The royal House of Hanover, formally the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Hanover line, ruled Britain for nearly two centuries (1714–1901), shaping the political and constitutional development of the United Kingdom during a period of imperial expansion and industrial transformation. Their unexpected rise began with George I (reigned 1714–1727), Elector of Hanover, who became king under the provisions of the Act of Settlement (1701). Although he had been far down the line of succession (52nd), he was the nearest Protestant heir in a period defined by the British state’s insistence on a Protestant monarchy.

Across the 18th and 19th centuries, six Hanoverian monarchs presided over major historical shifts, including the consolidation of cabinet government, the Industrial Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, expanding global empire, and the emergence of modern parliamentary politics. The dynasty concluded with Queen Victoria (reigned 1837–1901), under whom Britain became the world’s dominant imperial power. Upon her death in 1901, the throne passed to her son Edward VII, inaugurating the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later renamed the House of Windsor in 1917.