n.
orig. George Louis German Georg Ludwig
born May 28, 1660, Osnabrück, Hanover
died June 11, 1727, Osnabrück
First king of England (171427) from the house of Hanover .
He succeeded his father as the elector of Hanover (1698) and fought with distinction in the War of the Spanish Succession . As a great-grandson of James I of England and under the Act of Settlement , George ascended the English throne in 1714. He formed a Whig ministry and left internal politics to his ministers, including 1st Earl Stanhope , Viscount Townshend , and Robert Walpole . He was unpopular because of his German manner and German mistresses and their involvement in the South Sea Bubble crisis, but he strengthened Britain's position by forming the Quadruple Alliance (1718). He was succeeded by his son, George II .