King George I :: essays research papers

King George I King George I was born in 1660 at Osnabuuck, the eldest son of Ernest Augustus-Duke of Brunswick-Lunchburg and first Elector of Hanover. Because his father was the Elector of Hanover, George was the Electoral Price of the Empire. He was also in the imperial army, who faced battles against the Dutch, the Turks, Nine Years War, and in the War of Spanish Succession. George soon became a talented and experienced General. He went on to command in many wars. He eventually became lector of Hanover in 1698(2001 World Book Encyclopedia).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George I married Sophia Dorothea, heiress of Duchy of Brunswick and Zell, in 1682. He and his cousin Sophia had one boy and one girl before the marriage turned sour. George was a bad husband with many mistresses while Sophia had many close guy â€Å"friends.† In 1694, George divorced Sophia and accused her of adultry. Being a prominent male in Hanover, the future king of England had her put into prison for 32 years, where she died in 1726.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George I became King of England in 1714 when his distant cousin Queen Ann died. After Ann’s last surviving child had died in 1700, many people claimed that only her half brother James Francis Edward Stuart, a Roman Catholic and son of King James II, had right to succeed her. In 1701, the parliament passed an Act of Settlement that made sure no Catholic would be Monarch. The act provided that Princess Sophia, a Protestant, would succeed Ann as ruler of England unless Ann had another child. Sophia’s son George, became heir to the throne in August 1714(The Royal Heraldry of England).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  King George was 54 years of age when he took the throne. He was said to be undignified without the slightest knowledge of the English language. This prevented him from taking part in cabinet councils. He never bothered to learn the language of his new kingdom, although he already knew Latin, French, and Italian. George also showed no appreciation for the English culture. Englishmen Samuel Johnson summarized his thoughts on King George by saying, â€Å"George I knew nothing and desired to know nothing; do nothing and desired to do nothing,†(Western Civilization Volume II).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Due to George’s little interaction with parliament, it further asserted itself with a new coronation of oath, requiring each monarch to swear to obey parliamentary statutes. It established a mandatory term of office for itself, gained tighter control over the budget and army, and produced a Bill of Rights that guaranteed citizens many liberties.