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Revision as of 07:47, 31 March 2002 by Deb (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)George was born in 1660 at Hanover, Germany, the son of the Electress Sophia of Hanover, a granddaughter of King James I of England. In 1682, he married Sophia Dorothea, daughter of the Duke of Brunswick, and they had two children before George divorced her for committing adultery with Count von Konigsmarck. He had her imprisoned in the Castle of Ahlden, where she remained until her death in 1726.
George's mother died only a few weeks before her cousin, Queen Anne I of the United Kingdom, and thus it was George who inherited the throne on Queen Anne's death on August 1, 1714. The Hanoverian ruling family were the closest Protestant relatives, but they faced opposition from supporters of the Stuart pretender. An unsuccessful rebellion took place in 1715, in an attempt to put the son of King James II of England on the throne. See Jacobitism.
George never learned to speak English properly, and divided his time between Britain and his other territory of Hanover. He had a poor relationship with his own son, George, who was created Prince of Wales shortly after arriving in Britain. The birth of a second grandson in 1717 was the occasion for a family quarrel, and the Prince of Wales was banished from the royal residence along with his wife and children. Some reconciliation was eventually achieved, but they were never on cordial terms. George I died in 1727, while visiting Hanover, where he is buried. His son succeeded him as King George II of the United Kingdom.