Hanover, House of

views updated May 23 2018

Hanover, House of German royal family and rulers of Britain from 1714 to 1901. The Electors of Hanover succeeded to the English throne in 1714, under the terms of the Act of Settlement (1701) and the Act of Union (1707). George I, the first Elector also to be King of England, was succeeded in both England and Hanover by George II, George III, George IV, and William IV. Salic law forbade Queen Victoria's accession in Hanover; her uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, inherited the Hanoverian title and the crowns of Britain and Germany separated.