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George I as he was crowned in September 1714, did not particularly care for his new subjects. Indeed, when taking to the throne he was not even able to speak English, which made it all the more difficult for him to reign effectively. Some Scottish Jacobite supporters of James III did try to rise against the new King but the rebellion never really took off and the Pretender would not pose a major threat again. It did, however, produce a new piece of legislation - the Riot Act - which sought to prevent large, potentially troublesome gatherings.
The Jacobite disturbance did cause great political damage to the Tories though as they were indirectly associated with the uprising. Obviously the Whigs gained the most from the situation and it was to be a prominent Whig, Robert Walpole who would become the first Prime Minister of Britain in 1721. Managing to bring an unknown level of stability to the country, Walpole’s first task had been to tackle the country’s large National Debt, now swollen by years of war in mainland Europe. His approach was to set aside a set sum of money each year from the Exchequer’s revenue thus paying off the debt in a structured way. Walpole also made certain that the country was not drawn into further conflicts abroad. Under his stewardship the monarch played a reduced role in the affairs of state, although he was still an important cog in the overall system of Government.
Britain under Walpole was benefiting from a stability which allowed trade to flourish and economic development took place on a scale previously unseen in the country. The trade position was, of course, helped by the fact that Britain was a strong seafaring nation. This favourable position was briefly threatened by a revolt over the payment of road tolls (strangely a topic which is currently a political hot potato with the Mayor of London’s proposals on congestion charges).
The reign of George I ended with his death in 1727 and his son, who was crowned as George II, succeeded him. George II disliked his subjects even more than his father. Moreover, he was unimpressed by Walpole and soon after his coronation sacked him as Prime Minister. However, the sacking only served to illustrate just how far the power of the monarch had waned. Following uproar in Parliament (and because it was the Whigs who were able to maintain the stability vital to the country) Walpole was reinstated. In fact, Walpole was actually close to the King’s wife, Catherine, and she was influential in persuading the King to reinstate him. Walpole was then able to continue as Prime Minister free of serious opposition, although there was a sustained challenge against his plan to introduce Excise duty on the new alcoholic craze sweeping the nation, namely gin. Walpole hastily withdrew the proposal and the threat to his position faded. In truth, Walpole’s period as Prime Minister was uneventful, even boring, but there was certainly no real standard bearer within the Tories to challenge his authority. Rather, Walpole’s undoing would not be because of domestic problems, but because of overseas trade.