British Kings. The First Georges. Episode 1: George I. Presented by Dr Lucy Worsley.
Audio: English. Subtitles: English.

In 1700, young Prince William of Great Britain, Queen Anne's only surviving child, died at the age of 11.
This sad event interrupted the line of succession to the British throne, and a problem arose because all the surviving members of the Stuart dynasty were Roman Catholics, which prevented them from accessing the throne.
The family tree of the Stuart family was carefully explored backwards, in order to determine the nearest relative who would also satisfy all other requirements for the reigning monarch.
The subsequent Act of Settlement of 1701 then established a new, strictly Protestant, line of succession, by specifying that the next heir aparent was to be Electress Sophia of Hanover, a granddaughter of James I, to be followed thereafter by her descendants.
However, Electress Sophia also died (only 2 months before Queen Anne), so it was finally her son George who, as George I, succeeded Queen Anne on the British throne.

Four consecutive Georges occupied the English throne, from 1714 to 1830.
Their reigns were a time of great changes in Britain's situation in the world, British society, and British culture, and they fully deserve the collective designation of "Georgian Era".
George IV deserves a full epoch all by himself. He first came to power as "Prince Regent", because his father, George III, fell mentally ill for about a decade. After the death of George III, the Prince Regent acceded to the throne in his own, full right, as George IV.
The period of his reign is called the "Regency Era", in which Britain experienced vast economical and social changes.

The term "Georgian" is usually extended to include also the short reign of William IV (1830 – 1837), who was George IV's younger brother. The term "Georgian Era" is also usually taken as synonymous with "Hanoverian Era".
After the Georgian Era, Britain entered the very long reign of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901).
As she presided over even more fundamental changes in practically all aspects of life, her reign constitutes a full era (or even several: Early, Middle, and Late Victorian) in its own right.