HANOVER, HOUSE OF

British royal house of German origin, descended from George Louis, elector of Hanover, who succeeded to the British crown, as George I, in 1714. The dynasty provided six monarchs: George I (reigned 171427), George II (reigned 172760), George III (reigned 17601820), George IV (reigned 182030), William IV (reigned 183037), and Victoria (reigned 18371901). It was succeeded by the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, which was renamed in 1917 the house of Windsor. After the English Revolution of 168889, the Act of Settlement of 1701 secured the English crown to Protestants. It made Anne (of the house of Stuart) the heir presumptive; and, if she lacked issue, the crown was to go to Sophia, electress of Hanover (granddaughter of James I), and her descendants, passing over many Roman Catholics in the normal line of succession. The electress predeceased Anne by two months, and the crown went to Sophia's son, George I. The first two Georges were considered foreigners, especially by many Scots, and in 1715 and 1745 the Stuart claimantsJames Edward, the Old Pretender, and Charles Edward, the Young Pretendervainly attempted to regain the throne. George III, born in England, achieved wider British recognition. Hanover (an electorate, which became a kingdom in 1814) was joined to the British crown until 1837. In that year Victoria inherited the British crown but, by continental Salic Law, was barred as a woman from succession to Hanover, which went to William IV's brother, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland.