Elector George I of Hanover was a German prince who became the King of Great Britain and Ireland in 1714. He was born on May 28, 1660, in Hanover, Germany, and was a member of the House of Hanover. His ascension to the British throne followed the death of Queen Anne, as he was a Protestant and a descendant of James VI and I, making him a suitable heir under the Act of Settlement 1701. George I ruled until his death in 1727, overseeing a period of political change in Britain. His reign marked the beginning of the Hanoverian dynasty and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy, where the power of the monarchy was increasingly shared with Parliament.