George succeeded as elector of Hanover in 1698. However, with the death of Queen Anne in 1714, he ascended to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland. Despite Anne having many closer relatives, the 1701 Act of Settlement prohibited Catholics from inheriting the throne. George was heir because his mother, Sophia, was the granddaughter of King James VI and I. Following Sophia’s death in 1714, George became the nearest protestant claimant by blood. During his reign he had to contend with the Jacobites trying to overthrow him in favour of James Francis Edward Stuart. George also saw the shift start of power from the monarchy to a government – with Sir Robert Walpole the first prime minister. This portrait shows George in his coronation robes with crown resting on the table.