George I, king of Greece

George I, 1845–1913, king of the Hellenes (1863–1913), second son of Christian IX Christian IX, 1818–1906, king of Denmark (1863–1906). A member of the cadet line of Sonderburg-Glücksburg, he succeeded Frederick VII, last of the direct line of Oldenburg.
..... Click the link for more information. of Denmark. After the deposition (1862) of Otto I Otto I, 1815–67, first king of the Hellenes (1833–62). The second son of King Louis I of Bavaria, he was chosen (1832) by a conference of European powers at London to rule newly independent Greece .
..... Click the link for more information. , he was elected to succeed on the throne of Greece. Much more effective than his predecessor, George introduced (1864) a democratic constitution, acquired (1881) Thessaly and part of Epirus from Turkey, and in 1897 declared war on Turkey in order to aid the insurrection in Crete Crete (krēt), Gr. Kríti, island (1991 pop. 539,938), c.3,235 sq mi (8,380 sq km), SE Greece, in the E Mediterranean Sea, c.
..... Click the link for more information. . Although badly defeated, George's close contacts with most of the ruling houses of Europe helped prevent Turkey from imposing a harsh peace settlement. George saw Greece through the first of the Balkan Wars Balkan Wars, 1912–13, two short wars, fought for the possession of the European territories of the Ottoman Empire. The outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War for the possession of Tripoli (1911) encouraged the Balkan states to increase their territory at Turkish
..... Click the link for more information. , during which Macedonia was gained, but was assassinated before the outbreak of the second. Harilaos Trikoupis and Eleutherios Venizelos Venizelos, Eleutherios (ĕlĕfthâr`yôs vĕnēzĕ`lôs), 1864–1936, Greek statesman, b. Crete.
..... Click the link for more information. were the outstanding political figure in George's reign. George married Grand Duchess Olga, a niece of Alexander II of Russia. He was succeeded by his son Constantine I Constantine I, 1868–1923, king of the Hellenes, eldest son of George I , whom he succeeded in 1913. Married to Sophia, sister of the German emperor William II, he opposed the pro-Allied policy of the Greek premier, Eleutherios Venizelos , and was forced to
..... Click the link for more information. .

George I, king of Great Britain and Ireland

George I (George Louis), 1660–1727, king of Great Britain and Ireland (1714–27); son of Sophia Sophia (sōfī`ə, Ger. zōfē`ä), 1630–1714, electress of Hanover, consort of Elector Ernest Augustus.
..... Click the link for more information. , electress of Hanover, and great-grandson of James I. He became (1698) elector of Hanover, fought in the War of the Spanish Succession, and in 1714 succeeded Queen Anne under the provisions of the Act of Settlement Settlement, Act of, 1701, passed by the English Parliament, to provide that if William III and Princess Anne (later Queen Anne) should die without heirs, the succession to the throne should pass to Sophia , electress of Hanover, granddaughter of James I, and to her
..... Click the link for more information. , becoming the first British sovereign of the house of Hanover Hanover, house of, ruling dynasty of Hanover (see Hanover , province), which was descended from the Guelphs and which in 1714 acceded to the British throne in the person of George I .
..... Click the link for more information. . He was personally unpopular in England because of his German manners, his German mistresses (see Schulenburg, Ehrengard Melusina von der, duchess of Kendal Schulenburg, Ehrengard Melusina von der, duchess of Kendal (ā`rəngärt māl
..... Click the link for more information. ), his treatment of his divorced wife, Sophia Dorothea, and his inability to speak English. George's dual role as elector of Hanover and king of England also raised problems; he spent much of his time in Hanover and was widely (although unjustly) believed to be indifferent to English affairs. Yet, despite the uprising of the Jacobites Jacobites (jăk`əbīts')
..... Click the link for more information. in 1715, his crown was never in danger, for he stood to Englishmen as the guarantee of the "revolution settlement" against a return of the Roman Catholic Stuarts. George's succession brought the Whigs to power, and the early years of his reign saw constant maneuvering for power among his ministers—the 1st Earl Stanhope Stanhope, James Stanhope, 1st Earl, 1673–1721, English general and statesman. During the War of the Spanish Succession he participated in the capture (1705) of Barcelona, was appointed (1706) minister
..... Click the link for more information. , the 3d earl of Sunderland Sunderland, Charles Spencer, 3d earl of, 1674–1722, English statesman; son of the 2d earl. His marriage (1700) to a daughter of the 1st duke of Marlborough brought him a secretaryship of state (1706),
..... Click the link for more information. , Viscount Townshend Townshend, Charles Townshend, 2d Viscount (toun`zĕnd)
..... Click the link for more information. , and Robert Walpole Walpole, Robert, 1st earl of Orford, 1676–1745, English statesman.

Early Life and Career

He was the younger son of a prominent Whig family of Norfolk.
..... Click the link for more information. . The principal achievement of these years was the Quadruple Alliance Quadruple Alliance, any of several European alliances. The Quadruple Alliance of 1718 was formed by Great Britain, France, the Holy Roman emperor, and the Netherlands when Philip V of Spain, guided by Cardinal Alberoni , sought by force to nullify the peace
..... Click the link for more information. of 1718, which provided an international guarantee of the Hanoverian succession and the status quo of the Peace of Utrecht (1713). Rising to power in the South Sea Bubble South Sea Bubble, popular name in England for the speculation in the South Sea Company, which failed disastrously in 1720. The company was formed in 1711 by Robert Harley , who needed allies to carry through the peace negotiations to end the War of the Spanish
..... Click the link for more information. crisis, Walpole dominated the end of the reign, beginning his long tenure as virtual prime minister. George was succeeded by his son, George II.

Bibliography

See biography by J. H. Plumb, The First Four Georges (1956); A. Redman, The House of Hanover (1960, repr. 1968); B. Williams, The Whig Supremacy, 1714–60 (2d ed. 1962); R. Hatton, George the First: Elector and King (1978).

George I

orig. George Louis German Georg Ludwig

(born May 28, 1660, Osnabrück, Hanover—died June 11, 1727, Osnabrück) First king of England (1714–27) 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.

George I

Greek Georgios orig. Prince William of Denmark

(born Dec. 24, 1845, Copenhagen, Den.—died March 18, 1913, Salonika, Greece) King of Greece. Son of Christian IX of Denmark, he served in the Danish navy and in 1862 was nominated to the Greek throne by Britain, France, and Russia after the Greek king, Otto, was deposed. Accepted by the Greek National Assembly, he ascended the throne as George I in 1863. He oversaw the incorporation of territory in Thessaly and Epirus into Greece as well as the annexation of Crete. In the unrest caused by the Balkan Wars, he was assassinated at Salonika; he was succeeded by his son, Constantine I. His long reign was the formative period for the development of Greece as a modern European state.

George I

1660--1727, first Hanoverian king of Great Britain and Ireland (1714--27) and elector of Hanover (1698--1727). His dependence in domestic affairs on his ministers led to the emergence of Walpole as the first prime minister