The right of the House of Hanover to the English throne was established by the Act of Settlement of 1701. In accordance with this act, the crown was settled on Sophia, princess of Hanover, granddaughter of James I. When the union of England and Scotland took place under the name Great Britain in 1707, it was determined that the Protestant heirs of Princess Sophia should succeed to the crown of the United Kingdom.
The first Hanoverian king was George I, who ruled from 1714 to 1727. Subsequent kings of the Hanover line were George II, George III, and George IV, William IV. The acscension of Queen Victoria and her subsequent marriage to Prince Albert ended the Hanoverian line.
