great Britain, George ascends the British throne as the first monarch of the House of Hanover.
Although over fifty Catholics bear closer blood relationships to Anne, the Act of Settlement 1701 prohibits Catholics from inheriting the British throne.
George, however, is Anne's closest living Protestant relative.
In reaction, the Jacobites attempt to depose George and replace him with Anne's Catholic half-brother, James Francis Edward Stuart, but their attempts fail.
During George's reign the powers of the monarchy diminish and Britain begins a transition to the modern system of cabinet government led by a prime minister.
Towards the end of his reign, actual power is held by Sir Robert Walpole, Great Britain's first de facto prime minister.
George dies on a trip to his native Hanover, where he is buried.
