George I was
King of Great Britain and
Ireland, from
1 August 1714 until his death. At the age of 54, he ascended the British throne as the first monarch of the
House of Hanover. Although many bore closer blood-relationships to the childless
Queen Anne, the
Act of Settlement 1701, which prohibits
Catholics from inheriting the throne, designated her cousin,
Sophia of Hanover, as heiress to the throne. Sophia was Anne's closest living
Protestant relative but died a matter of weeks before Anne leaving the Protestant succession to her son, George. In reaction, the
Jacobites attempted to depose George and replace him with Anne's Catholic half-brother,
James Francis Edward Stuart, but their attempts failed. During George's reign in Britain, the powers of the monarchy diminished and the modern system of
Cabinet government led by a
Prime Minister underwent development. Towards the end of his reign, actual power was held by
Sir Robert Walpole. George died on a trip to his native
Hanover, where he was buried. (
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