George I Biography and Timeline

Marriage

Marries Sophia Dorothea, daughter of George William, Duke of Brunswick

Role range: 1714-1727

Siege of Vienna

Junior officer in the Allied army which comes to the relief of Vienna from the Turks

Role range: 1682-1697 – 1714-1727

Birth of George II

Birth of George II, Schloss Herrenhausen, son of George I & Sophia Dorothea

Role range: 1714-1727

Battle of Neerwinden

Distinguishes himself at the Battle of Neerwinden

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1714-1727

Marriage

George Is marriage to Sophea Dorothea is anulled

Role range: 1714-1727

Arrest of Sophia Dorothea of Zell

Sophia Dorothia is arrested by George in the castle of Ahlden until her death

Role range: 1714-1727

Divorce

George I is divorced from Sophia Dorothea of Zell

Role range: 1714-1727

Arrest of Sophia Dorothea of Zell

Sophia Dorothea is imprisoned for infidelity with von Konigsmark, a Swedish Colonel

Role range: 1714-1727

Succession

Succeeds as Elector of Hanover

Role range: 1714-1727

Marriage

Marries Caroline of Anspach

Role range: 1714-1727

Scottish Parliament Approves Treaty Articles

On 16 January, the Scottish Parliament approved the final treaty articles. The vote followed intense public disagreement about sovereignty, religion and trade.

Role range: 1714-1727

Scottish Parliament Ends Under Union

The union replaced Scotland’s separate Parliament with representation at Westminster. George Louis of Hanover, later George I, was not the reigning monarch when this change occurred.

Role range: 1714-1727

First Parliament Includes Scottish Members

The new Parliament of Great Britain included 45 Scottish members of the Commons and 16 representative peers in the Lords. Queen Anne, not the future George I, reigned in 1707.

Role range: 1714-1727

Two Legislatures Approve Incorporating Union

Separate acts of the Scottish and English Parliaments gave legal effect to the treaty. The legislation created one sovereign Parliament for Great Britain from May 1707.

Role range: 1714-1727

Protestant Succession Confirmed by Union

The settlement secured the Protestant succession through Sophia of Hanover and her heirs. George Louis, later George I, was a beneficiary of this succession arrangement.

Role range: 1714-1727

Hanoverian Succession Dispute Resolved

Scotland’s Act of Security had allowed a different Protestant successor under certain conditions. Union brought both kingdoms under the same succession settlement before George Louis became king in 1714.

Role range: 1714-1727

Scottish Commons Representation Allocated

Article 22 allocated 45 seats in the new House of Commons to Scotland. The arrangement formed part of the political settlement that united the two parliaments.

Role range: 1714-1727

Scottish Peers Gain Representative Seats

Under the union, Scotland elected 16 representative peers to sit in the House of Lords. The arrangement differed from the individual hereditary attendance rights of English peers.

Role range: 1714-1727

Separate Scottish Legislature Dissolved

Scotland’s independent Parliament ceased under the union, although Scottish MPs entered the new British legislature. This transition occurred during Queen Anne’s reign.

Role range: 1714-1727

Scottish Courts Continue Operating

The treaty protected the Court of Session and Court of Justiciary. The shared Parliament therefore operated alongside a distinct Scottish legal system.

Role range: 1714-1727

New Kingdom Named Great Britain

From 1 May, England and Scotland formed the Kingdom of Great Britain. The union did not yet create the later United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Role range: 1714-1727

Parliamentary Sovereignty Restructured

The treaty replaced two parliaments with a single legislature at Westminster. Political debates continued over the extent to which Scottish institutions and laws would remain secure.

Role range: 1714-1727

Succession Settlement Excludes Catholic Claimants

The union applied the Protestant succession established by the English Act of Settlement across Great Britain. This addressed competing succession arrangements that had strained Anglo-Scottish relations.

Role range: 1714-1727

Hanoverian Elector Commands Rhine Forces

George Louis of Hanover, later George I, commanded imperial troops on the Upper Rhine in 1707. He faced the difficult task of coordinating forces supplied by different German states.

Imperial Army Faces Supply Difficulties

The Upper Rhine campaign suffered from logistical constraints and uneven support among imperial contingents. George Louis of Hanover commanded the army but did not yet hold the British crown.

Hanoverian Prince Remains Allied Commander

George Louis was still Elector of Hanover during the War of the Spanish Succession. The dynasty’s future British succession was a political issue, but he did not command Britain as king in 1707.

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1714-1727

Upper Rhine Army Assembles

In the imperial campaign of 1707, contingents from several territories assembled under George Louis of Hanover. His command required cooperation among officers with different obligations and resources.

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1714-1727

Rhine Campaign Ends Without Decisive Result

The Upper Rhine campaign led by George Louis achieved no decisive victory. The army’s limited effectiveness exposed practical difficulties in directing a multinational imperial force.

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1714-1727

Protestant Succession Applied Across Britain

Article 2 established the Protestant succession through Sophia of Hanover and her heirs for the new kingdom. The settlement excluded Roman Catholics from inheriting the crown.

Role range: 1714-1727

College of Electors

Appointed Member of College of Electors of the Empire

Role range: 1714-1727

College of Electors

Appointed Member of College of Electors

Role range: 1714-1727

Treasurer

Appointed Arch Treasurer of the Empire

Role range: 1714-1727

Hanoverian Succession

The Treaty of Utrecht recognises the Hanoverian succession in Great Britain.

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1714-1727

Treaty of Utrecht

The Treaty of Utrecht recognises the Hanoverian succession in Great Britain.

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1714-1727

Succession Recognised

The settlement recognises the Hanoverian succession before his accession.

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1714-1727

Treaty of Utrecht

The settlement recognises the Hanoverian succession before his accession.

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1714-1727

Coronation

Great grandson of James I & son of the 1st Elector of Hanover

Role range: 1714-1727

Succession

Succeeds to the throne of Great Britain, does not speak English. Anne dies without an heir

Role range: 1714-1727

Succession

Declared King on the death of Queen Anne

Role range: 1714-1727

Hanoverian Succession

Accession confirms the succession recognised by France at Utrecht.

Role range: 1701-1714 – 1714-1727