George II of Great Britain

George II of Great Britain

George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death in 1760. George participated at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, and thus became the last British monarch to lead an army in battle. 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. George had no children of his own, but he was third in line to succeed Anne in two of her three realms.

About George II of Great Britain in brief

Summary George II of Great BritainGeorge II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death in 1760. George is the most recent British monarch born outside Great Britain: he was born and brought up in northern Germany. 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 participated at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, and thus became the last British monarch to lead an army in battle. 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. 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. George was keen to participate in the war against France, but his father refused to let him join the army until he had an active role in the army. 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. In addition to French and German, he also learnt English and Italian, and studied genealogy, military history, and battle tactics with particular diligence.

He had a difficult relationship with his eldest son, Frederick, who supported the parliamentary opposition. For two centuries after George II’s death, history tended to view him with disdain, concentrating on his mistresses, short temper, and boorishness. George II was ultimately succeeded by his grandson, George III, who was born in 1751 and became King of England and Ireland in 1763. He died in 1815, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, London, in front of a crowd of 2,000 people, including many of his former mistresses. He is buried alongside his wife, the former Queen of Prussia, Sophia Charlotte of Ansbach, and their two children, Prince George III and Princess Hedvig Sophia of Sweden, who died in childbirth in 1816. George died in 1765, and his funeral was held in the same chapel at Herrenhausen, which was held the same evening as his wedding. George had no children of his own, but he was third in line to succeed Anne in two of her three realms. His second cousin once removed, Queen Anne, ascended the thrones of England, Scotland, and Irish in 1702. She had no surviving children, and by the Act of settlement 1701, the English Parliament designated Anne’s closest Protestant blood relatives, George’s grandmother Sophia and her descendants, as Anne’s heirs in England and Irish.