George II
King of Great Britain and Irealnd

George II (George Augustus) (10 November 1683–25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain, King of Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Archtreasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death. He was the second British monarch of the House of Hanover, and the last British monarch to personally lead his troops into battle.

George II was famous for his numerous conflicts with his father and afterwards with his son (a seemingly common problem for members of the Hanoverian dynasty). His relationship with his wife was much better, despite his numerous mistresses. George II exercised little control over policy during his early reign, the government instead being controlled by Great Britain's first (unofficial) "Prime Minister," Sir Robert Walpole.

Early life

The Prince George Augustus was born at Schloss Herrenhausen, Hanover. He was the son of the then-George Louis, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg and his wife, the Princess Sophia Dorothea. When his father succeeded to the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1698, the Prince George became Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg. He married the Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1705.

The Act of Settlement 1701 devised the British Crown to the Hereditary Prince's grandmother Sophia if the then-ruling monarch, William III, and his sister-in-law, the Princess Anne of Denmark, both died without issue. Under the Act of Settlement, the Hereditary Prince became a naturalised English subject in 1705. Anne, who had succeeded to the English Throne in 1702, admitted the Hereditary Prince to the Order of the Garter in 1706. She created him Duke of Cambridge, Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton and Baron Tewkesbury later in the same year.

In 1714, Anne died, shortly after the Electress Sophia. Consequently, Sophia's son George inherited the Throne. George I's son, the Prince George, automatically became Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay and Earl of Carrick. His father created him Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 27 September 1714.

The Prince of Wales had an extremely poor relationship with his father. His London residence, Leicester House, became a meeting place for George I's political opponents, including Sir Robert Walpole and Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend. When the Princess of Wales gave birth to Prince George William in 1717, a family quarrel ensued, and the King banished the Prince of Wales and his family from the royal residence. In 1720, they reconciled, but were never on cordial terms.

In 1721, the economic disaster of the South Sea Bubble allowed Sir Robert Walpole to rise to power. Walpole and his Whig Party were dominant in politics, for George I feared that the Tories did 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 Walpole essentially controlled British government, but he fell out of the Prince of Wales's favour upon joining the King's government.

Sir Robert Walpole

George II succeeded to the throne on his father's death in 1727, but a battle of wills continued with his son and heir, Frederick, Prince of Wales. George II may have planned to exile his son to the British colonies, but, in any event, did not actually do so.

Sir Robert Walpole was retained as Prime Minister by George II, although he had previously distressed George by joining George I's government. It was Queen Caroline who vigorously lobbied for the retention of Sir Robert Walpole; without her aid, he most likely would have been removed by the new King. Walpole then secured a generous civil list of £800,000, thereby gaining royal favour. He also persuaded many Tory politicians to accept the succession laid down in the Act of Settlement as valid. In turn, George II helped Sir Robert Walpole gain a strong parliamentary majority by creating peers (who sat in the House of Lords) sympathetic to the Whigs.

Whilst Queen Caroline was still alive, Sir Robert Walpole's position was secure. He was the master of domestic policy, and he still exerted some control over George II's foreign policy. Whilst George was eager for war in Europe, Walpole was more cautious. Thus, in 1729, he encouraged George II to sign a peace treaty with Spain.

War and rebellion

Queen Caroline, however, died in 1737. (When she reputedly asked George II to remarry, he said "Non, j'aurai des maitresses!"—French for "No, I will have mistresses!") George's son, the Prince of Wales, meanwhile encouraged opposition to Walpole's policies. Against Walpole's advice, George II once again entered into war 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 III'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 retired in 1742 after over twenty years in power, to be replaced by Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington. When Lord Wilmington died in 1743, Henry Pelham took his place. The pro-war faction was led by John Carteret, 2nd Lord Carteret (afterwards 2nd Earl Granville). Lord Carteret, a Secretary of State, claimed that if Maria Theresa failed to succeed to the Austrian Throne, then French power in Europe would increase. George II 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 this time, the government had badly neglected their upkeep. Nevertheless, George II enthusiastically sent his troops to Europe. He personally accompanied them, leading them into the Battle of Dettingen in 1743. (He thus became the last British monarch ever to lead troops into battle.) His armies were controlled by his military-minded son, the Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. The war was not welcomed by the British public, who felt that George II and Lord Carteret were subordinating British interests to Hanoverian ones.

Shrewdly, George II'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 1689 and replaced not by his Catholic son, but by his Catholic daughter. James II's son, James Francis Edward Stuart (the "Old Pretender") had attempted two prior rebellions; the rebellion of 1715 ("the Fifteen") was after he fled to France, and the rebellion of 1719 ("the Nineteen") was so weak that it was almost farcial. The Old Pretender's son, Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie"), however, led a much stronger rebellion on his father's behalf in 1745. The "Forty-Five," as it became known, almost dethroned George II.

Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland in July 1745. Many Scotsmen were loyal to his cause; he defeated British forces in September. He then attempted to enter England, where even Roman Catholics seemed hostile to the invasion. The French monarch, Louis XV, had promised to send twelve thousand soldiers to aid the rebellion, but did not deliver. A British army under the Duke of Cumberland, meanwhile, drove the Jacobites back into Scotland. On 17 January 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie faced the Duke of Cumberland in the Battle of Culloden, the last battle ever fought on British soil. The ravaged Jacobite troops were routed by the British. 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 years

For the remainder of his life, George did not take any active interest in politics or war. When Henry Pelham died in 1754, he was succeeded as Prime Minister by his brother, Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle. The Duke of Newcastle was replaced by William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire in 1756, but returned to office in 1757.

Another notable minister of George II's administration was William Pitt the Elder, who, as Secretary of State for the Southern Department, 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 (where the conflict was known as the French and Indian War) and to India (where it was termed the Second Carnatic War).

Death

George II died on 25 October 1760 from a stroke whilst using his toilet. He was subsequently buried in Westminster Abbey. He was succeeded by his grandson, who became George III.

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.

Style

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 the phrase "etc."

George II's 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 the dignity of Archtreasurer of the Holy Roman Empire).

Legitimate issue

See also

• List of British monarchs
• Succession to the British Throne

References

• British Broadcasting Corporation. (2004). "George II." (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/george_ii_king.shtml)
• "George I." (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press.