| Admin History | Born in Hanover in 1660, George was the eldest son of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and his wife, Sophia of the Palatinate. It was through his mother's line -as granddaughter to James I and as a Protestant - that George would later come to inherit the throne of Great Britain as George I. In 1682, George married Sophia Dorothea of Celle who bore him two children: George Augustus and Sophia Dorothea. However, the marriage was not happy and both partners took other lovers. On the grounds of desertion, the marriage was dissolved and Sophia Dorothea was made a virtual prisoner at Ahlden with no access to her children; George I's mistress Melusine von der Schulenburg (later Duchess of Kendal) followed him to England on his accession in 1714. From this point on, George primarily lived in England - his grandson Frederick remained in Hanover to represent the dynasty. George I's reign saw a failed Jacobite rebellion; the strengthening of the power of Parliament; the South Sea Bubble; and a deterioration in relations with his son, the Prince of Wales, which could be seen as a portent of the Georgian period. George I died in June 1727 on a trip to Hanover and was succeeded by his son, George II. |