In 1732, an English General named James Oglethorpe and a group of twenty trustees consulted King George II (hence "Georgia") about getting a land grant to colonize a strategic area of land north of the Spanish Empire's colony of Florida. This area of land not only created a barrier against the expansion of the Spanish Empire, but also served as a place where people could start a new life (debtors) and where people could have freedom of religion.
Originally, Georgia was a proprietary colony because it was colonized with a grant. However, in 1752, Georgia became a royal colony because of the arrival of English, royal, aristocrats and the building of English, military forts and bases.