View source for George II of Great Britain

{{Short description|King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1727 to 1760}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = George II
| image        = George II by Thomas Hudson.jpg
| caption      = ''[[Portrait of George II]]'' by [[Thomas Hudson (painter)|Thomas Hudson]], 1744
| alt          = George sitting on a throne
| succession   = {{plainlist|
* [[King of Great Britain]] and [[King of Ireland|Ireland]]
* [[Elector of Hanover]]}}
| reign        = 11/22{{efn|name=dates|Over the course of George's life, two calendars were used: the [[Old Style and New Style dates|Old Style]] [[Julian calendar]] and the [[Old Style and New Style dates|New Style]] [[Gregorian calendar]]. Before 1700, the two calendars were 10 days apart. Hanover switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar on 19 February (O.S.) / 1 March (N.S.) 1700. Great Britain switched on 3/14 September 1752. George was born on 30 October Old Style, which was 9 November New Style, but because the calendar shifted forward a further day in 1700, the date is occasionally miscalculated as 10 November.<ref>Huberty ''et al''., p. 108</ref> In this article, individual dates before September 1752 are indicated as either O.S. or N.S. or both. All dates after September 1752 are N.S. only. All years are assumed to start from 1 January and not 25 March, which was the English New Year.}} June 1727 – {{awrap|25 October 1760}}
| coronation   = 11/22{{efn|name=dates}} October 1727
| cor-type     = [[Coronation of George II and Caroline|Coronation]]
| predecessor  = [[George I of Great Britain|George I]]
| successor    = [[George III]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Caroline of Ansbach]]|22 August 1705|20 November 1737|end=d.}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Frederick, Prince of Wales]]
* [[Anne, Princess of Orange]]
* [[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Princess Amelia]]
* [[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Princess Caroline]]
* [[Prince George William]]
* [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]
* [[Mary, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel]]
* [[Louisa, Queen of Denmark and Norway]]
}}
| issue-link   = #Issue
| full name    = George Augustus ({{langx|de|link=no|Georg August}})
| house        = [[House of Hanover|Hanover]]
| religion     = [[Protestant]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/history-and-stories/the-georgians/#gs.mb0pol|title=The Hanoverians are here!|quote=the monarch could only be Anglican|website=Historic Royal Palaces|date=2022}}
* {{cite web|url=https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/George-I/603546|title=George I|quote=all British monarchs must be Protestants of the Church of England|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=2022}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.royal.uk/act-settlement-0?page=18|title=Act of Settlement|website=The Royal Family|date=2022|quote=The Sovereign now had to swear to maintain the Church of England (and after 1707, the Church of Scotland)}}</ref>
| father       = [[George I of Great Britain]]
| mother       = [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]]
| birth_date   = 30 October / {{birth date|1683|11|9|df=yes}}{{efn|name=dates}}
| birth_place  = [[Herrenhausen Palace]],<ref name=cannon>Cannon.</ref> or [[Leine Palace]],<ref>Thompson, p. 10.</ref> Hanover
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1760|10|25|1683|11|9|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Kensington Palace]], London, England
| burial_date  = 11 November 1760
| burial_place = [[Westminster Abbey]], London
| signature    = Firma del Rey George II.svg
| signature_alt = George's signature in cursive
}}

'''George II''' (George Augustus; {{langx|de|link=yes|Georg August}}; 30 October / 9 November 1683{{efn|name=dates}}&nbsp;– 25 October 1760) was [[King of Great Britain]] and [[King of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] ([[Electorate of Hanover|Hanover]]) and a [[prince-elector]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] from 11 June 1727 ([[Old Style and New Style dates|O.S.]]) until his death in 1760.

Born and brought up in [[northern Germany]], George is the most recent British monarch born outside Great Britain. The [[Act of Settlement 1701]] and the [[Acts of Union 1707]] positioned his grandmother [[Sophia of Hanover]] and her [[Protestant]] descendants to inherit the British throne. George married [[Princess Caroline of Ansbach]], with whom he had eight children. After the deaths of George's grandmother and [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain]], George's father, the [[Elector of Hanover]], ascended the British throne as [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] in 1714. In the first years of his father's reign as king, Prince George was associated with opposition politicians until they rejoined the governing party.

As king from 1727, George exercised little control over British domestic policy, which was largely controlled by the [[Parliament of Great Britain]]. As elector he spent twelve summers in Hanover, where he had more direct control over government policy. He had a difficult relationship with his eldest son, [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick]], who supported the parliamentary opposition. During the [[War of the Austrian Succession]], George participated at the [[Battle of Dettingen]], and thus became the most recent British monarch to lead an army in battle. Supporters of the [[Catholic]] claimant to the British throne, [[James Francis Edward Stuart]], led by [[Charles Edward Stuart|James's son]], attempted and failed to depose George in the [[Jacobite rising of 1745|last of the Jacobite rebellions in 1745]]. Prince Frederick died suddenly in 1751, before his father, and George was succeeded by Frederick's eldest son, [[George III]].

For two centuries after George II's death, historians tended to view him with disdain, concentrating on his mistresses, short temper, and boorishness. Since then, reassessment of his legacy has led scholars to conclude that he exercised more influence in foreign policy and military appointments than previously thought.

==Early life==
=== Birth and family ===
[[File:Sophie Dorothea Prinzessin von Ahlden.jpg|thumb|left|George as a young boy with his mother and sister]]
George was born in the city of [[Hanover]] in Germany, followed by his sister, [[Sophia Dorothea of Hanover|Sophia Dorothea]], three years later. Their parents, George Louis, Hereditary Prince of [[Electorate of Hanover|Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (later King [[George I of Great Britain]]), and [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]], both committed adultery. In 1694<!--28 December 1694 O.S.--> the marriage was dissolved on the pretext that Sophia Dorothea had abandoned her husband.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 6.</ref> She was confined to [[Ahlden House]] and denied access to her two children, who probably never saw their mother again.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 35–36; Thompson, p. 19; Van der Kiste, p. 7.</ref>

George spoke only French, the language of diplomacy and the court, until the age of four, after which he was taught German by one of his tutors, Johann Hilmar Holstein.<ref>Thompson, p. 16.</ref> In addition to French and German, he also learned English and Italian, and studied genealogy, military history, and battle tactics with particular diligence.<ref>Trench, p. 7; Van der Kiste, p. 9.</ref>

George's second cousin once removed, Queen [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]], ascended the thrones of [[Kingdom of England|England]], [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]] in 1702. Though she had had seventeen pregnancies, of which five resulted in live births, her [[Prince William, Duke of Gloucester|only surviving child]] died in 1700. By the [[Act of Settlement 1701]], therefore, the [[Parliament of England|English Parliament]] designated Anne's closest Protestant [[Blood relationship|blood relations]], George's grandmother [[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia]] and her descendants, as Anne's heirs in England and Ireland. Consequently, after his grandmother and father, George was third in line to succeed Anne in two of her three realms. He was naturalized as an English subject in 1705 by the [[Sophia Naturalization Act]], and in 1706 he was made a [[Knight of the Garter]] and created [[Duke of Cambridge|Duke and Marquess of Cambridge]], Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton, and [[Baron Tewkesbury]] in the [[Peerage of England]].<ref>Thompson, pp. 35–36.</ref> England and Scotland [[Acts of Union 1707|united in 1707]] to form the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], and jointly accepted the succession as laid down by the English Act of Settlement.<ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/Ann/6/11/contents Union with Scotland Act 1706] and [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aosp/1707/7/contents Union with England Act 1707], The National Archives, retrieved 20 September 2011.</ref>

===Marriage===

[[File:Caroline Wilhelmina of Brandenburg-Ansbach by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg|thumb|Princess Caroline by [[Godfrey Kneller]], 1716]]

George's father did not want his son to enter into a loveless arranged marriage as he had and wanted him to have the opportunity of meeting his bride before any formal arrangements were made.<ref name=vdk17/> Negotiations from 1702 for the hand of Princess [[Hedvig Sophia of Sweden]], Dowager Duchess and regent of [[Holstein-Gottorp]], came to nothing.<ref>Thompson, p. 28.</ref> In June 1705, under the false name "Monsieur de Busch", George visited the [[Principality of Ansbach|Ansbach]] court at its summer residence in Triesdorf to investigate ''incognito'' a marriage prospect: [[Princess Caroline of Ansbach]], the former ward of his aunt [[Queen Sophia Charlotte of Prussia]]. The English envoy to Hanover, Edmund Poley, reported that George was so taken by "the good character he had of her that he would not think of anybody else".<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 15.</ref> A marriage contract was concluded by the end of July.<ref>Thompson, p. 30; Van der Kiste, p. 16.</ref> On 22 August / 2 September 1705{{efn|name=dates}} Caroline arrived in Hanover for her wedding, which was held the same evening in the chapel at [[Herrenhausen Palace]].<ref name=vdk17>Van der Kiste, p. 17.</ref>

George was keen to participate in the [[War of the Spanish Succession|war against France]] in [[Flanders]], but his father refused to let him join [[Hanoverian army|the army]] in an active role until he had a son and heir.<ref>Thompson, p. 31; Van der Kiste, p. 18.</ref> In early 1707 George's hopes were fulfilled when Caroline gave birth to a son, [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick]].<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 19.</ref> In July Caroline fell seriously ill with [[smallpox]], and George caught the infection after staying by her side devotedly during her illness.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 21.</ref> They both recovered. In 1708 George participated in the [[Battle of Oudenarde]] in the vanguard of the Hanoverian cavalry; his horse and a colonel<!--Colonel Johann Albrecht von Lösecke--> immediately beside him were killed, but George survived unharmed.<ref>Thompson, p. 32; Trench, p. 18; Van der Kiste, p. 22.</ref> The British commander, [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Marlborough]], wrote that George "distinguished himself extremely, charging at the head of and animating by his example [the Hanoverian] troops, who played a good part in this happy victory".<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 23.</ref> Between 1709 and 1713 George and Caroline had three daughters: [[Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange|Anne]], [[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Amelia]], and [[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Caroline]].<ref>Thompson, p. 37.</ref>

By 1714 Queen Anne's health had declined, and [[British Whigs]], who supported the Hanoverian succession, thought it prudent for one of the Hanoverians to live in England to safeguard the Protestant succession on Anne's death. As George was a [[peer of the realm]] (as Duke of Cambridge), it was suggested that he be summoned to Parliament to sit in the [[House of Lords]]. Both Anne and George's father refused to support the plan, although George, Caroline, and Sophia were all in favour.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 30.</ref> George did not go. Within the year both Sophia and Anne were dead, and George's father was king.<ref>Thompson, p. 38.</ref>

==Prince of Wales==

===Quarrel with the King===
[[File:The Thames at Horseferry1710.jpg|thumb|right|London, {{Circa}} 1710]]
[[File:Kneller - George II when Prince of Wales.png|thumb|Portrait by Kneller, 1716]]
George and his father sailed for England from [[The Hague]] on 16/27 September 1714 and arrived at [[Greenwich]] two days later.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 36.</ref> The following day, they formally entered London in a ceremonial procession.<ref>Trench, p. 38; Van der Kiste, p. 37.</ref> George was given the title of [[Prince of Wales]]. Caroline followed her husband to Britain in October with their daughters, while Frederick remained in Hanover to be brought up by private tutors.<ref>Thompson, pp. 39–40; Trench, p. 39.</ref> London was like nothing George had seen before; it was 50 times larger than Hanover,{{efn|Hanover had about 1,800 houses, whereas London had 100,000.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 39.</ref>}} and the crowd was estimated at up to one and a half million spectators.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 37.</ref> George courted popularity with voluble expressions of praise for the English, and claimed that he had no drop of blood that was not English.<ref>Trench, p. 55; Van der Kiste, p. 44.</ref>

In July 1716, the King returned to Hanover for six months, and George was given limited powers, as "Guardian and Lieutenant of the Realm", to govern in his father's absence.<ref>Trench, pp. 63–65; Van der Kiste, p. 55.</ref> He made a [[royal progress]] through [[Chichester]], [[Havant]], [[Portsmouth]], and [[Guildford]] in southern England.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 59.</ref> Spectators were allowed to see him dine in public at [[Hampton Court Palace]].<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 45; Thompson, p. 47.</ref> An attempt on his life at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]], in which one person was shot dead before the assailant<!--Mr Freeman--> was brought under control, boosted his high public profile.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 61.</ref>

The King distrusted or was jealous of George's popularity, which contributed to the development of a poor relationship between them.<ref>Trench, p. 75; Van der Kiste, p. 61.</ref> The birth in 1717 of George's second son, [[Prince George William of Great Britain|George William]], proved to be a catalyst for a family quarrel; the King, supposedly following custom, appointed [[Lord Chamberlain]] [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle]], as one of the [[baptism]]al sponsors of the child. The King was angered when George, who disliked Newcastle, verbally insulted the Duke at the christening, which the Duke misunderstood as a challenge to a duel.{{efn|George shook his fist at Newcastle and said "You are a rascal; I shall find you out!", which the Duke apparently misheard as "You are a rascal; I shall fight you!"<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 63.</ref>}} George and Caroline were temporarily confined to their apartments on the order of the King, who subsequently banished his son from [[St James's Palace]], the King's residence.<ref>Trench, p. 77.</ref> The Prince and Princess of Wales left court, but their children remained in the care of the King.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 46; Thompson, p. 53; Trench, p. 78.</ref>

George and Caroline missed their children, and were desperate to see them. On one occasion, they secretly visited the palace without the approval of the King; Caroline fainted and George "cried like a child".<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 66.</ref> The King partially relented and permitted them to visit once a week, though he later allowed Caroline unconditional access.<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 66–67.</ref> In February 1718, Prince George William died aged only three months, with his father by his side.<ref>Trench, p. 80.</ref>

===Political opposition===
Banned from the palace and shunned by his own father, the Prince of Wales was identified for the next several years with opposition to George I's policies,<ref>Trench, pp. 67, 87.</ref> which included measures designed to increase religious freedom in Great Britain and expand Hanover's German territories at the expense of [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]].<ref>Thompson, pp. 48–50, 55.</ref> His new London residence, [[Leicester House, Westminster|Leicester House]], became a frequent meeting place for his father's political opponents, including Sir [[Robert Walpole]] and [[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend|Lord Townshend]], who had left the government in 1717.<ref>Trench, pp. 79, 82.</ref>

The King visited Hanover again from May to November 1719. Instead of appointing George to the guardianship, he established a regency council.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 71.</ref> In 1720, Walpole encouraged the King and his son to reconcile, for the sake of public unity, which they did half-heartedly.<ref>Thompson, p. 57; Trench, pp. 88–90; Van der Kiste, pp. 72–74.</ref> Walpole and Townshend returned to political office, and rejoined the ministry.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 52; Thompson, p. 58; Trench, p. 89.</ref> George was soon disillusioned with the terms of the reconciliation; his three daughters who were in the care of the King were not returned and he was still barred from becoming regent during the King's absences.<ref>Trench, pp. 88–89.</ref> He came to believe that Walpole had tricked him into the rapprochement as part of a scheme to regain power. Over the next few years, he and Caroline lived quietly, avoiding overt political activity. They had three more children: [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland|William]], [[Princess Mary of Great Britain|Mary]], and [[Louise of Great Britain|Louisa]], who were brought up at Leicester House and [[Richmond Lodge]], George's summer residence.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 54; Thompson, pp. 58–59.</ref>

In 1721, the economic disaster of the [[South Sea Bubble]] allowed Walpole to rise to the pinnacle of government.<ref>Trench, pp. 104–105.</ref> Walpole and his Whig Party were dominant in politics, as the King feared that the [[Tories (British political party)|Tories]] would not support the succession laid down in the [[Act of Settlement]].<ref>Trench, pp. 106–107.</ref> The power of the Whigs was so great that the Tories would not hold power for another half-century.<ref>Thompson, p. 45; Trench, p. 107.</ref>

==Reign==
=== Accession ===
[[File:King George II by Charles Jervas.jpg|thumb|left|alt=George holding a sceptre|Portrait by [[Charles Jervas]], {{circa|1727}}]]
George I died on 11/22 June 1727 during one of his visits to Hanover, and his son succeeded him as king and elector at the age of 43. George II decided not to travel to Germany for his father's funeral, which far from bringing criticism led to praise from the English who considered it proof of his fondness for England.<ref name=vdk97>Van der Kiste, p. 97.</ref> He suppressed his father's will because it attempted to split the Hanoverian succession between George II's future grandsons rather than vest all the domains (both British and Hanoverian) in a single person. Both British and Hanoverian ministers considered the will unlawful, as George I did not have the legal power to determine the succession personally.<ref>Trench, pp. 130–131.</ref> Critics supposed that George II hid the will to avoid paying out his father's legacies.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 88; Cannon; Trench, pp. 130–131.</ref>

George II [[Coronation of George II and Caroline|was crowned]] at [[Westminster Abbey]] on 11/22 October 1727.<ref name=vdk97/> [[George Frideric Handel]] was commissioned to write four new anthems for the coronation, including ''[[Zadok the Priest]]''.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 77.</ref>

It was widely believed that George would dismiss Walpole, who had distressed him by joining his father's government, and replace him with [[Sir Spencer Compton]].<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 80; Trench, p. 132.</ref> George asked Compton, rather than Walpole, to write his first speech as king, but Compton asked Walpole to draft it. Caroline advised George to retain Walpole, who continued to gain royal favour by securing a generous [[civil list]] (a fixed annual amount set by Parliament for the king's official expenditure) of £800,000,<ref>Trench, pp. 132–133.</ref> equivalent to £{{Inflation|UK-GDP|800000|1727|fmt=c|r=-5}} today.{{Inflation/fn|UK-GDP}} Walpole commanded a substantial majority in Parliament and George had little choice but to retain him or risk ministerial instability.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 81–84; Black, ''Walpole in Power'', pp. 29–31, 53, 61.</ref> Compton was ennobled as Lord Wilmington the following year.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 95.</ref>
[[File:George II.jpg|thumb|right|alt=George with his hand on an orb|Portrait by [[Enoch Seeman]], {{Circa}}&nbsp;1730]]
Walpole directed domestic policy, and after the resignation of Lord Townshend in 1730 also controlled George's foreign policy.<ref>Trench, p. 149.</ref> Historians generally believe that George played an honorific role in Britain, and closely followed the advice of Walpole and senior ministers, who made the major decisions.<ref>Thompson, p. 92.</ref> Although the King was eager for war in Europe, his ministers were more cautious.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 95.</ref> A truce was agreed in the [[Anglo-Spanish War (1727–1729)|Anglo-Spanish War]], and George unsuccessfully pressed Walpole to join the [[War of the Polish Succession]] on the side of the German states.<ref>Trench, pp. 173–174; Van der Kiste, p. 138.</ref> In April 1733 Walpole withdrew the unpopular [[Excise Bill]] that had attracted strong opposition, including from within his own party. George lent Walpole support by dismissing the bill's opponents from their [[Court (royal)#Court officials|court offices]].<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 141–143; Thompson, pp. 102–103; Trench, pp. 166–167.</ref>

===Family problems===
George II's relationship with his son [[Frederick, Prince of Wales]], worsened during the 1730s. Frederick had been left behind in Germany when his parents came to England, and they had not met for 14 years. In 1728, he was brought to England, and swiftly became a figurehead of the political opposition.<ref>Trench, pp. 141–142; Van der Kiste, pp. 115–116.</ref> When George visited Hanover in the summers of 1729, 1732 and 1735, he left his wife to chair the regency council in Britain rather than his son.<ref>Thompson, pp. 85–86; Van der Kiste, pp. 118, 126, 139.</ref> Meanwhile, rivalry between George II and his brother-in-law and first cousin [[Frederick William I of Prussia]] led to tension along the [[Prussia]]n–Hanoverian border, which eventually culminated in the mobilization of troops in the border zone and suggestions of a duel between the two kings. Negotiations for a marriage between the Prince of Wales and Frederick William's daughter [[Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth|Wilhelmine]] dragged on for years but neither side would make the concessions demanded by the other, and the idea was shelved.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 118.</ref> Instead, the Prince married [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]] in April 1736.<ref>Trench, p. 179.</ref>

In May 1736, George returned to Hanover, which resulted in unpopularity in England; a satirical notice was even pinned to the gates of [[St James's Palace]] decrying his absence. "Lost or strayed out of this house", it read, "a man who has left a wife and six children [[on the parish]]."<ref>Trench, pp. 182–184; Van der Kiste, pp. 149–150.</ref> The King made plans to return in the face of inclement December weather; when his ship was caught in a storm, gossip swept London that he had drowned. Eventually, in January 1737, he arrived back in England.<ref>Trench, p. 185–187; Van der Kiste, p. 152.</ref> Immediately, he fell ill with a fever and [[haemorrhoids|piles]], and withdrew to his bed. The Prince of Wales put it about that the King was dying, with the result that George insisted on getting up and attending a social event to disprove the gossip-mongers.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 153.</ref>

When the Prince of Wales applied to Parliament for an increase in his allowance, an open quarrel broke out. The King, who had a reputation for stinginess,<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 136; Thompson, pp. 7, 64; Trench, p. 150.</ref> offered a private settlement, which Frederick rejected. Parliament voted against the measure, but George reluctantly increased his son's allowance on Walpole's advice.<ref>Trench, pp. 189–190; Van der Kiste, pp. 153–154.</ref> Further friction between them followed when Frederick excluded the King and Queen from the birth of his daughter in July 1737 by bundling his wife, who was in labour, into a coach and driving off in the middle of the night.<ref>Thompson, p. 120; Trench, p. 192; Van der Kiste, pp. 155–157.</ref> George banished him and his family from the royal court, much as his own father had done to him, except that he allowed Frederick to retain custody of his children.<ref>Trench, p. 196; Van der Kiste, p. 158.</ref>

Soon afterwards, George's wife Caroline died on 20 November 1737 (O.S.). He was deeply affected by her death, and to the surprise of many displayed "a tenderness of which the world thought him before utterly incapable".<ref>Hervey's Memoirs, vol. III, p. 916, quoted in Thompson, p. 124, and Van der Kiste, p. 165.</ref> On her deathbed she told her sobbing husband to remarry, to which he replied, "{{lang |fr |Non, j'aurai des maîtresses!}}" (French for "No, I shall have mistresses!").<ref>Thompson, p. 124; Trench, p. 199.</ref> It was common knowledge that George had already had mistresses during his marriage, and he had kept Caroline informed about them.<ref>Thompson, p. 92; Trench, pp. 175, 181.</ref> [[Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk|Henrietta Howard]], later Countess of Suffolk, had moved to Hanover with her husband during the reign of Queen Anne,<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 25, 137.</ref> and had been one of Caroline's [[women of the bedchamber]]. She was his mistress from before the accession of George I until November 1734. She was followed by [[Amalie von Wallmoden]], later Countess of Yarmouth, whose son, [[Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden]], may have been fathered by George. Johann Ludwig was born while Amalie was still married to her husband, and George did not acknowledge him publicly as his own son.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 157; Kilburn; Weir, p. 284.</ref>

===War and rebellion===
{{further|Jacobite rising of 1745}}
{{further|War of the Austrian Succession}}
Against Walpole's wishes, but to George's delight, Britain reopened hostilities with [[History of Spain (1700-1808)|Spain]] in 1739.<ref>Trench, pp. 205–206.</ref> Britain's conflict with Spain, the [[War of Jenkins' Ear]], became part of the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] when a major European dispute broke out upon the death of [[Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI]] in 1740. At issue was the right of Charles's daughter, [[Maria Theresa]], to succeed to his [[Habsburg monarchy|Austrian dominions]].<ref>Trench, p. 210.</ref> George spent the summers of 1740 and 1741 in Hanover, where he was more able to intervene directly in European diplomatic affairs in his capacity as elector.<ref>Thompson, pp. 133, 139.</ref>

Prince Frederick campaigned actively for the opposition in the [[1741 British general election]], and Walpole was unable to secure a stable majority. Walpole attempted to buy off the Prince with the promise of an increased allowance and offered to pay off his debts, but Frederick refused.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 174; Trench, p. 212.</ref> With his support eroded, Walpole retired in 1742 after over 20 years in office. He was replaced by [[Spencer Compton, Lord Wilmington]], whom George had originally considered for the premiership in 1727. Wilmington, however, was a figurehead;<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 86.</ref> actual power was held by others, such as [[Lord Carteret]], George's favourite minister after Walpole.<ref name=cannon/> When Wilmington died in 1743, [[Henry Pelham]] took his place at the head of the government.<ref>Thompson, p. 150.</ref>
[[File:John Wootton (c.1682-1764) - George II at the Battle of Dettingen, with the Duke of Cumberland and Robert, 4th Earl of Holderness, 27 June 1743 - NAM. 1961-07-116 - National Army Museum.jpg|thumb|right|alt=George on a white horse|Depicted at the [[Battle of Dettingen]] in 1743 by [[John Wootton]]]]
[[File:george2coin.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Coin showing George facing left|[[Half crown (British coin)|Half-crown]] of George II, 1746. The inscription reads GEORGIUS II DEI GRATIA (George II by the Grace of God). The word LIMA under the King's head signifies that the coin was struck from silver seized from the [[Spanish treasure fleet]] off [[Lima]], Peru, during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]].<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/s/silver_lima_crown_5_shillings.aspx "Silver 'Lima' crown (5 shillings) of George II"], [[British Museum]], retrieved 26 August 2011 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429230829/https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/s/silver_lima_crown_5_shillings.aspx |date=29 April 2011 |title=Archive }}</ref>]]
The pro-war faction was led by Carteret, who claimed that French power would increase if Maria Theresa failed to succeed to the Austrian throne. George agreed to send 12,000 hired Hessian and Danish mercenaries to Europe, ostensibly to support Maria Theresa. Without conferring with his British ministers, George stationed them in Hanover to prevent enemy French troops from marching into the electorate.<ref>Trench, pp. 211–212.</ref> The [[British Army]] had not fought in a major European war in over 20 years, and the government had badly neglected its upkeep.<ref>Trench, pp. 206–209.</ref> George had pushed for greater professionalism in the ranks, and promotion by merit rather than by [[sale of commissions]], but without much success.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 111; Trench, pp. 136, 208; Van der Kiste, p. 173.</ref> An allied force of Austrian, British, [[Dutch republic|Dutch]], Hanoverian and Hessian troops engaged the French at the [[Battle of Dettingen]] on 16/27 June 1743. George personally accompanied them, leading them to victory, thus becoming the last British monarch to lead troops into battle.<ref>Thompson, p. 148; Trench, pp. 217–223.</ref> Though his actions in the battle were admired, the war became unpopular with the British public, who felt that the King and Carteret were subordinating British interests to Hanoverian ones.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 181–184; Van der Kiste, pp. 179–180.</ref> Carteret lost support, and to George's dismay resigned in 1744.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 185–186; Thompson, p. 160; Van der Kiste, p. 181.</ref>

Tension grew between the [[Broad Bottom ministry|Pelham ministry]] and George, as he continued to take advice from Carteret and rejected pressure from his other ministers to include [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt the Elder]] in the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]], which would have broadened the government's support base.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 190–193; Thompson, pp. 162, 169; Trench, pp. 234–235.</ref> The King disliked Pitt because he had previously opposed government policy and attacked measures seen as pro-Hanoverian.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 164, 184, 195.</ref> In February 1746, Pelham and his followers resigned. George asked [[William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath|Lord Bath]] and Carteret to [[Short-lived ministry|form an administration]], but after less than 48 hours they returned the seals of office, unable to secure sufficient parliamentary support. Pelham returned to office triumphant, and George was forced to appoint Pitt to the ministry.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 190–193; Cannon; Trench, pp. 234–235.</ref>

George's French opponents encouraged [[Jacobite uprising|rebellion by the Jacobites]], the supporters of the Roman Catholic claimant to the British throne, [[James Francis Edward Stuart]], often known as the Old Pretender. Stuart was the son of [[James II of England|James II]], who had been deposed in 1688 and replaced by his Protestant relations. Two prior rebellions in [[Jacobite rising of 1715|1715]] and [[Jacobite rising of 1719|1719]] had failed. In July 1745, the Old Pretender's son, [[Charles Edward Stuart]], popularly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender, landed in Scotland, where support for his cause was highest. George, who was summering in Hanover, returned to London at the end of August.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 184.</ref> The Jacobites defeated British forces in September at the [[Battle of Prestonpans]], and then moved south into England. The Jacobites failed to gain further support, and the French reneged on a promise of help. Losing morale, the Jacobites retreated back into Scotland.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 190–191.</ref> On 16/27 April 1746, Charles faced George's military-minded son [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]], in the [[Battle of Culloden]], the last pitched battle fought on British soil. The ravaged Jacobite troops were routed by the government army. Charles escaped to France, but many of his supporters were caught and executed. Jacobitism was all but crushed; no further serious attempt was made at restoring the [[House of Stuart]].<ref>Van der Kiste, pp. 186–187.</ref> The War of the Austrian Succession continued until 1748, when Maria Theresa was recognized as Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Bohemia. The peace was celebrated by a {{linktext |fête}} in [[Green Park, London]], for which Handel composed ''[[Music for the Royal Fireworks]]''.<ref>Thompson, pp. 187–189.</ref>

=== Planning for succession ===
[[File:George II 1755-1767.jpg|thumb|left|alt=George in his seventies|Portrait by [[John Shackleton]], {{Circa}} 1755–1757]]
In the [[1747 British general election|general election of 1747]], [[Frederick, Prince of Wales]], again campaigned actively for the opposition but Pelham's party won easily.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 199; Trench, p. 243; Van der Kiste, p. 188.</ref> Like his father before him, Frederick entertained opposition figures at his house in [[Leicester Square]].<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 189.</ref> When Frederick died unexpectedly in 1751, his eldest son, [[George III|Prince George]], became heir apparent. The King commiserated with Frederick's widow, Augusta, and wept with her.<ref>Thompson, p. 208; Trench, p. 247.</ref> As her son would not reach the age of majority until 1756, a new British [[Regency Act]] was passed that would make her regent, assisted by a council led by Frederick's brother William in case of George II's death.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 207–211; Thompson, p. 209; Trench, p. 249; Van der Kiste, p. 195.</ref> The King also made a new will, which provided for William to be sole regent in Hanover.<ref>Thompson, p. 211.</ref> After the death of his daughter [[Louise of Great Britain|Louisa]] at the end of the year, George lamented, "This has been a fatal year for my family. I lost my eldest son&nbsp;– but I am glad of it&nbsp;... Now [Louisa] is gone. I know I did not love my children when they were young: I hated to have them running into my room; but now I love them as well as most fathers."<ref>[[Horace Walpole]]'s memoirs, vol. I, p. 152, quoted in Thompson, p. 213 and Trench, p. 250.</ref>

=== Seven Years' War ===
In 1754 Pelham died, to be succeeded by his elder brother, Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle.

Hostility between [[Kingdom of France|France]] and Britain, particularly over the [[colonization of North America]], continued.<ref>Thompson, pp. 233–238.</ref> Fearing a French invasion of Hanover, George aligned himself with Prussia (ruled by his nephew, [[Frederick the Great]]), Austria's enemy. [[Russian Empire|Russia]] and France allied with Austria, their former enemy. A French [[Siege of Fort St Philip (1756)|invasion of the British-held island of Minorca]] led to the outbreak of the [[Seven Years' War]] in 1756. Public disquiet over British failures at the start of the conflict led to Newcastle's resignation and the appointment of [[William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire]], as prime minister and [[William Pitt the Elder]] as [[Secretary of State for the Southern Department]].<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 231–232; Thompson, p. 252; Trench, pp. 271–274.</ref> In April the following year George dismissed Pitt in an attempt to construct an administration more to his liking. Over the succeeding three months attempts to form another stable ministerial combination failed. In June [[James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave|Lord Waldegrave]] held the seals of office for only four days. By the start of July, Pitt was recalled and Newcastle returned as prime minister. As Secretary of State, Pitt guided policy relating to the war. Great Britain, Hanover, and Prussia and their allies [[Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel|Hesse-Kassel]] and [[Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel]] fought against other European powers, including France, Austria, Russia, [[Age of Liberty|Sweden]] and [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]]. The war involved multiple theatres from Europe to North America and India, where British dominance increased with the victories of [[Robert Clive]] over French forces and their allies at the [[Battle of Arcot]] and the [[Battle of Plassey]].<ref>Ashley, p. 677.</ref>

[[File:William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland by Sir Joshua Reynolds.jpg|thumb|George said his son Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (pictured), had "ruined me and disgraced himself" at the 1757 Convention of Klosterzeven.]]

George's son William commanded the King's troops in northern Germany. In 1757 [[Invasion of Hanover (1757)|Hanover was invaded]] and George gave his son full powers to conclude a separate peace,<ref>Thompson, pp. 265–266; Trench, p. 283.</ref> but by September George was furious at [[Convention of Klosterzeven|William's negotiated settlement]], which he felt greatly favoured the French.<ref>Thompson, p. 268; Trench, p. 284.</ref> George said his son had "ruined me and disgraced himself".<ref>Horace Walpole's memoirs, vol. III, p. 61, quoted in Trench, p. 286.</ref> William, by his own choice, resigned his military offices,<ref>Thompson, p. 276; Trench, p. 286.</ref> and George revoked the peace deal on the grounds that the French had infringed it by disarming Hessian troops after the ceasefire.<ref>Thompson, p. 270; Trench, p. 287.</ref>

In the ''[[Annus Mirabilis of 1759|Annus Mirabilis]]'' of 1759 British forces [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham|captured Quebec]] and [[Invasion of Guadeloupe (1759)|captured Guadeloupe]], defeated a French [[Planned French Invasion of Britain (1759)|plan to invade Britain]] following naval battles at [[Battle of Lagos|Lagos]] and [[Battle of Quiberon Bay|Quiberon Bay]],<ref>Trench, pp. 293–296.</ref> and halted a resumed French advance on Hanover at the [[Battle of Minden]].<ref>Thompson, pp. 282–283.</ref>

=== Death ===
By October 1760 George II was blind in one eye and [[hard of hearing]].<ref>Thompson, p. 275; Trench, p. 292; Van der Kiste, p. 212.</ref> On the morning of 25 October he rose as usual at 6:00&nbsp;am, drank a cup of hot chocolate, and went to his [[close stool]] alone. After a few minutes, his valet<!--Schröder--> heard a loud crash and entered the room to find the King on the floor;<ref>Thompson, pp. 289–290; Van der Kiste, p. 213.</ref> his physician, [[Frank Nicholls]], recorded that he "appeared to have just come from his necessary-stool, and as if going to open his [[escritoire]]".<ref name='Nicholls' />

The King was lifted into his bed, and Princess Amelia was sent for; before she reached him, he was dead. At the age of nearly 77 he had lived longer than any of his English or British predecessors.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 213.</ref> A [[post-mortem]] revealed that George had died as the result of a [[thoracic aortic dissection]].<ref name='Nicholls'>{{Cite journal |author-link=Frank Nicholls |last=Nicholls |first=Frank |date=1761 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bYWNFD7xRXkC&pg=PA265 265–274] |title=Observations concerning the body of His Late Majesty |journal=Philos Trans Lond |volume=52}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Criado |first=Frank J. |date=2011 |title=Aortic dissection: a 250-year perspective |journal=[[Texas Heart Institute Journal]] |volume=38 |issue=6 |pages=694–700|pmid=22199439 |pmc=3233335 }}</ref> He was succeeded by his grandson George III, and buried on 11 November in Westminster Abbey. He left instructions for the sides of his and his wife's coffins to be removed so that their remains could mingle.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 253; Thompson, p. 290.</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:George II statue 1.jpg|thumb|alt=Weathered statue in Roman garb|Statue of George II by [[John Van Nost]] erected in 1753 in [[Golden Square]], London<ref>Van der Kiste, between pp. 150 and 151.</ref>]]
[[File:Columbia University.jpg|thumb|alt=a tree in front of a dome-roofed building with people sitting on its front steps|[[Columbia University]] in New York was founded by [[royal charter]] in 1754 as King's College.]]
George donated the royal library to the [[British Museum]] in 1757, four years after the museum's foundation.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 68, 127.</ref> He had no interest in reading,<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 127; Thompson, pp. 97–98; Trench, p. 153.</ref> or in the arts and sciences, and preferred to spend his leisure hours stag-hunting on horseback or playing cards.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 128; Trench, pp. 140, 152.</ref> In 1737, he founded the [[Georg August University of Göttingen]], the first university in the [[Electorate of Hanover]], and visited it in 1748.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 128.</ref> The asteroid [[359 Georgia]] was named in his honour at the university in 1902. He served as the [[Chancellor of the University of Dublin]] between 1716 and 1727; and in 1754 issued the charter for [[Columbia College (New York)|King's College]] in New York City, which later became [[Columbia University]]. The [[province of Georgia]], founded by royal charter in 1732 and later a [[Georgia (U.S. state)|U.S. state]], was named after him.<ref>Thompson, p. 96.</ref>

During George II's reign British interests expanded throughout the world, the Jacobite challenge to the Hanoverian dynasty was extinguished, and the power of ministers and Parliament in Britain became well-established. Nevertheless, in the memoirs of contemporaries such as [[John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey|Lord Hervey]] and [[Horace Walpole]], George is depicted as a weak buffoon, governed by his wife and ministers.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 255–257.</ref> Biographies of George written during the nineteenth and first part of the twentieth century relied on these biased accounts.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 257–258.</ref> Since the last quarter of the twentieth century, scholarly analysis of surviving correspondence has indicated that George was not as ineffective as previously thought.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 258–259.</ref> Letters from ministers are annotated by George with pertinent remarks and demonstrate that he had a grasp of and interest in foreign policy in particular.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 144–146; Cannon; Trench, pp. 135–136.</ref> He was often able to prevent the appointment of ministers or commanders he disliked, or sideline them into lesser offices.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 195.</ref> This academic reassessment, however, has not completely eliminated the popular perception of George II as a "faintly ludicrous king".<ref>Best, p. 71.</ref> His parsimony, for example, may have opened him to ridicule, though his biographers observe that parsimony is preferable to extravagance.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 82; Trench, p. 300; ''Lord Waldegrave's Memoirs'' quoted in Trench, p. 270.</ref> [[James Caulfeild, 1st Earl of Charlemont|Lord Charlemont]] excused George's short temper by explaining that sincerity of feeling is better than deception, "His temper was warm and impetuous, but he was good-natured and sincere. Unskilled in the royal talent of dissimulation, he always was what he appeared to be. He might offend, but he never deceived."<ref>Charlemont quoted in Cannon and Trench, p. 299.</ref> Lord Waldegrave wrote, "I am thoroughly convinced that hereafter, when time shall have wore away those specks and blemishes which sully the brightest characters, and from which no man is totally exempt, he will be numbered amongst those patriot kings, under whose government the people have enjoyed the greatest happiness".<ref>Quoted in Trench, p. 270.</ref> George may not have played a major role in history, but he was influential at times and he upheld constitutional government.<ref>Black, ''George II'', p. 138; Cannon; Trench, p. 300.</ref> [[Elizabeth Montagu]] said of him, "With him our laws and liberties were safe, he possessed in a great degree the confidence of his people and the respect of foreign governments; and a certain steadiness of character made him of great consequence in these unsettled times&nbsp;... His character would not afford subject for epic poetry, but will look well in the sober page of history."<ref>Quoted in Black, ''George II'', p. 254.</ref>

==Titles, styles and arms==

===Titles and styles===
In Britain:<!--See also https://archive.org/stream/completepeerageo02coka#page/496/mode/2up -->
* From 1706: Duke and Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton and Baron of Tewkesbury<ref>Weir, p. 277.</ref>
* August–September 1714: His Royal Highness George Augustus, Prince of Great Britain, Electoral Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, etc.<ref>e.g. {{London Gazette|issue=5264|page=1|date=28 September 1714}}</ref>
* 1714–1727: ''His Royal Highness'' The Prince of Wales
* 1727–1760: ''His Majesty'' The King

George II's full style was "George the Second, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, [[English claim to the French throne|France]] and Ireland, [[Fidei defensor|Defender of the Faith]], Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, [[Arch-Treasurer|Archtreasurer]] and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire".<ref>e.g. [http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/39038.html A Lima half-crown (MEC1598)], [[National Maritime Museum]], retrieved 7 September 2011</ref>

===Arms===
When George became [[Coat of arms of the Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]] in 1714, he was granted the [[Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom|royal arms]] with an [[inescutcheon]] of [[gules]] plain in the Hanoverian quarter [[Cadency labels of the British royal family|differenced overall by a label]] of three points [[argent]]. The crest included the single arched [[coronet]] of his rank. As king, he used the [[George I of Great Britain#Arms|royal arms as used by his father]] undifferenced.<ref>Pinches and Pinches, p. 206.</ref>

{| border="0" align="center" width="60%"
|-
!width=50% |[[File:Coat of Arms of the Hanoverian Princes of Wales (1714-1760).svg|center|200px]]
!width=50% |[[File:Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg|center|200px]]
|-
|style="text-align: center;" |Coat of arms as the Prince of Wales 1714–1727
|style="text-align: center;" |Coat of arms of George II as King of Great Britain 1727–1760
|}

== Family ==

===Ancestry===
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''George II of Great Britain'''
|2= 2. [[George I of Great Britain]]
|3= 3. [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]]
|4= 4. [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]
|5= 5. [[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia, Princess Palatine of the Rhine]]
|6= 6. [[George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]]
|7= 7. [[Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse|Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse, Countess of Wilhelmsburg]]
|8= 8. [[George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (=12)<ref name=weir>Weir, pp. 272–275.</ref>
|9= 9. [[Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt]] (=13)<ref name=weir/>
|10= 10. [[Frederick V, Elector Palatine]]<ref name=weir/>
|11= 11. [[Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia|Elizabeth Stuart]]<ref name=weir/>
|12= 12. [[George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (=8)<ref name=weir/>
|13= 13. [[Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt]] (=9)<ref name=weir/>
|14= 14. Alexandre II Desmier, Seigneur d'Olbreuse<ref name=haag>Haag ''et al''., pp. 347–349.</ref>
|15= 15. Jacquette Poussard de Vandré<ref name=haag/>
}}

{{Dukes of Cambridge family tree}}

===Issue===
[[File:Medal of George II and his Family MET DP-180-155.jpg|thumb|[[John Croker (engraver)|John Croker]]'s medal of 1732 showing the surviving children of George II and Caroline: [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick]], [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland|William]], [[Anne, Princess of Orange|Anne]], [[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Amelia]], [[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Caroline]], [[Princess Mary of Great Britain|Mary]], and [[Louise of Great Britain|Louisa]] ]]
Caroline's ten<ref>Weir, pp. 277–285.</ref> or eleven<ref name="Dennison2">Dennison, p. 211.</ref> pregnancies resulted in eight live births. One of the couple's children 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]]
|-
| [[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}}
| never married, no issue
|-
| [[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Princess Caroline]]
| {{dts|10 June 1713}}
| {{dts|28 December 1757}}
| never married, no issue
|-
| 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
|
|-
| [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]
| {{dts|26 April 1721}}
| {{dts|31 October 1765}}
| never married, no issue
|-
| [[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, King of Denmark and Norway]]; had issue
|
|-
| colspan=4 | {{center|Dates in this table are [[Old Style and New Style dates|New Style]]}}
|}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* [[Mike Ashley (writer)|Ashley, Mike]] (1998) ''The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens''. London: Robinson. {{ISBN|978-1-84119-096-9}}
* [[Nicholas Best|Best, Nicholas]] (1995) ''The Kings and Queens of England''. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. {{ISBN|978-0-297-83487-8}}
* [[Jeremy Black (historian)|Black, Jeremy]] (2001) ''Walpole in Power''. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. {{ISBN|978-0-7509-2523-5}}
* Black, Jeremy (2007) ''George II: Puppet of the Politicians?'' Exeter: University of Exeter Press. {{ISBN|978-0-85989-807-2}}
* [[John Cannon (historian)|Cannon, John]] (2004) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10539 "George II (1683–1760)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, retrieved 16 August 2011 {{doi|10.1093/ref:odnb/10539}} {{ODNBsub}}
* {{Citation |last=Dennison |first=Matthew |title=The First Iron Lady |publisher=Harper Collins Publishers |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-00-812199-0 |location=London}}
* {{Citation |last1=Haag |first1=Eugène |last2=Haag |first2=Émile |last3=Bordier |first3=Henri Léonard |date=1877 |title=La France Protestante |publisher=Paris: Sandoz et Fischbacher |language=French |url=https://archive.org/details/lafranceprotesta05haaguoft}}
* Huberty, Michel; Giraud, Alain; Magdelaine, F. et B. (1981) ''L'Allemagne Dynastique. Volume 3: Brunswick-Nassau-Schwarzbourg''. Le Perreux-sur-Marne: Giraud. {{ISBN|978-2-901138-03-7}}
* Kilburn, Matthew (2004) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/28579 "Wallmoden, Amalie Sophie Marianne von, suo jure countess of Yarmouth (1704–1765)"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, retrieved 30 November 2012 {{doi|10.1093/ref:odnb/28579}} {{ODNBsub}}
* [[John Pinches|Pinches, John Harvey]]; Pinches, Rosemary (1974) ''The Royal Heraldry of England''. Slough, Buckinghamshire: Hollen Street Press. {{ISBN|978-0-900455-25-4}}
* Thompson, Andrew C. (2011) ''George II: King and Elector''. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-300-11892-6}}
* [[Charles Chenevix Trench|Trench, Charles Chevenix]] (1973) ''George II''. London: Allen Lane. {{ISBN|978-0-7139-0481-9}}
* {{Citation |author-link=John Van der Kiste |last=Van der Kiste |first=John |date=1997 |title=George II and Queen Caroline |publisher=Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing |isbn=978-0-7509-1321-8}}
* [[Alison Weir|Weir, Alison]] (1996) ''Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy''. London: Random House. {{ISBN|978-0-7126-7448-5}}

==Further reading==
* Bultmann, William A. (1966) "Early Hanoverian England (1714–1760): Some Recent Writings" in Elizabeth Chapin Furber, ed. ''Changing views on British history: essays on historical writing since 1939''. Harvard University Press, pp.&nbsp;181–205
* Dickinson, Harry T.; introduced by [[A. L. Rowse]] (1973) ''Walpole and the Whig Supremacy''. London: The English Universities Press. {{ISBN|978-0-340-11515-2}}
* Hervey, John Hervey Baron (1931) ''Some materials towards memoirs of the reign of King George II''. Eyre & Spottiswoode
* Marshall, Dorothy (1962) ''Eighteenth Century England 1714–1784''
* [[Charles Grant Robertson|Robertson, Charles Grant]] (1911) [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924014654044#page/n6/mode/1up ''England under the Hanoverians'']. London: Methuen
* Smith, Hannah (2005) "The Court in England, 1714–1760: A Declining Political Institution?" ''History'' '''90''' (297): 23–41
* Smith, Hannah (2006) ''Georgian Monarchy: Politics and Culture, 1714–1760''. Cambridge University Press
* [[Basil Williams (historian)|Williams, Basil]]; revized by C. H. Stuart (1962) ''The Whig Supremacy 1714–1760''. Second edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press

==External links==
{{Commons category|George II of Great Britain}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.royal.uk/george-ii George II] at the official website of the [[British monarchy]]
* [https://www.rct.uk/collection/people/george-ii-king-of-great-britain-1683-1760#/type/subject George II] at the official website of the [[Royal Collection Trust]]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/george_ii_king.shtml George II] at [[BBC]] History
* {{NPG name|name=King George II}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou |[[House of Hanover]]|9 November|1683|25 October|1760|[[House of Welf]]}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef |before=[[George I of Great Britain|George I]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[King of Great Britain]] and [[Monarchy of Ireland|Ireland]],<br />[[Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Elector of Hanover]]|years=11/22 June 1727&nbsp;– 25 October 1760}}
{{s-aft |after=[[George III]]}}
{{s-roy |uk}}
|-
{{s-vac |last=[[James Francis Edward Stuart|James]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[Prince of Wales]]<br />[[Duke of Cornwall]]<br />[[Duke of Rothesay]]|years=1714–1727}}
{{s-aft |after=[[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick]]}}
{{s-aca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde|The Duke of Ormonde]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chancellor of the University of Dublin]] | years= 1715–1727}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Frederick, Prince of Wales|HRH Frederick, Prince of Wales]] }}
{{s-end}}

{{Navboxes
|title=Articles and topics related to George II of Great Britain
|state=collapsed
|list1=
{{English, Scottish and British monarchs}}
{{Kingdom of Great Britain}}
{{British princes}}
{{Princes of Wales}}
{{Dukes of Cornwall}}
{{Dukes of Rothesay}}
{{Dukes of Cambridge}}
{{Rulers of Hanover}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:George 02 Of Great Britain}}
[[Category:George II of Great Britain| ]]
[[Category:1683 births]]
[[Category:1760 deaths]]
[[Category:17th-century German people]]
[[Category:18th-century British people]]
[[Category:18th-century Irish monarchs]]
[[Category:18th-century prince-electors of Hanover]]
[[Category:18th-century princes of Wales]]
[[Category:18th-century dukes of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Burials at Westminster Abbey]]
[[Category:Chancellors of the University of Dublin]]
[[Category:Deaths from aortic dissection]]
[[Category:Dukes of Bremen and Verden]]
[[Category:Dukes of Cambridge]]
[[Category:Dukes of Rothesay]]
[[Category:Dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg]]
[[Category:Electoral Princes of Hanover]]
[[Category:English pretenders to the French throne]]
[[Category:House of Hanover]]
[[Category:Garter Knights appointed by Anne]]
[[Category:Peers of England created by Queen Anne]]<!--in 1706, as Duke of Cambridge-->
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Monarchs of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Nobility from Hanover]]
[[Category:Heirs to the British throne]]
[[Category:Princes and great stewards of Scotland]]
[[Category:Children of George I of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Sons of kings]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Hanover]]