George II of Great Britain

George II
George II in 1727, the year of his succession.
King of Great Britain and Ireland
Reign	11/22 June 1727 – 25 October 1760 (33 years, 125 days)
Coronation	11/22 October 1727
Predecessor	George I
Successor	George III
Prime Ministers	See list Robert Walpole Earl of Wilmington Henry Pelham Duke of Newcastle Duke of Devonshire
Born	30 October / 10 November 1683 (O.S./N.S.) Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover
Died	25 October 1760(1760-10-25) (aged 76) Kensington Palace, London
Burial	11 November 1760 Westminster Abbey, London
Consort	Caroline of Ansbach
Issue	Frederick, Prince of Wales Anne, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange Princess Amelia Princess Caroline Prince George William Prince William, Duke of Cumberland Princess Mary, Landgravine of Hesse Louise, Queen of Denmark and Norway
Names George Augustus German: Georg August
House	House of Hanover
Father	George I of Great Britain
Mother	Sophia Dorothea of Celle

George II (George Augustus; German: Georg II. August; 30 October 1683 (O.S) – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 (O.S.) until his death.

He was the last British monarch to have been born outside Great Britain, and was famous for his numerous conflicts with his father and, subsequently, with his son. As king, he exercised little control over policy in his early reign, the government instead being controlled by Great Britain's parliament. Before that, most kings possessed great power over their parliaments. He was also the last British monarch to lead an army in battle (at Dettingen, in 1743).

Early life

George as a young boy, pictured with his mother, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, and his sister, Sophia Dorothea of Hanover.

George was born at Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover (Germany). He was the son of Georg Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (later King George I of Great Britain), and his wife, Sophia Dorothea of Celle. Both of George's parents committed adultery, and in 1694 their marriage was dissolved on the pretext that Sophia had abandoned George. Sophia was confined to Ahlden Castle and denied access to her children; George probably never saw his mother again.

Although George primarily spoke German, he was also schooled in English, French, and Italian. He studied military history and tactics with particular diligence.

George's second cousin once removed Queen Anne, who had ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1702, had no surviving children. By the Act of Settlement 1701, the English Parliament had designated George's grandmother Sophia and her descendants as Anne's heirs, as Sophia was Anne's closest Protestant blood relation. Consequently, after his grandmother and father, George was third in the line of succession to the English throne. 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 and Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton and Baron Tewkesbury in the Peerage of England.

Marriage

In June 1705, George visited the Brandenburg court at Ansbach under the false name of "Monsieur de Busch" to investigate secretly and incognito a putative marriage prospect: his first cousin Caroline of Ansbach. George's father did not want his son to enter into a loveless arranged marriage like he had, and wanted his son to have the opportunity of meeting Caroline before any formal arrangements were made. 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". On 22 August/2 September 1705 Caroline arrived in Hanover for her wedding, which was held the same evening in the chapel at Herrenhausen.

Another princess suggested as a bride was Princess Hedvig Sophia of Sweden, at the time Dowager Duchess and regent of Holstein-Gottorp, but she declined the match.

George was keen to participate in the war against France in Flanders, but his father refused permission for George to join the army in an active role until he had a son and heir. On 20 January/1 February 1707, George's hopes were fulfilled and Caroline gave birth to a son, Frederick Louis. In July, Caroline fell seriously ill with smallpox, and George caught the infection himself after staying by her side devotedly during her illness. They both recovered. In 1708, George participated in the Battle of Oudenarde and fought in the vanguard in the Hanoverian cavalry; his horse and a colonel immediately beside him were killed, but George survived unharmed. The British commander, 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".

By 1714, Queen Anne's health was declining, and politicians in England, known as the Whigs, 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, though George, Caroline and Sophia were all in favour. George did not go. Within the year both Sophia and Anne were dead, and George's father was king.

Quarrel with the King

George and his father sailed for England from The Hague on 16/27 September and arrived at Greenwich two days later. The following day, they entered London formally in a ceremonial procession. George was given the title of Prince of Wales. London was like nothing George had seen before: it was 50 times larger than Hanover, and the crowd was estimated at up to one and half million spectators.

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 absence. He made a royal progress through Chichester, Havant, Portsmouth and Guildford in Southern England. An attempt on his life at Drury Lane theatre, in which one person was shot dead before the assailant was brought under control, boosted his high public profile.

His father distrusted or was jealous of George's popularity, which contributed to the development of a poor relationship between them. The birth of George's second son, Prince George William, in 1717 proved to be a catalyst for a family quarrel; the King, supposedly following custom, appointed the Lord Chamberlain, the Duke of Newcastle, as one of the baptismal 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. 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, and excluded him from all public ceremonies.

File:KING GEORGE II.jpg

George while Prince of Wales (1716), painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller

Political opposition

Having been banned from the Royal Palace and shunned by his own father, the Prince of Wales did all in his power to encourage opposition to George I's policies for the next several years, which included measures designed to increase religious freedom in Great Britain and expand Hanover's German territories at the expense of Sweden. His new London residence, Leicester House, became a frequent meeting place for his father's political opponents, including Sir Robert Walpole and Viscount Townshend.

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". The King partially relented and permitted them to visit once a week, though he later allowed Caroline unconditional access. When the King visited Hanover again from May to November 1719, instead of appointing his son George to the Guardianship during his absence, he established a regency council. In 1720, Walpole encouraged the King and his son to reconcile, for the sake of public unity, which they half-heartedly did. In the same year, Walpole made a return to political office, from which he had been excluded since 1717 by George I.

In 1721, the economic disaster of the South Sea Bubble allowed Sir Robert Walpole to rise to the pinnacle of government. Walpole and his Whig Party were dominant in politics, for George I feared that the Tories would not support the succession laid down in the Act of Settlement. The power of the Whigs was so great that the Tories would not come to hold power for another half-century. Sir Robert essentially controlled British government, but, by joining the King's side, he lost the favour of the Prince of Wales.

Early reign

George II succeeded to the throne on his father's death on 11/22 June 1727 during the King's sixth visit to Hanover. His father was buried at Hanover, but George II decided not to go to the funeral, which far from bringing criticism led to praise from the English populace who considered it proof of the new King's fondness for Britain. George was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 11/22 October. The Hanoverian composer Händel was commissioned to write four new anthems for the coronation; one of which, Zadok the Priest, has been sung at every coronation since.

It was widely believed both that George II would dismiss Walpole, who had distressed him by joining his father's government, and that he would be replaced by Sir Spencer Compton; George requested Compton, rather than Walpole, to write his first speech for him. Sir Spencer, however, requested Walpole for aid in the task, leading Queen Caroline, an ardent supporter of Sir Robert, to claim that Compton was incompetent. George II did not behave obstinately; instead, he agreed with his wife and retained Walpole as Prime Minister, who continued to slowly gain royal favour, securing a generous civil list of £800,000 for the King. Walpole commanded a substantial majority in Parliament and George II had little choice but to retain him or risk ministerial instability.

He also persuaded many Tory politicians to accept the succession laid down in the Act of Settlement as valid. In turn, the King helped Sir Robert to gain a strong parliamentary majority by creating peers sympathetic to the Whigs.

While the Queen was still alive, Walpole's position was secure. He was the master of domestic policy, and he still exerted some control over George's foreign policy. Whereas the King was eager for war in Europe, the Prime Minister was more cautious. Thus, in 1729, he encouraged George to sign a peace treaty with Spain. George unsuccessfully pressed Walpole to join the War of the Polish Succession on the side of the German states.

In 1734 he founded the Georg August University of Göttingen in Germany, also named after him. He had earlier served as the ninth Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin between 1715 and 1718.

Frederick, Prince of Wales

As a king he Generally played an honorific role in both domestic and foreign affairs, as Walpole and senior ministers made the major decisions. He aided Walpole in purging the cabinet in 1733. He yielded to Walpole's opposition to the War of the Polish Succession; George II wanted Britain to support its allies, the Austrians and Russians but Walpole said no. Henry Pelham (1696–1754) served as chief minister 1743-54. In 1744, under pressure, the king dismissed Carteret, his favourite minister.

Family problems

George II's relationship with his son and heir apparent, 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 political opposition to the King and Walpole. Meanwhile, rivalry between George and his brother-in-law Frederick William I of Prussia led to tension along the Prussian–Hanoverian border, which eventually culminated in Frederick William suggesting a duel and mobilization of troops along the border. In the negotiations that followed, a marriage between the Prince of Wales and Frederick William's daughter Wilhelmine was suggested but neither side would make the concessions demanded of the other, and the idea was shelved.

In May 1736, George II 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." The King made plans to return in the face of inclement 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. Immediately he fell ill, with piles and a fever, and withdrew to his bed. The Prince of Wales put it about that the King was dying, with the result that George II insisted on getting up and attending a social event to disprove the gossip-mongers.

When the Prince of Wales applied to parliament for an increase in his allowance, an open quarrel broke out; the King offered a private settlement, which Frederick rejected. Parliament voted against the measure, but George reluctantly increased his son's allowance on the advice of Walpole. Further friction between them followed when Frederick tried to exclude the King and Queen from the birth of his daughter in July 1737. George II banished him and his family from the royal court much like the punishment his own father had brought upon him.

After banishing his son, George II also lost his wife, who 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". Reputedly, on her deathbed she told him to remarry, to which he replied, "Non, j'aurai des maîtresses!" (French for "No, I shall have mistresses!"). George II had already had mistresses during his marriage. Since before the accession of George I until November 1734, Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, was his mistress. Henrietta and her husband had moved to Hanover during the reign of Queen Anne, and she had been one of Caroline's ladies of the bedchamber. She was followed by Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, with whom George II had an illegitimate son, Johann Ludwig, Graf von Wallmoden-Gimborn.

War and rebellion

Against Walpole's advice, George once again entered into war, the War of Jenkins' Ear, with Spain in 1739. The entire continent of Europe was plunged into war upon the death of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI in 1740. At dispute was the right of his daughter, Maria Theresa, to succeed to his Austrian dominions. George II's war with Spain quickly became part of the War of the Austrian Succession.

Sir Robert Walpole was powerless to prevent a major European conflict. He also faced the opposition of several politicians, led by John, Baron Carteret, later Earl Granville. Accused of rigging an election, Walpole retired, in 1742, after over twenty years in office. He was replaced by Spencer Compton, now Lord Wilmington, George's original choice for the premiership. Lord Wilmington, however, was a figurehead; actual power was held by Lord Carteret. When Wilmington died in 1743, Henry Pelham took his place.

The pro-war faction was led by Lord Carteret, who claimed that if Maria Theresa failed to succeed to the Austrian Throne, then French power in Europe would increase. George agreed to send more troops to Europe, ostensibly to support Maria Theresa, but in reality to prevent enemy troops from marching into Hanover. The British army had not fought in a major European war in over twenty years, during which time the government had badly neglected its upkeep. George had pushed for greater professionalism in the ranks, and promotion by merit, rather than by sale, but without much success. Nevertheless, the King enthusiastically sent his troops to Europe. He personally accompanied them, leading them to victory at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, thus becoming the last British monarch to lead troops into battle. Though his actions in the battle were admired, the war was not welcomed by the British public, who felt that the King and Lord Carteret were subordinating British interests to Hanoverian ones. Carteret lost support, and resigned in 1744.

George II

Half-Crown of George II, 1746. The inscription reads GEORGIUS II DEI GRATIA (George II by the Grace of God). Under the King's head is the word LIMA, signifying that the coin was struck from silver seized from the Spanish treasure fleet off Lima, Peru.

Shrewdly, George's French opponents encouraged rebellion by the Jacobites during the War of the Austrian Succession. The Jacobites were the supporters of the Roman Catholic James II, who had been deposed in 1688 and replaced, not by his Catholic son, but by his Protestant daughter. James II's son, James Francis Edward Stuart, known as the Old Pretender to the Hanoverian supporters and called "The True King" by the Jacobites, had attempted two prior rebellions; that of 1715, "the Fifteen", which was after he fled to France; and the rebellion of 1719, "the Nineteen", which was so weak that it was almost farcical. The Old Pretender's son, Charles Edward Stuart, popularly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, led the most famous rebellion on his father's behalf in 1745.

In July 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland, where many were loyal to his cause; he defeated British forces in September at the Battle of Prestonpans, and then moved south into England. The French monarch, Louis XV, had promised to send twelve thousand soldiers to aid the rebellion, but did not do so. The Jacobites, losing morale, retreated back into Scotland. On 16/27 April 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie faced George's military-minded son Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, in the Battle of Culloden, the last pitched battle ever fought on British soil. The ravaged Jacobite troops were routed by the government army. Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped to France, but many of his Scottish supporters were caught and executed. Jacobitism was all but crushed; no further serious attempt was made at restoring the House of Stuart.

After the Forty-Five, the War of the Austrian Succession continued. Peace was made in 1748, with Maria Theresa being recognised as Archduchess of Austria. She subsequently dropped Great Britain as a key ally, deeming it too unreliable.

Later life

George II in later life.

For the remainder of his life, George did not take any active interest in politics or war. During his last years, the foundation of the Industrial Revolution was laid as the population rose rapidly. British dominance in India increased with the victories of Robert Clive at the Battle of Arcot and the Battle of Plassey. In the general election of 1747 the Prince of Wales actively campaigned for the opposition but Pelham's party won easily. Like his father before him, the Prince entertained opposition figures at his house in Leicester Square. When the Prince of Wales died suddenly in 1751, his son, Prince George, immediately succeeded him as Duke of Edinburgh. The new Duke was soon created Prince of Wales in recognition of his status as heir-apparent. However, the Dowager Princess of Wales mistrusted the King, and kept the two apart. A new Regency Act made the Princess regent for her son, assisted by a council led by the Duke of Cumberland, in case of George II's death.

In 1752, Great Britain reformed its calendar. It had previously operated under the Julian Calendar, but during 1752 adopted the Gregorian Calendar. The calendar change required omitting eleven days; 2 September was followed by 14 September. Furthermore, 1 January became the official beginning of the New Year, instead of 25 March. The former date had been commonly regarded as the beginning of the New Year for a long time, but the latter was retained in formal usage. To ensure consistency of financial record keeping, and to prevent annual payments falling due before they would have under the Julian Calendar, the fiscal year was not shortened, with the result that in the United Kingdom each tax year has since begun on 6 April.

In 1754, King George issued the charter for King's College in New York City, which later become Columbia University, and Prime Minister Henry Pelham died, to be succeeded by his elder brother, the Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Seven Years' War

Statue of George II in Golden Square, Soho, London. By John Nost the elder, this was erected in 1753, but had actually been made 33 years previously for the Duke of Chandos. It is badly corroded (it has been suggested that this is due to over-zealous cleaning) and the right hand is damaged. The only other public statue of this king in London is at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich. (January 2006)

Further information: [[:Great Britain in the Seven Years War]]

The Duke of Devonshire became prime minister in 1756, and William Pitt the Elder was appointed a Secretary of State in the Duke of Devonshire's administration. The King disliked Pitt because he had previously opposed involvement in the War of the Austrian Succession. The hostility was marked by George's criticism of Pitt's speeches in early 1757. In April of the same year, George dismissed Pitt, but later recalled him, and the Duke of Newcastle returned as Prime Minister. As Secretary of State for the Southern Department, Pitt guided policy relating to the Seven Years' War, which may be viewed as a continuation of the War of the Austrian Succession. Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, made an alliance with her nation's former enemies, Russia and France, and became the enemy of Great Britain and Hanover. George II feared that this new alliance would invade Hanover; thus, he aligned himself with Prussia. Great Britain, Hanover and Prussia were thus pitted against many major European powers, including Austria, Russia, France, Sweden and Saxony. The war spread from Europe to North America and to India, where it was termed the Second Carnatic War.

Britain enjoyed an annus mirabilis in 1759 which saw British forces triumphant in every theatre in which they fought including the capture of Quebec and Guadeloupe, and the defeat of the French army in Germany at the Battle of Minden. A French plan to invade Britain was defeated following the naval battles at Lagos and Quiberon Bay.

By October 1760, the King was blind in one eye, and hard-of-hearing. On the morning of 25 October, he rose as usual and entered his water closet. After a few minutes, his valet heard a loud crash. He entered the water closet to find the King on the floor. The King was lifted into his bed, and Princess Amelia was sent for, but before she reached him, he was dead. At the age of nearly 77, he had lived longer than any of his predecessors.

Death

The King had developed an aortic aneurysm, in an "incipient" stage, but the direct cause of death was a ruptured right ventricle. The lacerability of the King's tissues, and the dilatation of the pulmonary artery to which Nicholis alludes, were attributed by writer Clifford Brewer to syphilitic infection: "Aneurysms of the aorta and the rupture of a ventricle (heart) are commonly syphilitic in origin."

The King was buried in Westminster Abbey on 11 November and was succeeded by his grandson, George III.

Legacy

The Seven Years' War continued after George II's death. It concluded during the early reign of George III, and led to important territorial gains for the British in North America and Asia. Nevertheless, the expensive conflict crippled royal finances. British attempts to tax the Americans would lead to the American Revolution. Great Britain, however, fared much better in India, where rule by the British East India Company was secured within years of George II's death.

George II's lack of interest in British government contributed to the decline of royal power. His successor, George III, sought to retain royal prerogatives, but the power of ministers and Parliament had become well-established.

The patriotic song "God Save the King" was developed during George II's reign. It is thought that the first public performance of the song — sometimes cited as an adaptation of a piece by the French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully — occurred during the Forty-Five. In reference to the Jacobite Rebellion, a fourth verse (which includes the words "Rebellious Scots to crush") was added, though it is now rarely sung. "God Save the King" (or "God Save the Queen") is now the unofficial national anthem of the United Kingdom, one of the two national anthems of New Zealand (along with "God Defend New Zealand"), and the royal anthem of Australia and Canada.

The first London performance of Messiah from G.F. Handel took place on 23 March 1743, in the presence of King George II. When the first notes of the now famous Hallelujah chorus resounded, the King rose to his feet and remained standing for the duration of the piece. This may have been a gesture of recognition, demonstrating that his earthly kingship was subservient to the King of Kings. As no one could remain sitting whilst the King stood, the entire audience stood and stayed standing for the duration of the piece. It has since become tradition for audiences to stand for the Hallelujah Chorus. This is frequently observed even if there are no royalty present.

In popular culture

On screen, George has been portrayed by:

• Alexander Ekert in the 1921 German silent film Exzellenz Unterrock, based on a novel by Adolf Paul
• Olaf Hytten in the 1936 film The Last of the Mohicans
• Martin Miller in the 1948 film Bonnie Prince Charlie
• Ivan Triesault in the 1951 film The Lady and the Bandit, about Dick Turpin
• Arthur Young in the 1954 biopic John Wesley
• Richard Harris in the 1989 film King of the Wind
• Clive Swift in the 1999 BBC TV drama series Aristocrats
• Richard Griffiths in the 2011 adventure film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Royal styles of George II of Great Britain
Reference style	His Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty
Alternative style	Sire

Titles and styles

• 30 October 1683 (O.S.) – 23 January 1698 (O.S.): His Highness Duke George Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg
• 23 January 1698 (O.S.) – 1 August 1714 (O.S.): His Serene Highness George Augustus, Electoral Prince of Hanover
  • From 9 November 1706: Duke and Marquis of Cambridge, Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton, and Baron of Tewkesbury
• 1 August 1714 (O.S.) – 27 September 1714 (O.S.): His Royal Highness George Augustus, Prince of Great Britain, Electoral Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay, etc.
• 27 September 1714 (O.S.) – 11/22 June 1727: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, etc.
• 11/22 June 1727 – 25 October 1760: His Majesty The King

In Great Britain, George II used the official style "George the Second, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc." In some cases (especially in treaties), the formula "Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Archtreasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire" was added before "etc."

Arms

When George became Prince of Wales in 1716, he was granted the Royal arms of the kingdom (with an inescutcheon of Gules plain in the Hanoverian quarter), differenced by a label Argent of three points. The arms included the Royal crest and supporters but with the single arched coronet of his rank, all charged on the shoulder with a similar label.

As King his arms were: Quarterly, I Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or (for England) impaling Or a lion rampant within a tressure flory-counter-flory Gules (for Scotland); II Azure three fleurs-de-lys Or (for France); III Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (for Ireland); IV tierced per pale and per chevron (for Hanover), I Gules two lions passant guardant Or (for Brunswick), II Or a semy of hearts Gules a lion rampant Azure (for Lüneburg), III Gules a horse courant Argent (for Westfalen), overall an escutcheon Gules charged with the crown of Charlemagne Or (for the dignity of Archtreasurer of the Holy Roman Empire).

• 
  See adjacent text
• Coat of Arms of the Hanoverian Princes of Wales (1714-1760).svg
  Coat of Arms of the Hanoverian Princes of Wales (1714-1760).svg
• Coat of Arms as the Prince of Wales 1714–1727
  Coat of Arms as the Prince of Wales 1714–1727
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  See adjacent text
• Coat of Arms of Great Britain in Scotland (1714-1801).svg
  Coat of Arms of Great Britain in Scotland (1714-1801).svg
• Coat of Arms of George II as King of Great Britain (in Scotland)
  Coat of Arms of George II as King of Great Britain (in Scotland)

Ancestors

Family of George II of Great Britain

16. William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 8. George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 17. Dorothea of Denmark 4. Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg 18. Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt 9. Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt 19. Magdalene of Brandenburg 2. George I of Great Britain 20. Frederick IV, Elector Palatine 10. Frederick V, Elector Palatine 21. Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau 5. Sophia, Princess Palatine of the Rhine 22. James I of England 11. Princess Elizabeth Stuart 23. Anne of Denmark 1. George II of Great Britain 24. William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (= 16) 12. George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (= 8) 25. Dorothea of Denmark (= 17) 6. George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg 26. Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (= 18) 13. Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt (= 9) 27. Magdalene of Brandenburg (= 19) 3. Sophia Dorothea of Celle 28. Alexander Desmier, Seigneur d'Olbreuse 14. Alexander II Desmier, Seigneur d'Olbreuse 29. Marie Baudouin du Peux 7. Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse, Countess of Wilhelmsburg 30. Joachim Poussard, Seigneur du Bas-Vandré 15. Jacquette Poussard du Bas-Vandré 31. Suzanne Gaillard de Saint-Dizant

Issue

Caroline's nine pregnancies (from 1707–24) resulted in eight live births—one of whom, Prince George William (13 November 1717 – 17 February 1718), died in infancy, and seven of whom lived to adulthood:

Name	Birth	Death	Age	Notes
Frederick, Prince of Wales	1 February 1707	31 March 1751	44 years, 58 days	married 1736, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenberg; had issue, including the later George III
Anne, Princess Royal	2 November 1709	12 January 1759	49 years, 71 days	married 1734, William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau; had issue
Princess Amelia	10 June 1711	31 October 1786	75 years, 143 days	intended wife of Frederick II, King of Prussia, until his father forced him to marry Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Princess Caroline	10 June 1713	28 December 1757	44 years, 201 days
Prince Augustus George	9 November 1716	9 November 1716	0 days	stillborn
Prince George William	13 November 1717	17 February 1718	109 days	died in infancy
Prince William, Duke of Cumberland	26 April 1721	31 October 1765	44 years, 188 days
Princess Mary	5 March 1723	14 January 1772	48 years, 315 days	married 1740, Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel); had issue
Princess Louise	18 December 1724	19 December 1751	27 years, 1 day	married 1743, Frederick V, King of Denmark and Norway; had issue

Bibliography

• Black, Jeremy (2001) Walpole in Power. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0 7509 2523 X
• Black, Jeremy (2007) George II: Puppet of the Politicians? (Exeter Studies in History) (2007)
• Cannon, John, "George II (1683–1760)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (2004); online edn, Oct 2007
• Dickinson, H. T. Walpole and the Whig Supremacy (1973) online edition
• Reginald, Lucas. (2009) George II. and His Ministers
• Thompson Andrew C. (2011) George II: King and Elector (Yale University Press), standard scholarly biography
• Van der Kiste, John (1997) George II and Queen Caroline. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0 7509 1321 5
• Williams, Basil. The Whig Supremacy, 1714–60 (2d ed. 1962), standard scholarly history online edition

External links

• George II, BBC History
• Henry Churchyard "Royal Genealogies, Part 9"
• Sam Sloan "Big Combined Family Trees (pafg746)"
• Funeral of George II, An account by Horace Walpole on Mytimemachine.co.uk