View source for Caroline of Ansbach

{{Short description|Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1727 to 1737}}
{{Redirect|Queen Caroline of Great Britain|the consort of George IV|Caroline of Brunswick}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox royalty|consort=yes
|image = Style of Michael Dahl - Queen Caroline - Warwick Shire Hall.jpg
|caption = Portrait {{circa|1730}}
|alt = Portrait of Caroline aged about 47
|succession = {{plainlist|
* [[Queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland]]
* [[Electress consort of Hanover]]}}
|reign = 11 June 1727&nbsp;– 20 November 1737{{efn|name=dates|Over the course of Caroline's life, two date systems were used: [[Old Style and New Style dates|Old Style and New Style]]. Hanover switched from the [[Julian calendar|Julian]] to the [[Gregorian calendar]] on 19 February (Old Style) / 1 March (New Style) 1700. Great Britain switched on 3/14 September 1752, after Caroline's death. Unless otherwise indicated, dates before September 1752 are Old Style. All dates after September 1752 are New Style. All years are assumed to start from 1 January and not 25 March, which was the English New Year.}}
|coronation = 11 October 1727{{efn|name=dates}}
|cor-type = [[Coronation of George II and Caroline|Coronation]]
|spouse = {{marriage|[[George II of Great Britain]]|22 August 1705}}
|issue = {{plainlist|
* [[Frederick, Prince of Wales]]
* [[Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange]]
* [[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Princess Amelia]]
* [[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Princess Caroline]]
* [[Prince George William of Great Britain|Prince George William]]
* [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]
* [[Princess Mary of Great Britain|Mary, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel]]
* [[Louise of Great Britain|Louisa, Queen of Denmark and Norway]]}}
|house = [[House of Hohenzollern|Hohenzollern]]
|full name = Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline<br />{{langx|de|link=no|Wilhelmine Charlotte Karoline}}
|father = [[John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach]]
|mother = [[Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach]]
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1683|3|1|df=y}}
|birth_place =[[Ansbach Residence]], Principality of Ansbach, Holy Roman Empire
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1737|11|20|1683|3|1|df=yes}}
|death_place = [[St James's Palace]], London, Great Britain
|burial_date = 17 December 1737
|burial_place = [[Westminster Abbey]], London
|signature = Queen Caroline of Ansbach Signature.svg
}}
'''Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach''' (Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline; 1 March 1683&nbsp;– 20 November 1737{{efn|name=dates}}) was [[List of British royal consorts|Queen of Great Britain and Ireland]] and [[List of Hanoverian royal consorts|Electress of Hanover]] from 11 June 1727 ([[Old Style and New Style dates|O.S.]]) until her death in 1737 as the wife of [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]].

Caroline's father, [[Margrave John Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach]], belonged to a branch of the [[House of Hohenzollern]] and was the ruler of a small German state, the [[Principality of Ansbach]]. After Caroline was orphaned at a young age, she moved to the [[Enlightened absolutism|enlightened]] court of her guardians, [[Frederick I of Prussia|King Frederick I]] and [[Queen Sophia Charlotte of Prussia]]. At the [[Prussian court]], her previously limited education was widened and she adopted the liberal outlook possessed by Sophia Charlotte, who became her good friend and whose views influenced Caroline all her life.

When she was a young woman, Caroline was much sought after as a bride. After rejecting the suit of [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Archduke Charles of Austria]], a claimant to the Spanish throne, she married George Augustus, who was third in line to the English throne (and subsequently the [[British throne]]) and [[heir apparent]] to the [[Electorate of Hanover]]. They had eight children, seven of whom reached adulthood. Caroline moved to Britain permanently in 1714 when her husband became [[Prince of Wales]]. As [[Princess of Wales]] she joined George Augustus in rallying political opposition to his father, [[George I of Great Britain|King George I]]. In 1717, after a family row, George Augustus was expelled from court. Caroline came to be associated with [[Robert Walpole]], an opposition politician who was a former government minister. Walpole rejoined the government in 1720, and George Augustus reconciled publicly with his father on Walpole's advice. Over the next few years Walpole rose to become the leading minister.

Upon her husband's accession in 1727, Caroline became queen and electress, and her eldest son, [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick]], became Prince of Wales. He was a focus for the opposition, like his father before him, and Caroline's relationship with him was strained. As princess and as queen, Caroline was known for her political influence, which she exercised both through and for Walpole. Her tenure included four regencies, which occurred during George II's stays in [[Hanover]]; she is credited with strengthening the [[House of Hanover]]'s place in Britain during a period of political instability. After her death in 1737, Caroline was widely mourned by her political allies as well as by the King, who refused to remarry.

==Early life==
[[File:De Merian Frankoniae 108.jpg|thumb|left|Ansbach in the 17th century]]
Caroline was born on 1 March 1683 at [[Ansbach]], the daughter of [[John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach]], and his second wife, [[Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach]].<ref name="Weir">Weir, pp. 277–278.</ref><ref name="odnb">Taylor.</ref> Her father was the ruler of one of the smallest German states; he died of [[smallpox]] at the age of 32, when Caroline was three years old. Caroline and her only full sibling, her younger brother [[William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|Margrave William Frederick]], left Ansbach with their mother, who returned to her native [[Eisenach]].<ref>Arkell, p. 5.</ref>
In 1692, Caroline's widowed mother was pushed into an unhappy marriage with the [[John George IV, Elector of Saxony|Elector of Saxony]], and she and her two children moved to the Saxon court at [[Dresden]]. Eleonore Erdmuthe was widowed again two years later, after her unfaithful husband contracted smallpox from his mistress.<ref>Arkell, p. 6; Van der Kiste, p. 12.</ref> Eleonore remained in [[Saxony]] for another two years, until her death in 1696.<ref name=odnb/><ref>Arkell, p. 6; Hichens, p. 19.</ref> The orphaned Caroline and William Frederick returned to Ansbach to stay with their elder half-brother, [[George Frederick II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|Margrave George Frederick II]]. George Frederick was a youth with little interest in parenting a girl, and so Caroline soon moved to [[Lützenburg]] outside [[Berlin]], where she entered into the care of her new guardians, [[Frederick I of Prussia|Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg]], and his wife, [[Sophia Charlotte of Hanover|Sophia Charlotte]], who had been a friend of Eleonore Erdmuthe.<ref>Arkell, pp. 6–7.</ref>

===Education===
Frederick and Sophia Charlotte became king and queen of [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] in 1701. The Queen was the daughter of [[Sophia, Dowager Electress of Hanover]], and the sister of [[George I of Great Britain|George, Elector of Hanover]]. She was renowned for her intelligence and strong character, and her uncensored and liberal court attracted a great many scholars, including philosopher [[Gottfried Leibniz]].<ref name="H19">Hichens, p. 19.</ref> Caroline was exposed to a lively intellectual environment quite different from anything she had experienced previously. Before she began her education under Sophia Charlotte's care, Caroline had received little formal education; her handwriting remained poor throughout her life.<ref name=odnb/><ref name="vdk13">Van der Kiste, p. 13.</ref> With her lively mind, Caroline developed into a scholar of considerable ability.<ref name=H19/> She and Sophia Charlotte developed a strong relationship in which Caroline was treated as a surrogate daughter;<ref>Hanham, p. 279.</ref> the Queen once declared Berlin was "a desert" without Caroline whenever she left temporarily for Ansbach.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=vdk13/>

==Marriage==
[[File:George II, Queen Caroline, and children.jpg|thumb|left|Engraving of the royal couple and their seven children who survived infancy]]
An intelligent and attractive woman, Caroline was much sought after as a bride. Dowager Electress Sophia called her "the most agreeable Princess in Germany".<ref>Arkell, p. 18.</ref> She was considered for the hand of [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Archduke Charles of Austria]], who was a candidate for the throne of Spain and later became Holy Roman Emperor. Charles made official overtures to her in 1703, and the match was encouraged by King Frederick of Prussia. After some consideration, Caroline refused in 1704, as she would not convert from [[Lutheranism]] to [[Catholicism]].<ref name=odnb/><ref>Arkell, pp. 9–13.</ref> Early in the following year, Queen Sophia Charlotte died on a visit to her native Hanover.<ref name="vdk14">Van der Kiste, p. 14.</ref> Caroline was devastated, writing to Leibniz, "The calamity has overwhelmed me with grief and sickness, and it is only the hope that I may soon follow her that consoles me."<ref name=vdk14/>

In June 1705, Sophia Charlotte's nephew [[George II of Great Britain|Prince George Augustus of Hanover]] visited the Ansbach court, supposedly incognito, to inspect Caroline, as his father the Elector did not want his son to enter into a loveless arranged marriage as he himself had.<ref>Arkell, p. 18; Fryer ''et al''., p. 33; Hichens, p. 19; Van der Kiste, p. 15.</ref> The nephew of three childless uncles, George Augustus was under pressure to marry and father an heir to prevent endangering the Hanoverian succession.<ref>Hanham, p. 281.</ref> He had heard reports of Caroline's "incomparable beauty and mental attributes".<ref>Hanoverian envoy Baron Philipp Adam von Eltz, quoted in Quennell, p. 19.</ref> He immediately took a liking to her "good character" and the British envoy reported that George Augustus "would not think of anybody else after her".<ref name=odnb/><ref>Arkell, p. 19; Van der Kiste, p. 15.</ref> For her part, Caroline was not fooled by the prince's disguise, and found her suitor attractive.<ref name="Fryer33">Fryer ''et al''., p. 33.</ref> He was the heir apparent of his father's [[Electorate of Hanover]] and third-in-line to the English throne, then held by his distant cousin [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]], after his grandmother Dowager Electress Sophia and his father the Elector.<ref name=Fryer33/>

On 22 August 1705, Caroline arrived in Hanover for her wedding to George Augustus; they were married that evening in the palace chapel at [[Herrenhausen]].<ref name=Weir/><ref name=odnb/><ref>Van der Kiste, p. 17.</ref> By May of the following year, Caroline was pregnant, and her first child [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Frederick]] was born on 20 January 1707.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 18–19.</ref> A few months after the birth, in July, Caroline fell seriously ill with smallpox followed by [[pneumonia]]. Her baby was kept away from her, but George Augustus remained devotedly at her side, catching the infection himself. They both survived.<ref>Arkell, pp. 38–39; Van der Kiste, p. 21.</ref> Over the next seven years, Caroline had three more children, [[Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange|Anne]], [[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Amelia]], and [[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Caroline]], all of whom were born in Hanover.<ref name="Fryer34">Fryer ''et al''., p. 34.</ref>

[[File:Henrietta Howard.jpg|thumb|[[Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk]] (pictured), was one of Caroline's [[Women of the Bedchamber]] in addition to being one of Caroline's husband's mistresses.]]

George Augustus and Caroline had a successful and loving marriage, though he continued to keep mistresses, as was customary for the time.<ref name="H21">Hichens, p. 21.</ref> Caroline was aware of his infidelities; they were well known and he told her about them himself. His two best-known mistresses were [[Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk|Henrietta Howard, later Countess of Suffolk]], and, beginning in 1735, [[Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth]]. Howard was one of Caroline's [[Women of the Bedchamber]] and became [[Mistress of the Robes]] when her husband inherited a peerage in 1731; she retired in 1734.<ref>Arkell, pp. 70, 149.</ref> In contrast with George Augustus and his mother, [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle|Sophia Dorothea]], Caroline was known for her marital fidelity; she never made any embarrassing scenes nor did she take lovers.<ref name=H21/> She preferred her husband's mistresses to be her ladies-in-waiting so that she could keep a closer eye on them.<ref>Fryer ''et al''., p. 36.</ref>

After the [[union of England and Scotland]] in 1707, the succession of George Augustus's family to the united British throne was confirmed but insecure, since Queen Anne's half-brother [[James Francis Edward Stuart|James Stuart]] contested the Hanoverian claim, and Anne had fallen out with Dowager Electress Sophia. The Queen refused permission for any of the Hanoverians to visit Britain in her lifetime.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 30.</ref> Caroline wrote to Leibniz, "I accept the comparison which you draw, though all too flattering, between me and [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth]] as a good omen. Like Elizabeth, the Electress's rights are denied her by a jealous sister [Queen Anne], and she will never be sure of the English crown until her accession to the throne."<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 28.</ref> In June 1714, Sophia died in Caroline's arms at the age of 83, and Caroline's father-in-law became Queen Anne's [[heir presumptive]]. Just weeks later, Anne died, and the Elector of Hanover was proclaimed her successor, becoming George I of Great Britain.<ref>Arkell, p. 57.</ref>

==Princess of Wales{{anchor|Provision for Princess of Wales Act 1714}}==
[[File:Caroline Wilhelmina of Brandenburg-Ansbach by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg|thumb|right|The Princess of Wales, painted by [[Sir Godfrey Kneller]] in 1716]]
George Augustus sailed to England in September 1714, and Caroline and two of her daughters followed in October.<ref>Arkell, pp. 64–66; Van der Kiste, p. 36.</ref> Her journey across the [[North Sea]] from [[The Hague]] to [[Margate]] was the only sea voyage she took in her life.<ref>Arkell, p. 67; Hanham, p. 285; Van der Kiste, p. 38.</ref> Their young son, Prince Frederick, remained in Hanover for the rest of George I's reign, and was brought up by private tutors.<ref name=Fryer34/>

On the accession of George I in 1714, George Augustus automatically became [[Duke of Cornwall]] and [[Duke of Rothesay]]. Shortly afterwards, he was invested as [[Prince of Wales]], whereupon Caroline became Princess of Wales. She was the first woman to receive the title at the same time as her husband received his.<ref name=Fryer33/> She was also the first Princess of Wales in over two hundred years, the previous one being [[Catherine of Aragon]] in the 16th century. Since George I had repudiated his wife, [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]], in 1694 before he became King of Great Britain, there was no [[queen consort]], and Caroline was therefore the highest-ranking woman in the kingdom.<ref name=Fryer34/> George Augustus and Caroline made a concerted effort to "anglicise" by getting to know England's language, people, politics and customs.<ref>Hanham, p. 284.</ref> Two separate and very different courts developed: the old king's court had German courtiers and government ministers, while the Wales's court attracted English nobles who were out of favour with the King, and was considerably more popular with the British people. George Augustus and Caroline gradually became centres of the political opposition to the King.<ref>Fryer ''et al''., p. 34; Hanham, pp. 286–287.</ref>

Two years after their arrival in England, Caroline suffered a stillbirth, which her friend the Countess of Bückeburg blamed on the incompetence of English doctors,<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 60.</ref> but the following year she had another son, [[Prince George William of Great Britain|Prince George William]], in November. At the baptism, George Augustus fell out with his father over the choice of godparents, leading to the couple's placement under house arrest at [[St James's Palace]] prior to their banishment from court.<ref>Arkell, p. 102.</ref> Caroline was originally allowed to stay with their children, but refused as she believed her place was with George Augustus.<ref>Hanham, p. 289; Hichens, p. 23.</ref> The couple moved into [[Leicester House, Westminster|Leicester House]], while their children remained in the care of the King.<ref>Arkell, pp. 102–105; Van der Kiste, p. 64.</ref> Caroline fell sick with worry, and fainted during a secret visit to her children made without the King's approval.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 66.</ref> By January, the King had relented and allowed Caroline unrestricted access. In February, Prince George William fell ill, and the King allowed both George Augustus and Caroline to see him at [[Kensington Palace]] without any conditions. When the baby died, a post-mortem was conducted to prove that the cause of death was disease (a polyp on the heart) rather than the separation from his mother.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 67.</ref> Further tragedy occurred in 1718, when she miscarried at [[Richmond Lodge]], her country residence,<ref>Arkell, p. 112; Van der Kiste, p. 68.</ref> after being startled by a violent storm.<ref>Dennison, p. 185.</ref> Over the next few years, Caroline had three more children: [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland|William]], [[Princess Mary of Great Britain|Mary]] and [[Louise of Great Britain|Louise]].<ref>Fryer ''et al''., p. 37.</ref> In July 1725, her 11th and final pregnancy ended in a second miscarriage.<ref name="Dennison2">Dennison, p. 211.</ref>

Leicester House became a frequent meeting place for the ministry's political opponents. Caroline struck up a friendship with politician Sir [[Robert Walpole]], a former minister in the [[Whig (British political party)|Whig]] government who led a disgruntled faction of the party. In April 1720, Walpole's wing of the Whig party reconciled with the governing wing, and Walpole and Caroline helped to effect a reconciliation between the King and George Augustus for the sake of public unity.<ref name=odnb/><ref>Quennell, pp. 79–81; Van der Kiste, pp. 72–73.</ref> Caroline wanted to regain her three eldest daughters, who remained in the care of the King, and thought the reconciliation would lead to their return, but negotiations came to nothing. George Augustus came to believe that Walpole had tricked him into the reconciliation as part of a scheme to gain power. The prince was isolated politically when Walpole's Whigs joined the government,<ref>Arkell, pp. 125–126.</ref> and Leicester House played host to literary figures and wits, such as [[John Arbuthnot]] and [[Jonathan Swift]], rather than politicians.<ref>Arkell, pp. 135–136.</ref> Arbuthnot told Swift that Caroline had enjoyed his ''[[Gulliver's Travels]]'', particularly the tale of the crown prince who wore one high-heel and one low-heel in a country where the King and his party wore low heels, and the opposition wore high ones: a barely veiled reference to the political leanings of the Prince of Wales.<ref>Arkell, p. 136; Van der Kiste, p. 82.</ref>

Caroline's intellect far outstripped her husband's, and she read avidly. She established an extensive library at St James's Palace. As a young woman, she corresponded with Gottfried Leibniz, the intellectual colossus who was courtier and factotum to the House of Hanover. She later facilitated the [[Leibniz-Clarke correspondence]], arguably the most important philosophy of physics discussion of the 18th century. She helped to popularise the practice of [[variolation]] (an early type of [[immunisation]]), which had been witnessed by [[Lady Mary Wortley Montagu]] and [[Charles Maitland (surgeon)|Charles Maitland]] in [[Constantinople]]. At the direction of Caroline, six condemned prisoners from [[Newgate Prison]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Giblin |first=James Cross |title=When plague strikes: the Black Death, smallpox, AIDS |date=1995 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=0064461955 |page=81 |edition=HarperTrophy}}</ref> were offered the chance to undergo variolation instead of execution: they all survived, as did six orphan children given the same treatment as a further test. Convinced of its medical value, Caroline had her children Amelia, Caroline and Frederick inoculated against smallpox in the same manner.<ref>Arkell, pp. 133–135; Van der Kiste, p. 83.</ref> In praising her support for smallpox inoculation, [[Voltaire]] wrote of her, "I must say that despite all her titles and crowns, this princess was born to encourage the arts and the well-being of mankind; even on the throne she is a benevolent philosopher; and she has never lost an opportunity to learn or to manifest her generosity."<ref>Voltaire's "Eleventh Letter: On Smallpox Inoculation" in ''Philosophical Letters, Or Letters Regarding the English Nation'' (1733/4).</ref>

==Queen consort and regent==
[[File:Coronation medal Queen Caroline 1727.jpg|thumb|right|Official coronation medal of Queen Caroline in 1727 by J. Croker]]
[[File:Caroline Wilhelmina of Brandenburg-Ansbach by Jacopo Amigoni.jpg|thumb|Portrait by [[Jacopo Amigoni]], 1735]]
On George I's death in 1727, George Augustus ascended as George II and Caroline became queen consort. [[George II and Caroline's coronation]] was held at [[Westminster Abbey]] on 11 October that year.<ref>Hanham, p. 292; Weir, pp. 277–278.</ref> Though George II denounced Walpole as a "rogue and rascal" over the terms of the reconciliation with his father, Caroline advised her husband to retain Walpole as the leading minister.<ref name=odnb/> Walpole commanded a substantial majority in Parliament and George II had little choice but to accept him or risk ministerial instability.<ref>Black, pp. 29–31, 53 and 61.</ref> Walpole secured a [[civil list]] payment of £100,000 a year for Caroline, and she was given both [[Somerset House]] and Richmond Lodge.<ref>Arkell, p. 147; Van der Kiste, p. 93.</ref> Courtier [[John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey|Lord Hervey]] called Walpole "the Queen's minister" in recognition of their close relationship.<ref name=odnb/> For the next ten years, Caroline had immense influence. She persuaded the King to adopt policies at the behest of Walpole, and persuaded Walpole against taking inflammatory actions. Caroline had absorbed the liberal opinions of her mentor, Queen Sophia Charlotte of Prussia, and supported clemency for the [[Jacobitism|Jacobites]] (supporters of the rival [[House of Stuart|Stuart]] claim to the throne), [[freedom of the press]], and freedom of speech in Parliament.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 104–105.</ref>

Over the next few years, the King and Queen fought a constant battle against their eldest son, Frederick, Prince of Wales, who had been left behind in Germany when they came to England. He joined the family in 1728, by which time he was an adult, had mistresses and debts, and was fond of gambling and practical jokes. He opposed his father's political beliefs, and complained of his lack of influence in government.<ref name=odnb/><ref name="vdk119">Van der Kiste, p. 119.</ref> The [[Regency Acts|Regency Act 1728]] made Caroline rather than Frederick [[regent]] when her husband was in Hanover for five months from May 1729. During her regency, a diplomatic incident with Portugal (where a British ship had been seized on the [[Tagus]]) was defused, and the negotiation of the [[Treaty of Seville (1729)|Treaty of Seville]] between Britain and Spain was concluded.<ref name=vdk119/><ref>Arkell, pp. 167–169.</ref> From May 1732, she was regent for four months while George II was again away in Hanover. An investigation into the penal system uncovered widespread abuses, including cruel treatment and conspiracy in the escape of wealthy convicts. Caroline pressed Walpole for reform, largely unsuccessfully.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 126–127.</ref> In March 1733, Walpole introduced an unpopular [[Excise Bill]] to parliament, which the Queen supported, but it gathered such strong opposition that it was eventually dropped.<ref>Arkell, pp. 197–203.</ref>

Caroline's entire life in Britain was spent in southeast England in or around London.<ref>Arkell, p. 67; Van der Kiste, p. 41.</ref> As queen, she continued to surround herself with artists, writers and intellectuals. She collected jewellery, especially [[Cameo (carving)|cameos]] and [[Intaglio (jewellery)|intaglios]], acquired important portraits and miniatures, and enjoyed the visual arts. She commissioned works such as [[terracotta]] busts of the kings and queens of England from [[Michael Rysbrack]],<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 124.</ref> and supervised a more naturalistic design of the royal gardens by [[William Kent]] and [[Charles Bridgeman]].<ref>Arkell, pp. 247–249; Van der Kiste, pp. 101–102.</ref> In 1728, she rediscovered sets of sketches by [[Leonardo da Vinci]] and [[Hans Holbein the Younger|Hans Holbein]] that had been hidden in a drawer since the reign of [[William III of England|William III]].<ref>Arkell, p. 245; Van der Kiste, p. 123.</ref>

Caroline's eldest daughter, Anne, married [[William IV of Orange]] in 1734 and moved with her husband to the Netherlands. Caroline wrote to her daughter of her "indescribable" sadness at the parting.<ref>Arkell, p. 212; Van der Kiste, p. 134.</ref> Anne soon felt homesick and travelled back to England when her husband went on campaign. Eventually her husband and father commanded her to return to Holland.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 135–136.</ref>

==Final years==
[[File:Highmore - Caroline of Ansbach - RCIN 406035.jpg|thumb|left|Portrait by [[Joseph Highmore]], 1735]]
In mid-1735, Prince Frederick was further dismayed when Caroline, rather than himself, again acted as regent while the King was absent in Hanover.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 139–140.</ref> The King and Queen arranged Frederick's marriage, in 1736, to [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]]. Shortly after the wedding, George went to Hanover, and Caroline resumed her role as "Protector of the Realm". As regent, Caroline considered the reprieve of [[Captain John Porteous]], who had been convicted of murder in [[Edinburgh]]. Before she could act, a mob stormed the jail where he was held and killed him. Caroline was appalled.<ref>Arkell, pp. 258–259; Van der Kiste, p. 148.</ref> George's absences abroad were leading to unpopularity, and in late 1736 he made plans to return, but his ship was caught in poor weather, and it was rumoured that he had been lost at sea. Caroline was devastated, and disgusted by the insensitivity of her son, who hosted a grand dinner while the gale was blowing.<ref>Quennell, pp. 285–288; Van der Kiste, pp. 150–152.</ref> During her regency, Frederick attempted to start a number of quarrels with his mother, whom he saw as a useful proxy to irritate the King.<ref name=odnb/> George eventually returned in January 1737.<ref>Arkell, p. 264; Quennell, p. 291; Van der Kiste, p. 52.</ref>

Frederick applied to Parliament unsuccessfully for an increased financial allowance that had hitherto been denied him by the King, and public disagreement over the money drove a further wedge between parents and son. On the advice of Walpole, Frederick's allowance was raised in an attempt to mitigate further conflict, but by less than he had asked.<ref>Arkell, pp. 272–274; Van der Kiste, p. 154.</ref> In June 1737, Frederick informed his parents that Augusta was pregnant, and due to give birth in October. In fact, Augusta's due date was earlier and a peculiar episode followed in July in which the prince, on discovering that his wife had gone into labour, sneaked her out of [[Hampton Court Palace]] in the middle of the night, to ensure that the King and Queen could not be present at the birth.<ref>Arkell, p. 279; Van der Kiste, p. 155.</ref> George and Caroline were horrified. Traditionally, royal births were witnessed by members of the family and senior courtiers to guard against [[wikt:supposititious|supposititious]] children, and Augusta had been forced by her husband to ride in a rattling carriage for an hour and a half while heavily pregnant and in pain. With a party including her daughters Amelia and Caroline <!--the Duke of Grafton, Lord Essex,--> and Lord Hervey, the Queen raced over to St James's Palace, where Frederick had taken Augusta.<ref>Arkell, p. 278; Van der Kiste, p. 156.</ref> Caroline was relieved to discover that Augusta had given birth to a "poor, ugly little she-mouse", also called [[Princess Augusta of Great Britain|Augusta]], rather than a "large, fat, healthy boy" as the pitiful nature of the baby made a supposititious child unlikely.<ref name="vdk157">Van der Kiste, p. 157.</ref> The circumstances of the birth deepened the estrangement between mother and son.<ref name=vdk157/> According to Lord Hervey, she once remarked after seeing Frederick, "Look, there he goes—that wretch!—that villain!—I wish the ground would open this moment and sink the monster to the lowest hole in hell!"<ref name=odnb/><ref>Quennell, p. 295.</ref>

In the final years of her life, Caroline was troubled by [[gout]] in her feet,<ref>Arkell, pp. 229–230; Van der Kiste, p. 108.</ref> but more seriously she had suffered an [[umbilical hernia]] at the birth of her final child in 1724.<ref>Arkell, p. 225; Van der Kiste, p. 136.</ref> On 9 November 1737, she felt an intense pain and, after struggling through a formal reception, took to her bed. Part of her small intestine had poked through the hernia opening.<ref>Lucy Worsley, "The First Georgians The German Kings Who Made Britain", BBC Documentary 2014</ref> Over the next few days she was bled, purged, and operated on, without anaesthetic, but there was no improvement in her condition.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 161–163.</ref> George refused Frederick permission to see his mother,<ref>Arkell, p. 289; Van der Kiste, p. 161.</ref> a decision with which she complied; she sent her son a message of forgiveness through Walpole.<ref>Arkell, p. 289; Van der Kiste, p. 162.</ref> She asked her husband to remarry after her death, which he rejected saying he would take only mistresses; she replied "Ah, mon Dieu, cela n'empêche pas" ("My God, that doesn't prevent it").<ref>Arkell, pp. 290–291; Quennell, p. 323; Van der Kiste, p. 162.</ref> On 17 November, her strangulated bowel burst.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jones |first=Emrys D. |year=2011 |title=Royal ruptures: Caroline of Ansbach and the politics of illness in the 1730s |journal=Medical Humanities |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=13–17 |doi=10.1136/jmh.2010.005819 |pmid=21593245 |s2cid=207000346}}</ref>{{efn|The circumstances of Caroline's death led [[Alexander Pope]], an opponent of the court and Walpole, to write the [[epigram]]: "Here lies, wrapt up in forty thousand towels; the only proof that Caroline had bowels." (Warton, p. 308).}} She died on 20 November 1737 at St James's Palace.<ref name=Weir/>

Caroline was buried in Westminster Abbey on 17 December.<ref>{{Cite web |title=George II and Caroline |url=http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/royals/burials/george-ii-and-caroline |website=Westminster Abbey}}</ref> Frederick was not invited to the funeral. [[George Frideric Handel]] composed an anthem for the occasion, ''[[The Ways of Zion Do Mourn / Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline]]''. George arranged for a pair of matching coffins with removable sides, so that when he followed her to the grave (23 years later), they could lie together again.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 164.</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Memorial to Queen Caroline, wife of George II - geograph.org.uk - 746112.jpg|thumb|upright|Memorial to Caroline on the bank of the [[Serpentine (lake)|Serpentine]], a picturesque lake in London created at her request]]
Caroline was widely mourned. The Protestants lauded her moral example, and even the Jacobites acknowledged her compassion, and her intervention on the side of mercy for their compatriots.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 165.</ref> During her lifetime her refusal to convert when offered the hand of Archduke Charles was used to portray her as a strong adherent to Protestantism.<ref name=odnb/> For example, [[John Gay]] wrote of Caroline in ''A Letter to A Lady'' (1714):
:The pomp of titles easy faith might shake,
:She scorn'd an empire for religion's sake:
:For this, on earth, the British crown is giv'n,
:And an immortal crown decreed in heav'n.

Caroline was widely seen by both the public and the court as having great influence over her husband.<ref>Arkell, p. 149; Van der Kiste, p. 102.</ref> A satirical verse of the period went:<ref>Arkell, p. 149; Quennell, pp. 165–166.</ref>
:You may strut, dapper George, but 'twill all be in vain,
:We all know 'tis Queen Caroline, not you, that reign&nbsp;–
:You govern no more than Don Philip of Spain.
:Then if you would have us fall down and adore you,
:Lock up your fat spouse, as your dad did before you.
The memoirs of the 18th century, particularly those of [[John, Lord Hervey]], fed perceptions that Caroline and Walpole governed her husband. [[Peter Quennell]] wrote that Hervey was the "chronicler of this remarkable coalition" and that she was Hervey's "heroine".<ref>Quennell, pp. 168–170.</ref> Using such sources, biographers of the 19th and 20th centuries credit her with aiding the establishment of the House of Hanover in Britain, in the face of Jacobite opposition. R. L. Arkell wrote "by her acumen and geniality, [Caroline] ensured the dynasty's rooting itself in England", and [[William Henry Wilkins]] said her "gracious and dignified personality, her lofty ideals and pure life did much to counteract the unpopularity of her husband and father-in-law, and redeem the early Georgian era from utter grossness."<ref>Quoted in Van der Kiste, p. 165.</ref> Although modern historians tend to believe that Hervey, Wilkins and Arkell have overestimated her importance, it is nevertheless probable that Caroline of Ansbach was one of the most influential consorts in British history.<ref name=odnb/>

==Titles, styles, honours and arms==

===Titles and styles===
* 1683–1705: ''Her Serene Highness''<ref>e.g. Letter to Caroline from a Viennese bishop, quoted in Arkell, p. 8.</ref> Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach
* 1705–1714: ''Her Serene Highness'' The Electoral Princess of Hanover<ref>e.g. Arkell, pp. 27 ff.</ref>
* 1714–1727: ''Her Royal Highness'' The Princess of Wales<ref>e.g. copies of [[London Gazette]], 1714–1727.</ref>
* 1727–1737: ''Her Majesty'' The Queen<ref>e.g. Letter from Berlin to Prussian envoy Wallenrodt, 7 October 1727, quoted in Arkell, p. 160.</ref>

===Honours===
[[Caroline County, Virginia|Caroline County]] in the British Colony of [[Virginia Colony|Virginia]] was named in the Queen's honour when it was formed in 1727.<ref>Wingfield, p. 1.</ref>

===Arms===
The [[royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom]] are [[Impalement (heraldry)|impaled]] with those of Caroline's father. The arms of her father were [[Quartering (heraldry)|quarterly]] of fifteen, 1st, per [[fess]] [[gules]] and [[argent]], within a [[bordure]] [[Tincture (heraldry)#Counterchanging and countercolouring|counter-changed]] of the same (for [[Magdeburg]]); 2nd, argent, an eagle displayed [[Sable (heraldry)|sable]], crowned [[Or (heraldry)|or]]; 3rd, or, a griffin [[segreant]] gules, crowned; 4th and 5th, argent, a griffin segreant gules; 6th, or, a griffin segreant sable; 7th, argent, an eagle displayed sable (for [[Krosno Odrzańskie|Crossen]]); 8th, per [[Pale (heraldry)|pale]] argent and gules within a bordure counter-changed of the same (for [[Halberstadt]]); 9th, argent, an eagle displayed sable; 10th, or, a lion [[rampant]] sable, crowned, within a bordure [[Compone|goboné]] argent and gules (for [[Nuremberg]]); 11th, gules, two keys in [[saltire]] or (for [[Minden]]); 12th, quarterly argent and sable (for [[House of Hohenzollern#County of Zollern|Hohenzollern]]); 13th, the field gules, the figure argent; 14th, per fess gules and argent; 15th, plain field of gules ([[Prince-elector|for right of regalia]]); overall an [[inescutcheon]], argent, an eagle displayed gules (for [[Coat of arms of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]]).<ref>Boutell, pp. 245–246; Willement, p. 104.</ref>
{| border="0" align="center" width="80%"
|-
!width=25% |[[File:Coat of Arms of Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach.svg|center|200px]]
|-
|style="text-align: center;" |Queen Caroline's coat of arms: the [[royal arms of the United Kingdom]] ([[Dexter and sinister|dexter]]) [[Impalement (heraldry)|impaling]] her father's arms
|}

{{clear}}

==Issue==
Caroline's ten<ref>Weir, pp. 277–285.</ref> or eleven<ref name="Dennison2" /> pregnancies resulted in eight live births, of whom one died in infancy, and seven lived to adulthood.
{|class="sortable wikitable"
! Name
! Birth
! Death
! class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
|[[Frederick, Prince of Wales]]
|{{dts|31 January 1707}}
|{{dts|31 March 1751}}
|married 1736, [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]]; had issue, including the future [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]]
|-
|[[Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange|Anne, Princess Royal]]
|{{dts|2 November 1709}}
|{{dts|12 January 1759}}
|married 1734, [[William IV, Prince of Orange]]; had issue
|-
|[[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Princess Amelia]]
|{{dts|10 June 1711}}
|{{dts|31 October 1786}}
|
|-
|[[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Princess Caroline]]
|{{dts|10 June 1713}}
|{{dts|28 December 1757}}
|
|-
|Stillborn son
| colspan="2" | {{dts|20 November 1716}}
|
|-
|[[Prince George William of Great Britain|Prince George William]]
|{{dts|13 November 1717}}
|{{dts|17 February 1718}}
|died in infancy
|-
|Miscarriage
| colspan="2" | {{dts|May 1718}}
|
|-
|[[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]
|{{dts|26 April 1721}}
|{{dts|31 October 1765}}
|
|-
|[[Princess Mary of Great Britain|Princess Mary]]
|{{dts|5 March 1723}}
|{{dts|14 January 1772}}
|married 1740, [[Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel]]; had issue
|-
|[[Louise of Great Britain|Princess Louisa]]
|{{dts|18 December 1724}}
|{{dts|19 December 1751}}
|married 1743, [[Frederick V of Denmark|Frederick V, King of Denmark and Norway]]; had issue
|-
|Miscarriage
| colspan="2" | {{dts|July 1725}}
|
|-
|colspan=4 |{{center|Dates in this table are [[Old Style and New Style dates|New Style]]}}
|}

==Genealogical table==
{{chart top|Caroline's relationship with the previous kings and queens of Britain<ref>Quennell, p. 2; Van der Kiste, p. 217.</ref>}}
{{tree chart/start|align=center}}
{{tree chart |border=0| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |James|y|Anne| |James=[[James I of England]]|Anne=[[Anne of Denmark]]}}
{{tree chart |border=0| | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.|}}
{{tree chart |border=0| |  | | | | |Henrietta|y|Charles| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Elizabeth|y|Frederick|Charles=[[Charles I of England]]|Elizabeth=[[Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia|Elizabeth of Bohemia]]|Frederick=[[Frederick V of the Palatinate]]|Henrietta=[[Henrietta Maria of France]]}}
{{tree chart | | | | | |,|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | | | | | | | |!|}}
{{tree chart |border=0|Catherine|~|Charles| |William|y|Mary| |Anne|y|~|~|James|~|~|y|Maria| |Sophia|y|Ernest|James=[[James II of England]]|Charles=[[Charles II of England]]|Mary=[[Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange|Mary, Princess Royal]]|Sophia=[[Sophia of Hanover]]|Ernest=[[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Ernest Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]|Anne=[[Anne Hyde]]|Maria=[[Mary of Modena]]|Catherine=[[Catherine of Braganza]]|William=[[William II of Orange]]}}
{{tree chart | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | |,|-|-|-|(| | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | |!|}}
{{tree chart |border=0| | | | | | | | | | |William|~|Mary| |Anne|~|George| |James|y|Clementina| |Georg|y|Sophia|William=[[William III of England]]|Mary=[[Mary II of England]]|Anne=[[Anne, Queen of Great Britain]]|James=[[James Francis Edward]]|Georg=[[George I of Great Britain]]|Sophia=[[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]]|Clementina=[[Clementina Sobieska]]|George=[[George of Denmark]]}}
{{tree chart | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | | | | | |!| |}}
{{tree chart |border=0| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Charles|~|Louise| |George|~|Caroline|George=[[George II of Great Britain]]|Caroline='''Caroline of Ansbach'''|Charles=[[Charles Edward Stuart]]|Louise=[[Louise of Stolberg]]}}
{{tree chart/end}}
{{chart bottom}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{Cite book |last=Arkell |first=R. L. |title=Caroline of Ansbach |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1939 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Black |first=Jeremy |title=Walpole in Power |publisher=Sutton Publishing |year=2001 |isbn=0-7509-2523-X |location=Stroud, Gloucestershire |author-link=Jeremy Black (historian)}}
* {{Cite book |last=Boutell |first=Charles |title=A Manual of Heraldry, Historical and Popular |publisher=Windsor and Newton |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-153-77482-6 |location=London |pages=245–246 |author-link=Charles Boutell |orig-year=1863}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dennison |first=Matthew |title=The First Iron Lady |publisher=Harper Collins Publishers |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-00-812199-0 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fryer |first=M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DHLwPQgX24QC&pg=PA33 |title=Lives of the Princesses of Wales |last2=Fryer, Mary Beacock |last3=Bousfield, Arthur |last4=Toffoli, Garry |publisher=Dundern Press Limited |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-919670-69-3 |location=Toronto}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hanham |first=Andrew |title=Queenship in Europe 1660–1815: The Role of the Consort |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2004 |isbn=0-521-81422-7 |editor-last=Campbell Orr |editor-first=Clarissa |pages=276–299 |chapter=Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach and the 'anglicisation' of the House of Hanover}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hichens |first=Mark |title=Wives of the Kings of England, From Hanover to Windsor |publisher=Peter Owen Publishers |year=2006 |isbn=0-7206-1271-3 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Quennell |first=Peter |url=https://archive.org/details/carolineofenglan0000quen |title=Caroline of England |publisher=Collins |year=1939 |location=London |author-link=Peter Quennell |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite ODNB |first=Stephen |last=Taylor |title=Caroline (1683–1737)|id=4720}}
* {{Cite book |last=Van der Kiste |first=John |title=George II and Queen Caroline |publisher=Sutton Publishing |year=1997 |isbn=0-7509-1321-5 |location=Stroud, Gloucestershire |author-link=John Van der Kiste}}
* {{Cite book |title=The Works of Alexander Pope, Esq |publisher=B. Law et al. |year=1797 |editor-last=Warton |editor-first=Joseph |editor-link=Joseph Warton |volume=4 |location=London}}
* {{Cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |title=Britain's Royal Families, The Complete Genealogy |publisher=Vintage Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-09-953973-5 |location=London |author-link=Alison Weir}}
* {{Cite book |last=Willement |first=Thomas |title=Regal Heraldry |publisher=W. Wilson |year=1821 |location=London |asin=B000OKQJTM}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wingfield |first=Marshall |title=A History of Caroline County, Virginia |publisher=Trewet Christian |year=1924 |location=Richmond, Virginia}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Caroline|volume=5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gerrard |first=Christine |title=Queenship in Britain, 1660–1837: Royal Patronage, Court Culture and Dynastic Politics |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-7190-5770-1 |editor-last=Campbell Orr |editor-first=Clarissa |pages=142–161 |chapter=Queens-in-waiting: Caroline of Anspach and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha as Princesses of Wales}}
* {{Cite book |last=Marschner |first=Joanna |title=Queenship in Britain, 1660–1837: Royal Patronage, Court Culture and Dynastic Politics |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2002 |isbn=0-7190-5770-1 |editor-last=Campbell Orr |editor-first=Clarissa |pages=130–142 |chapter=Queen Caroline of Anspach and the European museum princely tradition}}
* {{Cite DNB |wstitle=Caroline (1683-1737) |first=Adolphus William |last=Ward|volume=9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wilkins |first=William Henry |title=Caroline, the illustrious Queen-Consort of George II. and sometime Queen-Regent: a study of her life and time, Volume I |publisher=Longmans, Green, and Co |year=1901 |author-link=William Henry Wilkins}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wilkins |first=William Henry |title=Caroline, the illustrious Queen-Consort of George II. and sometime Queen-Regent: a study of her life and time, Volume II |publisher=Longmans, Green, and Co |year=1904}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach}}
* [https://www.rct.uk/collection/people/queen-caroline-of-great-britain-1683-1737#/type/subject Queen Caroline] at the official website of the [[Royal Collection Trust]]
* {{NPG name|name=Caroline Wilhelmina of Brandenburg-Ansbach}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Hohenzollern]]|1 March|1683|20 November|1737}}
{{S-roy}}
|-
{{S-vac|last=[[George of Denmark]]|as=consort}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of British royal consorts|Queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland]]
|years=1727–1737}}
{{S-vac|rows=2|next=[[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]]}}
|-
{{S-vac|last=[[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia of the Palatinate]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Electress consort of Hanover]]|years=1727–1737}}
{{S-end}}

{{British consort}}
{{British princesses by marriage}}
{{Princesses of Wales}}
{{Duchesses of Rothesay}}
{{Duchesses of Cambridge}}
{{Royal consorts of Hanover}}
{{Authority control}}

{{featured article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caroline Of Ansbach}}
[[Category:Caroline of Ansbach| ]]
[[Category:1683 births]]
[[Category:1737 deaths]]
[[Category:17th-century German people]]
[[Category:18th-century German people]]
[[Category:17th-century German women]]
[[Category:18th-century German women]]
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[[Category:18th-century British women]]
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[[Category:18th-century regents]]
[[Category:18th-century queens consort of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:18th-century princesses of Wales]]
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[[Category:Wives of British princes]]
[[Category:Burials at Westminster Abbey]]
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[[Category:Electresses of Hanover]]
[[Category:George II of Great Britain]]
[[Category:House of Hohenzollern]]
[[Category:Irish royal consorts]]
[[Category:People from Ansbach]]
[[Category:People from the Principality of Ansbach]]
[[Category:Duchesses of Cambridge]]
[[Category:Residents of White Lodge, Richmond Park]]
[[Category:Daughters of monarchs]]