House of Hanover

The House of Hanover (German: Haus von Hannover) is a German royal dynasty that rules the Electorate of Hanover and also provides monarchs for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Formally, the household is known as the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Hanover line, because it was originally a cadet branch of the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Establishment
George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1582- 1641), is considered the first member of the House of Hanover. The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg was historically divided in 1635, and George inherited the Principality of Calenberg and moved his residence to Hanover. His son, Christian-Louis, inherited the Principality of Lüneburg from his father's brother upon the latter's death. In 1641, the first member of the House of Hanover died, and was therefore replaced by his sons, who then passed both titles on to George's grandson, also named George (later to become George I of Great Britain).

Relations to the Holy Roman Empire
The house was not raised to become an Electorate under the Holy Roman Empire until it fell to Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, the son of the house's founder.

In 1683, Ernest Augustus instituted primogeniture, which states that no female may inherit the house unless there are no other male relatives, so that his territory would not be further separated following his death. This also was a prerequisite to become an electorate.

Furthermore, because he participated in the Great Turkish War on the side of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, he was appointed Prince-Elector, which thus raised the House of Hanover to electoral dignity; this didn't come into effect until 1708, ten years after his death. Nonetheless, he was still recognized as the Elector of Hanover, the first of that style.

Ascension to the Throne
Upon the death of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, an immediate succession crisis was recognized because the Queen had died childless. Among her possible successors were both Catholics and Protestants; however, due to the Acts of Supremacy passed first under King Henry VIII and a second time under Queen Elizabeth I, and the Act of Settlement passed during the reign of Queen Anne, no Catholic may take the throne. Because of this, the Ascension Council had reached out to George I Louis, who would succeed Anne as King of Great Britain. From then on, the House of Hanover ruled Great Britain, and eventually the United Kingdom until the reign of Queen Victoria.

Catholic Pretenders to the Throne
Upon George I's ascension to the throne, there were two factions: the Hanoverian-Protestant supports and the Stuart-Catholic supporters. Those who supported the Hanoverian Protestants supported George I, and those who supported the Stuart Catholics supported James Francis Edward Stuart. George I took the necessary precautions for the ascension of George II, his son, to take place following his death. He even had the coronation anthem Zadok the Priest written to encourage the population to support the new king.