Hateful Facts About King George I, The Most Reviled British Monarch
King George I of Britain has a reputation as the most hated British monarch in history. And no wonder. George was sneaky, smug, and had a vicious mean streak even his own wife and son couldn't escape.
On top of all that, he was never even supposed to be a British monarch. From bloody rebellions to bedroom drama, here is the bonkers reign of George I.
1. He Wasn't British
George I was born into power...but not in England. As the first son of a pair of German nobles, he was supposed to inherit lands around the Holy Roman Empire from his father, Ernest Augustus. For a good long while, George’s future monopoly over a large part of Germany looked certain. Yet as we'll see, the best laid plans never work out.
2. He Rejected His Birth Name
Initially born Georg Ludwig in 1660, the German nobleman eventually changed his name when the entire population of England condemned his foreign birth at his coronation over 50 years later.
Recognizing the need to win the support of his new subjects, he chose to anglicize his name and signed it thereafter as the more acceptable "George Rex."
3. He Had A Partner In Crime
When George’s brother Frederick Augustus was born just a year after George, the two were inseparable. As children, the boys scurried through the corridors of their family estate together so often that their family endearingly called the pair “
Görgen and Gustchen.” Sadly, the brotherly bond between the two royal toddlers only made the future rift between them more tragic.
4. He Had Mommy Issues
When George was still young, an illness struck his mother Sophia of Hanover, forcing her to spend a year in warmer climes to recover. While Sophia was away, she wrote letters to her governess to remain connected to her darling boys. Yet this lack of proper parenting left a permanent mark. George began to develop a sullen personality, becoming introspective and “sensitive”; traits that would plague his public persona later in life.
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