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| Portrait by Thomas Hudson (1744) |
Birth name: Georg August von Hannover
Born: 09 November 1683, Hanover, Brunswick-Lüneburg, Holy Roman Empire
Father: King George I of Great Britain and Ireland
Mother: Princess Sophia-Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle
House: Hanover
Nationality: German
Religion: Protestantism
Claim: Child of George I
Reign: 22 June 1727 - 25 October 1760 (33 years)
Coronation: 11 October 1727
Predecessor: George I
Successor: George III
Died: 25 October 1760 (aged 76), Kensington, Middlesex, England
Cause: Heart attack
Burial: Westminster Abbey
Motto: God and my right
Spouse(s):
- Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (m. 1705 - 1737)
Children:
- With Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach
- Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707 - 1751)
- Anne, Princess of Orange (1709 - 1759)
- Princess Amelia (1711 - 1786)
- Princess Caroline (1713 - 1757)
- *Unnamed Prince* (1716 - 1716)
- Prince George (1717 - 1718)
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1718 - 1718)
- Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721 - 1765)
- Mary, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (1723 - 1772)
- Louisa, Queen of Denmark and Norway (1724 - 1751)
- *Unnamed Prince/Princess* (1725 - 1725)
- With Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth
- Johann Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Wallmoden-Gimborn (1736 - 1811) *disputed*
Appearance:
He was often described as short in stature, and possessed large, wide eyes. His voice was reported to have been quite high-pitched, and he spoke with a noticeable German accent.
George would often frequently favour wearing military uniforms, and wore the typical powdered wigs that were the style during this period of history.
Character:
Notorious for his bad temper, George was very quick to anger, and was prone to tantrums, often tearing off his wig and kicking it around the room when he couldn't get his own way. It was even joked and speculated that his lifetime of anger is what led to the huge heart attack that would ultimately end his life. The main source of a lot of his ire was his family drama, as he often quarrelled with his father, as well as his own sons. He despised his eldest son, likely not helped by the fact that he had effectively abandoned him for many years.
Despite this, George was relatively close to his wife, Caroline, as well as his younger children. Though he was not particularly paternal in nature, and often hated the noises and messes that children would make, he was deeply effected when he lost custody of his children and was forbidden from seeing them. He loved his wife dearly, though he would not remain loyal to her, and was known to have possessed many mistresses throughout their marriage. It's possible that George fathered at least one illegitimate child, though he never publicly acknowledged this.
As well as his temper, George was also known to be grumpy, stubborn, vengeful, impatient, and deeply insecure.
However, George was also noted for his bravery, and would lead his troops into battle. He was obsessed with war and military matters, and was quick to provoke into warfare. As a result, he often detested peaceful solutions, and could be viewed as war-hungry. He was obsessed with military history and tactics, and was known to have talked for hours on end about the subject.
It's quite possible that George may have suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or was perhaps even autistic, as he became obsessed with details, and labelled many of his possessions. He was even noted to have labelled his underwear according to the days of the week.
Biography:
George was born in Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire in 1683, and was the eldest of two children born to King George I of Great Britain (at that point the Elector of Hanover), and his wife, Princess Sophia-Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle. He also had a younger sister, as well as illegitimate half-siblings from his father's relationship with his mistress.
The marriage between his parents was not a happy one, and both his mother and father would have affairs with other people. When George was just 11 years old in 1694, his parents were officially divorced, and his mother was placed under house arrest; George would never see his mother again. Meanwhile, George was predominantly raised by his tutors, and received an excellent education focused on foreign languages, history, and military skills.
In 1702, it was declared that George's grandmother, Princess Sophia of the Palatinate would become the reigning monarch of Great Britain after the death of Queen Anne. Anne had no surviving children, and although there were many people with stronger claims to the throne, they were Catholics, a religion that was now banned from ever inheriting the throne of Great Britain. Thus, Princess Sophia was the closest surviving Protestant family member of Queen Anne. This made George third in line for the throne of Great Britain. To prepare him for this role, George was naturalised as a British citizen, and was given various British noble titles and land.
Fortunately for George, his father did not want him to be trapped in a loveless marriage as he had been. Instead, George was allowed to meet his potential brides to form an opinion of them before making any commitments. George met with various princesses and duchesses, but expressed no interest in any of them. In 1705, George disguised himself to scout out another potential marriage candidate, Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach. It was reported that he fell in love with her at first sight, and the wedding would be held after just a few months of negotiation.
Immediately after his marriage, George was keen to fight in the war against France, but his father forbade him from doing so until he had produced a son and heir. Just two years later, Caroline gave birth to their first child, Frederick. However, George's military ambitions were once again halted when Caroline contracted smallpox, and George would devotedly stay by her side to help nurse her. Unfortunately, George would end up catching the disease himself, but luckily, the two of them would quickly recover.
Finally, George was able to join the military campaigns against France, and took part in the Battle of Oudenarde in 1708. During this battle, George was noted for his bravery, and for leading his troops into the battle, helping to boost morale.
George returned to Hanover, where he continued to have more children with his wife, until in 1714, there were talks of summoning him to Britain to sit in the House of Lords in order to create a smooth transition of power from the House of Stuart to the House of Hanover. However, this idea would ultimately be rejected, and George would not finally set foot in Britain until Queen Anne's death in 1714. Since Princess Sophia had predeceased Anne by just a few months, this meant that George's father became King George I of Great Britain and Ireland, with George recognised as next in line for the throne. Thus, George was granted the title of the Prince of Wales.
Later that year, George and his father finally arrived in Britain, closely followed by his wife and daughters, while his eldest son, Frederick, remained behind in Hanover in the care of his tutors. Upon his arrival, George found England, particularly London, to be extremely overwhelming, as, at this point in history, it was one of the largest cities in the world. However, he thoroughly enjoyed himself, and quickly endeared himself to the British public, becoming far more popular than his father. This was further helped by George quickly integrating himself into British culture, whereas his father remained staunchly German.
In 1716, his father returned to Hanover for a brief period, leaving George in charge of the kingdom. During this time, George enjoyed being the centre of attention, going on progress through the kingdom and even surviving an assassination attempt which once again boosted his popularity. This made his father incredibly jealous, and the already distant relationship between them became much more tense and resentful. This tension came to a head during the baptism of George's second son, also named George, when he appointed the Duke of Newcastle, an enemy of his father, as one of his son's sponsors. This caused family drama at the Christening as the King insulted Newcastle, which then almost resulted in a physical fight. Both George and Caroline were sent away to their apartments before the King finally banned them from ever entering the royal household again. The custody of their children was then taken by the King while George and Caroline were forced away.
In the meantime, both George and his wife missed their children, especially Caroline, who could not bear to be apart from them. Desperate to see them, the two of them attempted to sneak into the palace to visit them behind the King's back, in which Caroline was described to have fainted from the joy of seeing her children again while George is described to have burst into tears. Finally, King George partially relented, and granted George permission to visit his children once a week, while Caroline was able to visit them whenever she wanted. But unfortunately tragedy would strike in 1718, when their second eldest son, Prince George, died in the arms of his father.
The relationship between George and his father would remain incredibly tense, and he would begin to ally himself with the political opposition as a form of revenge. He would use his own household to host meetings for politicians who stood against his father and his policies. This angered King George even more, and when he once again departed the kingdom to visit Hanover, he did not leave George in charge this time.
Eventually, the Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, was forced to intervene. Although he often sided with George, he encouraged both father and son to make amends, or at least pretend to show a united front for the sake of the British public. Both father and son agreed to try, but their relationship would never fully heal. Relations would worsen again when his father continued to keep custody of his daughters and restrict his access to them. He blamed Walpole for tricking him into a reconciliation that more favoured his father, and the two who were once close allies, fell out. George withdrew from active political activity, and instead, began attempting to lead a quiet life with his wife where they had three more children together, with the birth of their youngest surviving child, Princess Louisa, having a damaging effect on Caroline's health.
In 1727, King George I died suddenly while on a visit to Hanover. Thus, George now became King George II of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as the Elector of Hanover. He remained in Britain and refused to attend his own father's funeral. Instead, George focused on suppressing his father's will, which attempted to divide the inheritance between all of his grandchildren, which British politicians agreed was unlawful.
Despite their previous falling out, George kept Robert Walpole in prominent positions of power, largely on the advice of his wife, who could see he was a talented administrator. George was often itching for war, and especially wanted to get involved of the War of the Polish Succession, but British politicians refused.
Instead, conflict once again began much closer to home, as the father and son conflict now began between George and his own eldest son, Prince Frederick. Like he and his father before him, their relationship would grow incredibly tense, not helped by the fact that Frederick had been practically abandoned by his parents in Hanover, and they had not seen each other for 14 years when he finally arrived in Britain upon George's ascension. Just like what had happened between George and his own father, he refused to leave his son as regent while visiting Hanover, leaving Caroline as head of the regency council instead. Frederick would also become the centre for any political opposition against George.
George's return from Hanover would prove even more disastrous for their relationship. His return was delayed by bad weather, so Frederick spread rumours that George had drowned at sea. However, when George finally did return, he quickly fell ill and was confined to bed. Frederick once again fuelled rumours that George was dead, and angered by this, George forced himself out of bed and to make a public appearance while still ill and weak.
Events took a turn for the worst when both George and Caroline were prevented from witnessing the birth of their grandchild, as was custom at the time. Instead, Frederick, when his wife Augusta went into labour, escaped the palace, and carried her to a carriage before racing off in the middle of the night. Infuriated, George banished Frederick and Augusta from the royal court, just like his own father had done with him.
In 1737, Queen Caroline's health continued to decline, which was further worsened by a botched surgery on her bowels. George became hysterical upon the realisation that his wife was dying. He had always been close to her and loved her dearly, though he was never fully loyal to her, possessing a few mistresses during their marriage. Caroline tried to comfort her husband and begged him to re-marry after her death, to which he refused, stating that he would only keep mistresses. Caroline died soon afterwards, leaving George completely devastated.
After this, George threw himself into the many wars that were occurring throughout Europe and its empires. Frederick would continue to support the opposition against his father, despite Walpole's attempts to buy him off. George would accompany his troops into the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, and he was greatly praised for leading British troops to victory. There was also one brief and final Jacobite uprising from Charles Stuart, the grandson of the previously deposed King James II, but this was quickly defeated by George's son, Prince William. After this, there were no further attempts to restore the Catholic branch of the House of Stuart to the British throne.
In 1751, Prince Frederick died suddenly, once again devastating George, despite the fact that they never got along. He cried alongside Frederick's widow, Princess Augusta, and Frederick's eldest son, Prince George, became next in line for the throne. Since Prince George was still very young, George decided that Augusta would act as head of a regency council until his grandson came of age if he died before this happened. George was then further devastated by the loss of his youngest daughter soon afterwards.
The brutal Seven Years' War would begin in 1754, and George allied Britain alongside Hanover, Prussia, and other members of the Holy Roman Empire against France, Sweden, Austria, and Russia. Tensions also rose within the colonies in the Americas, with Britain and France competing for territory. George also decided to leave his son, Prince William, in charge of the military campaigns within Europe, and he was given full control over all the troops. However, William would instead agree to a peace deal that more benefitted the French. This infuriated George, and he declared that his son had ruined him and disgraced himself. As a result, Prince William resigned from the military.
George completely disregarded the treaty that his son had agreed to, and war once again broke out between Britain and France. This then resulted in various British successes, particularly the capture of Quebec, and the failure of a plan by France to invade the British Isles.
Meanwhile, now into his 70s, George was growing increasingly frail. He had lost sight in one eye and was becoming increasingly deaf. One morning, he got up and went to the toilet and study some paperwork, only for his servants to suddenly hear a crash from inside his water closet. They rushed inside to find that George had collapsed onto the floor. They carried him to his bed, but by then it was too late. George had died of massive heart attack.
Rule:
For the most part, George was vastly more popular than his father and predecessor. Unlike him, George fully embraced British culture and customs, which very quickly won over his subjects.
One of the most major factors associated with his reign was his obsession with war. George was often overly eager to enter conflicts, and did not favour peaceful solutions. He became embroiled with European wars, as well as expanding Britain's colonial powers in the Americans and in India. In particular, George was often at odds with the French, and did everything he could to ensure that policies were never in their favour. But George did not merely remain behind the scenes, and would famously lead his troops into battle, with his bravery always being complimented. This led to many territory gains for Britain, especially within India and Canada, though of course this was to the detriment and devastation of the native populations in these areas.
Despite his penchant for war, and his open dislike for scholarly pursuits, George did in fact invest heavily in education within Britain. He donated many works to the British Museum, served as the Chancellor of the University of Dublin, and helped with the founding of universities in both Hanover and New York.
However, George was often noted to be a relatively weak monarch, often ruled by his emotions and bad temper, while heavily relying on his wife and ministers for the day-to-day running of the country. Yet at the time, perhaps not interfering with the government as much as he could have was a wise move, especially as Britain moved further and further towards Parliamentary democracy, with the monarch now becoming more of a figurehead within the government. The most previous monarchs who had interfered too much in Parliament often fell from favour and sparked great civil unrest. Although he hated being sidelined in such away, especially compared to how the ruling elite within Hanover were allowed to operate, he accepted that this was the way things were done in Britain - he just didn't have to like it.
Overall, his reign was mainly dominated by war and his interest in foreign policy. He is not very well remembered today as a monarch, but perhaps an average and forgettable rule is better than a disastrous one.
Trivia:
- George II was the last British monarch to officially lead troops into battle during the War of the Austrian Succession.
- The American state of Georgia was named in his honour.
Quotes:
"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."
Lamenting after the deaths of two of his children.
"I hate painting, and poetry too! Neither the one nor the other ever did any good."
Ranting about his dislikes.
"If he is mad, so much the better; and if he is mad, I hope to God he’ll bite some of my generals."
Response to being warned about his appointment of James Wolfe as Major-General.
"No, I'll have mistresses."
Replying to his wife as she urges him to re-marry while dying.
"There are kings enough in England. I am nothing there. I am old and want rest and should only go to be plagued and teased there about that Damned House of Commons."
Discussing his lack of royal power in Britain.
Timeline of Reign:
| 1727: Anglo-Spanish War begins - Spain and Britain fight over territory of Gibraltar.
| 1729: Anglo-Spanish War ends - War between Britain and Spain ends in a stalemate.
| 1729: Treaty of Seville - Britain and Spain agree to a truce.
| 1729: Methodism founded - New branch of Christianity founded by Charles and John Wesley.
| 1730: First Great Awakening - Increase in Protestant movements in Britain and America.
| 1733: War of the Polish Succession begins - Britain becomes involved in Polish succession crisis.
| 1733: Excise Bill - Unpopular bill to tax more goods and products ends in failure.
| 1735: War of the Polish Succession ends - Britain aids in peace negotiations.
| 1739: War of Jenkins' Ear begins - Conflict between Britain and Spain over Caribbean territories.
| 1740: Siege of St Augustine - Britain loses briefly captured land in Florida to Spain.
| 1740: Irish Famine - Famine kills 2.4 million in Ireland.
| 1740: War of the Austrian Succession begins - Britain becomes involved in Austria succession war.
| 1742: First water powered mill - First water powered mill begins operation in England.
| 1743: Battle of Dettingen - Britain and allies defeat France.
| 1744: First Carnatic War begins - War between Britain, France, Marathas and Mysore begins.
| 1748: First Carnatic War ends - France maintains control of Hyderabad.
| 1748: War of the Austrian Succession ends - War ends in uneasy peace between European powers.
| 1748: War of Jenkins' Ear ends - War between Britain and Spain ends in a stalemate.
| 1745: Jacobite Rising of 1745 - Charles Stuart's Jacobite faction invade Scotland.
| 1745: Battle of Prestonpans - British defeated by the Jacobites.
| 1746: Battle of Culloden - Jacobites defeated by the British.
| 1746: Jacobites defeated - Stuart Jacobites officially defeated and never invade Britain again.
| 1748: Second Carnatic War begins - War between Britain, France, Marathas and Mysore begins.
| 1750: Coldest year of Little Ice Age - Lowest average temperatures during the Little Ice Age.
| 1751: Battle of Arcot - Britain and Wallajah defeat France and gain greater influence in India.
| 1754: Second Carnatic War ends - Muslim majority control in Hyderabad established.
| 1754: French and Indian War begins - War between Britain, France and the Native Americans.
| 1756: Siege of Minorca - France invades British controlled island of Minorca.
| 1756: Seven Years' War begins - War between European powers begins.
| 1756: Third Carnatic War begins - War between Britain, France, Marathas and Mysore begins.
| 1757: Battle of Plassey - Britain seizes control of Bengal.
| 1759: First Battle of Quebec - Britain defeats France and gains further control of Canada.
| 1759: Invasion of Guadeloupe - Britain seizes control of Guadeloupe.
| 1759: French invasion of Britain fails - France calls off its invasion of Britain.
| 1759: Battle of Lagos - Britain defeats France in naval battle.
| 1759: Battle of Quiberon Bay - Britain defeats France in naval battle.
| 1759: Battle of Minden - Britain and allies defeat France in its invasion of Hanover.
Sources & Further Reading:
Brian, J. (2021). King George II. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/King-George-II/
Cartwright, M. (2023). George II of Great Britain. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/George_II_of_Great_Britain/
George II | Biography, Successor, & Facts. (2019). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-II-king-of-Great-Britain
George II by Thomas Hudson.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2019). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_II_by_Thomas_Hudson.jpg
Kings and queens of the Georgian period. (2025). Historic Royal Palaces. https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/history-and-stories/kings-and-queens-of-the-georgian-period/
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