Monarch of the Month is back again! This series has been a great motivator to learn more about British monarchs that I might otherwise not have, and that includes George I. I must admit, I’m hugely fascinated by Queen Anne so I have rather “checked out” after her reign. However, I have come to find that the first Hanoverian monarch is also interesting in his own right. (Albeit somewhat sad…) Let’s get into our Monarch of the Month: King George I!
Monarch of the Month: George I Fast Facts
Birth Date: 28 May 1660
Death Date: 11 June 1727
Reign: 1 August 1714 – 11 June 1727
Coronation Date: 20 October 1714
Predecessor: Anne
Successor: George II
House: Hanover
Father: Ernst Augustus of Brunswick
Mother: Sophia, Electress of Hanover
Spouse(s): Sophia Dorothea of Celle
Why Do We Know George I?
Most people know George I as the King who was imported from Germany. The Act of Succession dictated that no Catholics could hold the throne, and so they continued to move through the family tree until they finally landed on George, the son of Sophia, Electress of Hanover. Also, if you are vaguely familiar with British history of the period, you probably have heard of his very fat mistress and his very skinny mistress (or supposed mistresses, more on that later).
King George I’s Early Life
George Louis (known as Georg Ludwig in German) was born on 28 May 1660 in Hanover. His father was the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate. Sophia was the granddaughter of King James I through his daughter, Elizabeth Stuart (Queen of Bohemia). He was a thoughtful and conscientious child, and was educated in academics and the military. As a teenager, he went with his father on a campaign in the Franco-Dutch War, which would give him needed military experience for later in his life.
Sophia Dorothea of Celle
George married his first cousin, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, on 21 November 1682. Sophia was born to his uncle’s mistress who was later legitimised. She had a carefree and happy childhood, but no standing for much of her childhood- her father sought to secure her standing and future. Once enobled, she was of high enough standing to marry George.
Unfortunately, George and Sophia were a horrible pairing. He thought her beneath him, and they argued incessantly. Sophia pursued a relationship with a Swedish Count, Königsmarck, that she knew in childhood. The couple were not terribly secretive, and rumours flew around court quickly. On a July evening in 1694, Königsmarck disappeared mysteriously after meeting with Sophia, and was never seen again. George not only divorced Sophia, but imprisoned her in Lauenau Castle and was never allowed to see her children again.
George did keep a mistress who came with him to England, Ehrengard Melusine von der Schulenburg, known as “the maypole” for being tall and skinny. People assumed that the shorter and wider Sophia Charlotte von Kielmansegg (“the elephant”) was also his mistress, but this is unlikely as she was his half-sister.
King of England… and Scotland?
George’s mother, Sophia, had been chosen by the English Parliament as Queen Anne’s successor, but not by the Scottish Parliament. Scotland finally acquiesced with the 1710 Act of Union. She died on 28 May 1714, shortly before Queen Anne herself who died on 1 August of that year. George was proclaimed King of Great Britain upon her death, and did set out for England as soon as possible. However, weather and storms meant that he didn’t actually arrive in England until the second of half September.
George’s coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on 20 October 1714, a short month after he arrived. While a coronation is theoretically a happy event, there were several riots on the day of George’s coronation, as many people questioned a Hanoverian ruler in Britain. Many prominent Tories were absent from the coronation, and some even took part in the riots. For the entirety of George’s reign, he would side with the Whigs.
Jacobite Rebellions
At the beginning of George’s reign, he faced Jacobite rebellions. The Catholic Jacobites supported the Stuart line of ascension (Jacob, Latin for James), and there was a significant amount of Jacobite support in Scotland. They sought to put James Francis Edward Stuart, Anne’s Catholic half-brother, back on the throne. Jacobite support wasn’t limited to Scotland, though; many Tories throughout Britain were in favour of the Jacobites. (If you have watched Outlander, you would have seen James’ son, Charles Edward Stuart, aka Bonnie Prince Charlie.)
No Fatherly Love for the Hanoverians
George started the unfortunate tradition of disliking his heir. He had never particularly gotten along with his son as Elector of Hanover (I feel like locking up their mother never bodes well…), but the relationship entirely deteriorated after he became King of Great Britain. The future George II loved London; it was far larger and more cosmopolitan than Hanover, and he worked hard to gain popularity with the English. That didn’t curry any favour with his father, though.
George spent a lot of time in Hanover- throughout his reign, he spent nearly three years there total. However, while gone, he wouldn’t allow his son to act as Regent but only to take part in a Regent’s Council. The younger George had accidentally insulted one of the king’s favourite ministers (the minister thought the Prince of Wales had challenged him to a duel when he hadn’t), and it only further exacerbated the pair’s relationship. The Prince and his wife were banished from the palace, while their children stayed with the king. They were eventually allowed to see their children again, but the father-son relationship was permanently destroyed.
Death and Legacy
The first Hanoverian King of Great Britain died… en route to Hanover. He was buried in Hanover, and that really sealed his legacy. George was largely remembered for being German. People assumed that as a German, he was uncouth, he couldn’t speak English, and that he was a monster due to the treatment of his wife. He was, at the very least, better than a Catholic Stuart.
George I: Interesting Facts
– George spent more than 3 years of his reign in Hanover, and was the last reigning British monarch to die on foreign soil.
– After having his wife’s lover murdered, he may have had him buried underneath the floorboards… (For all of the true crime buffs)
– George was incredibly shy and would travel incognito to play cards with his friends.
– The English and Scottish never grew to like George, and so there was very little mourning after his death.
Further Readings on George I
Blanning, Tim. George I (Penguin Monarchs): The Lucky King. Penguin Books, Limited, 2018.
Hatton, Ragnhild Marie. George I. New HavenConn.: Yale University Press, 2001.
The Rex Factor PodBean site is down, but I will link their George I episode when it is up!
Looking for my earlier Monarch of the Month posts? Read about:
Mary I
Anne
Edward the Confessor
William IV
Edward IV
James I
George V
Mary, Queen of Scots
George IV
Henry VII
Mary II
James II
Edward VII
George III
Did you ever learn about August’s Monarch of the Month, King George I?
Cheers,
The Historian
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