George I of Great Britain
George I was the first Hanoverian monarch of Great Britain and Ireland, ascending the throne in 1714 under the Act of Settlement as the nearest Protestant relative of Queen Anne — despite being 52nd in line by strict hereditary succession. He spoke virtually no English and never learned to do so, conducting government through ministers who could speak French or Latin, a linguistic barrier that paradoxically accelerated the development of cabinet government and the convention that ministers must command parliamentary majorities. His reign was immediately challenged by the Jacobite rising of 1715 in support of James II's son, the 'Old Pretender,' which was suppressed at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. The South Sea Bubble of 1720 — a catastrophic speculative collapse that destroyed the savings of thousands and brought down the ministry — was the greatest domestic crisis of his reign, resolved only by Robert Walpole's political management. He died in 1727 while travelling to Hanover, never having regarded Britain as more than one of his dominions.
- Lived: 1660 CE – 1727 CE
- Nationality: british
- Roles: king, elector, ruler
