Special Sub-Topic: George I - the first Hanoverian King Click Here To Play: George I - the first Hanoverian King

In 1701 the Act of Settlement declared which person to be next in succession to the English crown after Princess (later Queen) Anne?

George I's mother, Princess Sophia. In fact it was George I who inherited the throne when Queen Anne died on the 1st August, 1714 for Sophia had died earlier that year. The Act of Settlement is the one that has determined the descent of the crown to the present queen. The descendants of James II were barred from the the throne by the same act.

From which of the Stuart monarchs of England was George I actually descended?

James I. James I's daughter, Elizabeth, married Frederick V, the Elector Palatine of the Rhine and King of Bohemia. Their child was Sophia who married Ernest Augustus, the Elector of Hanover, and their child was George, who became George I of England.

How did George I's brother, Frederick Augustus, meet his death?

He was killed in battle fighting the Turks.. In fact another brother of George I, called Charles Philip, was also killed in battle against the Turks. Both brothers met their fate in the same year of 1690.

One of George's other brothers, Christian, also came to an untimely end. How did this happen?

He was drowned in the Danube fighting the French.. Christian died in 1703. George I had two other brothers who ended their lives within one year of his own death. Maximilian William, a Field Marshal in the Imperial Army, died in 1726. George I died in 1727 and Ernest Augustus, the Duke of York, died in 1728.

At the siege of which city did the future George I fight with some distinction in 1683?

Vienna. Many of his citizens regarded George I as a dull, undistinguished young man. However, though he was regarded as being shy, suspicious and unimaginative, nobody ever questioned his bravery.

What was the name of the future George I's wife?

Sophia Dorothea. Sophia Dorothea was the daughter of George William, the Duke of Brunswick and Celle. She was generally regarded as being beautiful but rather empty-headed. Tragically her infidelity was the reason she did not become queen.

What part did the Swedish Colonel of Dragoons, Philip von Konigsmark, play in George's life?

He made George's wife his mistress.. On the 1st July, 1694, Konigsmark disappeared and was never seen again. It was rumoured throughout Europe that George had ordered his wife's lover to be hacked to pieces and that his mutilated body had been buried under the floorboards of George's country-house, the Herrenhausen.

Which of the following statements about George's wife is the true one?

She was imprisoned in a castle for 32 years until she died.. George divorced her, took her children away from her and then had her imprisoned in the Castle of Ahlden for the rest of her life. Sophia was twenty eight at the time and eked out her life for a further 32 years. This was all because of her affair with Konigsmark.

George I was known to dislike the literary and artistic world. However, he did love music. Which composer found particular favour with the monarch and presented many concerts at St. James's Palace?

Handel. For a time it was believed that George I knew no English. This is not quite true though his grammar and pronunciation were weak. On one occasion he declared, "I hate all boets and bainters." George Frederick Handel had been Kapellmeister at the Herrenhausen and followed his master to England.

Who or what were "The Maypole" and "The Elephant and Castle"?

The nicknames given to George I's mistresses.. The skinny Ehrengard Melusina von Schulenbeg, later the Duchess of Kendal, was christened "The Maypole". Charlotte Sophia Kelmans was extremely fat and gained the name "The Elephant and Castle". George's taste for such ugly women provoked a good deal of laughter.

What were the names of George I's two children?

George and Sophia Dorothea. George I's son became George II. He was quite often not on very good terms with his father. Sophia Dorothea, George I's daughter, married Frederick William I, the King of Prussia. William Augustus and Anne were the names of two of George I's grandchildren.

What serious event concerning George I happened at Braemar on the 6th September, 1715?

The Jacobite Rebellion began with the proclaiming of James III. Although Edinburgh remained loyal to George, most of the other towns in Scotland welcomed the rebels. Meanwhile in France, Henry St.John kept up a strong propaganda campaign against the Hanoverians. After the rebellion failed six Scottish noblemen were condemned to death.

Which financial crisis came to a head in September 1720 and threatened to topple the House of Hanover?

The South Sea Bubble. The South Sea Company was a finance company whose shares had reached astronomic levels. This was followed by the inevitable crash when shares became worthless and thousands were ruined. High-placed Germans at court were thought to be implicated in fraud and for a while investors were clamouring for blood.

Which of the following leading politicians restored confidence to the country after the financial crisis and became the first man to be regarded as prime minister?

Walpole. George I made Sir Robert Walpole Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Lord of the Treasury. Though he didn't like Walpole, George I found that he had become indispensable. From this point onwards Walpole ensured that the affairs of Hanover were treated as less important than those of England.

What was unusual about the place where George I died?

He died in exactly the same room as that in which he had been born.. George I was sixty-seven and a fortune-teller had once told him he would not survive his wife by a year. Sophia Dorothea died on the 3rd November, 1726. For seven months she was denied burial. On the 10th June, 1727 on his way to Hanover, George collapsed in his coach near Osnabruck and he was carried to Osnabruck Castle where he expired.