The family of sovereigns of Great Britain and Ireland from George I to Victoria (1714–1901). The dynasty was named after the city of Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony in Germany. In 1658 Sophia, daughter of Elizabeth of Bohemia and granddaughter of James I of England married Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, who subsequently became an Elector of Germany (1692), taking Hanover as his title and capital city. Their son became George I, the first Hanoverian King of Great Britain in 1714. Hanover’s territories included the important towns of Göttingen and Hildersheim and their defence was an important factor in British foreign policy in the 18th century.