The Stuarts were the first kings of the United Kingdom. King James VI of Scotland became also King James I of England, thus combining the two thrones for the first time.

The Stuart dynasty reigned in England and Scotland from 1603 to 1714, a period which saw a flourishing Court culture but also much upheaval and instability, of plague, fire and war. A bloody civil war between Crown and Parliament resulted in a parliamentary victory for Oliver Cromwell and the execution of King Charles I. There was a short-lived republic.

James II was the king of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1685 to 1688, and the last Stuart monarch in the direct male line. The Restoration of the Crown was soon followed by another 'Glorious' Revolution. William and Mary of Orange ascended the throne as joint monarchs and defenders of Protestantism, followed by Queen Anne, the second of James II's daughters. The prospect of end of the Stuart line, with the death of Queen Anne's only surviving child in 1700, led to the drawing up of the Act of Settlement in 1701, which sought to ensure a Protestant succession to the throne in opposition to the exiled Roman Catholic claimant (James Edward, the Old Pretender), made George ( elector of Hanover) third in line for the throne after Princess Anne (queen from 1702–14) and his mother.

On the death of Queen Anne (Aug. 1, 1714) the Whigs ushered George into power.

George I was the first Hanoverian king of Great Britain (1714–27).

More Info: www.royal.uk