Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument1701

Act of Settlement 1701

1701

The English law that barred Catholics from the throne and settled succession on the Hanoverian line, making George I king in 1714.

This Act is the legal basis of George's claim to the British throne, making him king through Protestant succession rather than closeness of blood.

Ask George I about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Illuminated manuscript parchment of the Act of Settlement 1701 under glass, with a portrait medallion of William III at upper left, the heading 'GULIELMUS TERTIUS DEI GRATIA' across the top, dense italic script text, decorative borders with coats of arms, and two green wax seals at the bottom.
Act of Settlement, 1701. Manuscript copy, Parliament of England.

About this source

What it is

This is an Act of the Parliament of England passed in 1701. It decided that after Queen Anne, the English and Irish crowns would pass to Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant heirs, excluding Catholic claimants. It also required the monarch to belong to the Church of England.

Why it matters

Sophia died shortly before Queen Anne, so her son inherited the throne instead, becoming King George I and starting the Hanoverian dynasty. The Act shows how Parliament, not just bloodline, decided who could be king, and it explains why a German-speaking prince ended up ruling Britain. It also limited royal power and shaped the later union of England and Scotland.

Look closer

  • Why would Parliament pass over more than fifty Catholic relatives to choose a distant Protestant cousin?
  • What does the decorative illumination and sealed parchment tell you about how important this document was meant to look?
  • What does this law leave out about the people who lost their claim to the throne?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of George I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More George I sources

Meet the AI George I →
Full-length oil painting of a man in a grey wig and red and white royal robes with a dark blue velvet mantle, seated beside a gold crown and a red-draped table, with a gold chair behind him.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of George I of Great Britain

Godfrey Kneller

Artifact

Secondary source

Water Music

George Frideric Handel · 1717

Document

Primary source

Septennial Act 1715

1716

Photograph of a printed 1715 royal proclamation titled 'By the King, A Proclamation, For Apprehending Sir William Wyndham Baronet', with a crest at top, a vignette with a 'W' emblem, dense black-letter text, and London printer's imprint at bottom. Paper is aged and creased.Document

Primary source

Royal Proclamation for the Arrest of Sir William Wyndham

23 September 1715

Engraving of a crowded London street scene satirising the South Sea scheme, with a Whirligig ride at centre, a monument inscribed about the 1720 South Sea bubble at right, and captioned verses along the bottom.Painting

Primary source

Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme

William Hogarth · 1721

Ready when you are

Start chatting with George I now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions