George II of Great Britain was the country’s second Hanoverian king, born in Hanover the son of George I and Sophia Dorothea of Celle in 1683. He was appointed Prince of Wales when his father ascended to the British throne in 1714, following him as King in 1727. One of the best-known facts about George II was that he was the last ever British monarch to lead his troops into battle in person at the Battle of Dettingen in Germany against the French in 1743. He was also the last British monarch to be born outside of the UK.
George II was a fascinating monarch for many reasons, not least his large family. From his wife to his eldest son, his family members played a key part in his reign, advising him, arguing with him and influencing decisions he made as king.
Queen Caroline wife of George II
The intelligent and beautiful Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach became the wife of George II in 1705. They met in her home country, George II having travelled there in disguise in order to inspect her anonymously before agreeing to the marriage. It was a love match and George II was devastated when she died in 1737 after suffering from illness and then an umbilical hernia after the birth of her final child. The couple had three sons and five daughters, although not all of them reached adulthood.
Caroline had some influence over her husband when it came to affairs of state. For example, when George I was on the throne, his son did not like his father’s chief minister, Robert Walpole. When he became king, George II wanted to dismiss Walpole from his post. However, Caroline spoke up for the chief minister and persuaded her husband to let him stay in post.
A rebel eldest son
The eldest son of George II, Frederick Louis, was born in 1707. He was also formally appointed as Prince of Wales, but grew up to have a difficult relationship with his father, often clashing vehemently with him over politics. He led a political group opposing George II. When Caroline was dying, George II refused his eldest son permission to visit her at St James’s Palace, although Caroline did write to him, forgiving him for his rebellion. He was also not allowed to attend her funeral in Westminster Abbey.
More sons and daughters
After Frederick Louis was born, the couple had three daughters. They were called Anne, Amelia and Caroline. Princess Anne arrived in 1709 and lived until she was 50 years old, surviving smallpox in 1720. She was given the title of Princess Royal by her father in 1727 and married William IV, Prince of Orange in 1734. Princess Amelia was born two years after Anne and died in 1786, the last surviving child of King George II of Great Britain. She never married, living a solitary existence and enjoying such pursuits as hunting and riding.
Princess Caroline was the third daughter and arrived in 1713. She, too, never married and died at the age of 44. Caroline was said to be her mother’s favourite and was admired for her dedication to always telling the truth. Next came another son – Prince George William – who was born in 1717, but tragically died at just three months old. He was thought to have suffered from a cardiac complication.
The monarch’s youngest son was next to be born, entering the world in 1721. Prince William Augustus was very different to his eldest brother Frederick Louis and he retained the favour of his parents and the royal court. He was named Duke of Cumberland at the age of five years old and went on to play a significant part in putting down the Jacobite rebellion against his father’s reign in 1746. William outlived his father, and spent the final five years of his life with his nephew, George III on the throne. He died in 1765 and was buried in Westminster Abbey beneath the floor of the nave in the Henry VII Lady Chapel.
Princess Mary was born next in 1723. She was a meek and mild woman, who married Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel by proxy in 1740. They had four sons, but the marriage was unhappy and violent and they separated in 1754. She moved to Denmark two years later to help care for the children of her deceased sister, Princess Louise, who had died in childbirth three years prior to that. Mary died in Germany in 1772 aged 48 years old.
The fifth daughter and final child of King George II and Caroline was Princess Louise, born in 1724. She grew up to become Queen of Denmark and Norway through her marriage to King Frederick V of Denmark in 1743. Louise died while in labour with her sixth child in 1751, one day after her 27th birthday, and was sincerely mourned by her adopted people, despite her relatively short time as Queen.
King George III – an inheriting grandson
None of King George II and Queen Caroline’s children inherited the throne. Instead, their grandson, child of eldest son Frederick Louis, was named King George III. He became George II of Great Britain’s successor after the latter’s death in 1760. Frederick Louis had died nine years earlier in his mid-forties from what was thought to be a blow to the chest from a tennis or cricket ball, but is now believed to have been a pulmonary embolism.
George III went on to reign, largely unhappily, for 60 years from 1760 to 1820. He became ill with a disease now widely believed to be porphyria, which caused him to hallucinate and become insane and blind. His son, Prince George, ruled the country as Regent for nine years after his father became incapacitated in 1811 and was eventually crowned King George IV in 1820.
Discover the Medal: 1732 George II - Royal Family Historical Medallion by J Croker / J S Tanner