1701 Act of Settlement

The Act of Settlement was passed in 1701, reinforcing the Bill of Rights agreed by William and Mary in 1689.  The main aim of this legislation was to ensure a Protestant succession to the English throne.  In 1707, as a result of the Act of Union, this Act was extended to Scotland. 

As a result of the Act of Settlement, George I, whose mother Sophia, Electress of Hanover, would have succeeded Queen Anne had she not died only a few weeks before her, inherited the throne, despite there being over 50 Catholic claimants.  Other clauses within the Act included a declaration that judges could only be removed by Parliament.