George II of Great Britain 46389 226186421 2008-07-17T06:11:16Z Tamfang 609725 language {{Infobox British Royalty|majesty | name =George II | title =King of Great Britain and Ireland; Elector of Hanover; Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | image =KING GEORGE II.jpg | reign =[[11 June]] [[1727]] &ndash; [[25 October]] [[1760]] | coronation =[[11 October]] [[1727]] | predecessor =[[George I of Great Britain|George I]] | successor =[[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]] | spouse =[[Caroline of Ansbach]] | issue =[[Frederick, Prince of Wales]]<br />[[Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange|Anne, Princess Royal]]<br />[[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Princess Amelia]]<br />[[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Princess Caroline]]<br />[[Prince George William of Great Britain|Prince George William]]<br />[[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]<br />[[Princess Mary of Great Britain|Princess Mary, Landgravine of Hesse]]<br />[[Louise of Great Britain|Louise, Queen of Denmark and Norway]] | royal house =[[House of Hanover]] | royal anthem =[[God Save the King]] | full name =George Augustus<br />''German: Georg August'' | titles =''HM'' The King<br />''HRH'' The Prince of Wales<br />''HRH'' The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge<br />''HSH'' The Duke of Cambridge<br />''HSH'' The Hereditary Prince of Hanover<br />''HSH'' Prince Georg August of Hanover<br />''HSH'' Duke Georg August of Brunswick-Lüneburg | father =[[George I of Great Britain|George I]] | mother =[[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]] | date of birth ={{birth date|1683|10|10|df=y}} | place of birth =Herrenhausen Palace, [[Hanover]] | date of death ={{Death date and age|1760|10|25|1683|11|10|df=yes}} | place of death =[[Kensington Palace]], [[London]] | date of burial =[[11 November]] 1760 | place of burial =[[Westminster Abbey]], London |}} '''George II''' (George Augustus; [[10 November]] [[1683]] &ndash; [[25 October]] [[1760]]) was [[King of Great Britain]] and [[King of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Duke]] of [[Brunswick-Lüneburg]] ([[Electorate of Hanover|Hanover]]) and [[Prince-elector#High Offices|Archtreasurer]] and [[Prince-Elector]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] from [[11 June]] [[1727]] 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 first ''[[de facto]]'' [[Prime Minister]], [[Robert Walpole|Sir Robert Walpole]]. ==Early life== ''HSH'' '''Duke Georg August of Hanover''' was born at [[Herrenhausen Gardens|Herrenhausen Palace]], [[Hanover]] ([[Germany]]). [[Image:Caroline of Ansbach2.jpg|thumb|left|Caroline of Ansbach]]He was the son of [[George I of Great Britain|Georg Ludwig]], then the Hereditary Prince of [[Electorate of Hanover|Brunswick-Lüneburg]], and his wife, [[Sophia of Celle]]; both George I and Sophia committed adultery but Sophia's alleged abandonment of George led to their being divorced in 1694. [[Anne of Great Britain|Queen Anne]], who had ascended the British throne in 1702, made George an English citizen in 1705, a [[Knight of the Garter]] in 1706, and gave him the titles of [[Duke of Cambridge]], Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton and Baron Tewkesbury. In 1708 he participated in the [[Battle of Oudenaarde]], fought in the vanguard and was thrown of his horse, but survived unharmed. == Marriage == On 22 August 1705 in Hanover, George married [[Caroline of Ansbach|Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach]], an intelligent and attractive woman, she had been a much sought-after bride. Caroline was one of the Princesses considered for the Spanish crown, but had refused because it would have meant giving up her Protestant faith. ==Quarrel with the King== The Prince of Wales had an extremely poor relationship with his father. When the Princess of Wales gave birth to [[Prince George William of Great Britain|Prince George William]] in 1717, a family quarrel ensued; at the [[baptism]], the Prince of Wales insisted on having the [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne|Duke of Newcastle]] (whom the king detested) as a [[Godparent|godfather]], whilst the King chose his brother, the [[Ernest Augustus, Duke of York and Albany|Duke of York and Albany]]. When he publicly vituperated his father, the Prince of Wales was temporarily put under [[arrest]]. Afterwards, the King banished his son from [[St. James's Palace]], the King's residence, and excluded him from all public ceremonies. ===Political opposition=== The Prince of Wales did all in his power to encourage opposition to [[George I of Great Britain|George I]]'s policies. His [[London]] residence, Leicester House, became a meeting place for his father's opponents, including Sir [[Robert Walpole]] and [[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend|Viscount Townshend]]. In 1720, Walpole encouraged the King and his son to reconcile. In the same year, Walpole made a return to political office, from which he had been excluded since 1717. In 1721, the economic disaster of the [[South Sea Bubble]] allowed Sir Robert to rise to the pinnacle of government. Walpole and his [[British Whig Party|Whig]] Party were dominant in politics, for [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] feared that the [[Tory|Tories]] did not support the succession laid down in the [[Act of Settlement 1701|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, lost the favour of the Prince of Wales. ==Early reign== {|align=left |{{Infobox_UKkingstyles| royal name=King George II of Great Britain| dipstyle=[[Majesty|His Majesty]]| offstyle=Your Majesty| altstyle=Sire|}} |} George II succeeded to the throne on his father's death on [[11 June]] [[1727]], but a battle of wills continued with his son and heir-apparent, [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince Frederick]]. The King may have planned to exile his son to the British colonies, but, in any event, did not actually do so. George was crowned at [[Westminster Abbey]] on [[4 October]]. The Hanoverian composer [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]] 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 would dismiss Walpole, who had distressed him by joining his father's government, and that he would be replaced by [[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington|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 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. 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 [[peerage|peer]]s sympathetic to the Whigs. {{House of Hanover|george2}} Whilst 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. Whilst 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]]. In 1732, by granting a charter to [[James Oglethorpe]], the King created the [[Province of Georgia]] in [[British North America]], which was named after him. In 1737 he founded the [[University of Göttingen]] in Germany, also named after him. [[Image:Frederick Prince of Wales.jpg|thumb|left|[[Frederick, Prince of Wales]]]] ==Family problems== George's relationship with the Prince of Wales worsened during the 1730s. When the Prince of Wales married, an open quarrel broke out; the King banished him and his family from the royal court in 1737. After banishing his son, George also lost his wife, who died on [[20 November]] [[1737]]. Reputedly, when she asked her husband to remarry, he replied, "Non, j'aurai des maîtresses!" ([[French language|French]] for "No, I will have mistresses!"). George had already had an illegitimate son, [[Johann Ludwig, Graf von Wallmoden-Gimborn]] ([[22 April]] [[1736]] - [[10 October]] [[1811]]) by his mistress [[Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth]] (1704-1765). The most famous of his mistresses was [[Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk]], who was one of Caroline's [[ladies of the bedchamber]]. ==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, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] in 1740. At dispute was the right of his daughter, [[Maria Theresa of Austria|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 Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville|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, 1st [[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington|Earl of Wilmington]], George's original choice for the premiership, who had previously failed to gain office due to the manœuvres of Queen Caroline. Lord Wilmington, however, was a figurehead; actual power was held by Lord Carteret. When Lord 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 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 which time the government had badly neglected its upkeep. Nevertheless, the King enthusiastically sent his troops to Europe. He personally accompanied them, leading them into the [[Battle of Dettingen]] in 1743, thus becoming the last British monarch to lead troops into battle. His armies were controlled by his military-minded son, ''HRH'' '''[[Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland|The Duke of Cumberland]]'''. The war was not welcomed by the British public, who felt that the King and Lord Carteret were subordinating British interests to Hanoverian ones. [[Image:george2coin.jpg|left|frame|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 II's French opponents encouraged rebellion by the [[Jacobitism|Jacobites]] during the War of the Austrian Succession. The Jacobites were the supporters of the Roman Catholic [[James II of England|James II]], who had been deposed in 1689 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'', had attempted two prior rebellions; that of 1715, "[[Jacobite Rising#The .27Fifteen|the Fifteen]]", which was after he fled to France; and the rebellion of 1719, "[[Jacobite Rising#Spanish supported Jacobite invasion|the Nineteen]]", which was so weak that it was almost farcical. The Old Pretender's son, [[Charles Edward Stuart]], popularly known, both then and since, as ''Bonnie Prince Charlie'', however, led a much stronger rebellion on his father's behalf in 1745. Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland in July 1745. Many Scots 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 of France|Louis XV]], had promised to send twelve thousand soldiers to aid the rebellion, but did not do so. A British army under the Duke of Cumberland, meanwhile, drove the Jacobites back into Scotland. On [[16 April]] [[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 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== 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, 1st Baron Clive|Robert Clive]] at the [[Battle of Arcot]] and the [[Battle of Plassey]]. 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 [[Augusta of Saxe-Gotha|Dowager Princess of Wales]] mistrusted the King, and kept the two apart. 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 would later become [[Columbia University]] after the [[American Revolution]]. George's Prime Minister, Henry Pelham died in 1754, to be succeeded by his brother, the [[Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle|Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne]], and, thereafter, by the [[William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire|Duke of Devonshire]] in 1756. Another notable minister was [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt, the Elder]]. Pitt was appointed a Secretary of State in the Duke of Devonshire's administration, but was disliked by the King, for 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. At the same time, the Duke of Newcastle returned as Prime Minister. As [[Secretary of State for the Southern Department]], Pitt the Elder 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 is also known as the [[French and Indian War]]) and to [[India]], where it was termed the Second Carnatic War. [[Image:George II statue 1.jpg|right|thumb|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, Greenwich|Royal Naval College]] in [[Greenwich]]. (January 2006)]] On the morning of [[25 October]] [[1760]], the King entered his water closet and, 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 asked for [[Princess Amelia Sophia of Great Britain|Princess Amelia]], but before she reached him, he was dead. A post mortem revealed that the King died of a ruptured [[aneurysm]] of the [[aorta]]. He was subsequently buried in [[Westminster Abbey]] and was succeeded by his grandson, who became [[George III of Great Britain|George III]]. ==Titles, styles, honours and arms== ===Titles and styles=== *'''[[10 November]] [[1683]]–October 1692''': ''His Serene Highness'' Duke Georg August of Brunswick-Lüneburg *'''October 1692–[[23 January]] [[1698]]''': ''His Serene Highness'' Prince Georg August of Hanover *'''23 January 1698–[[1 August]] [[1714]]''': ''His Serene Highness'' The Hereditary Prince of Hanover *'''1 August 1714–[[11 June]] [[1727]]''': ''His Royal Highness'' The Hereditary Prince of Hanover *'''27 September 1714–11 June 1727''': ''His Royal Highness'' The Prince of Wales'' *'''11 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, [[Fidei defensor|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."'' His full style immediately prior to his succession was ''His Royal Highness '''The Prince George''' Augustus, '''Prince of Wales''' and Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Duke of Cambridge, Marquess of Cambridge, Earl of Carrick, Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton, Baron Renfrew, Baron of Tewkesbury, Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Hereditary Prince of Hanover, Knight of the Garter'' ===Arms=== George II's [[heraldry|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)''. ==In popular culture== On screen, George has been portrayed by: *[[Alexander Ekert]] in the German silent film ''Exzellenz Unterrock'' (1921), based on a novel by [[Paul Adolf]] *[[Olaf Hytten]] in ''[[The Last of the Mohicans (1936 film)|The Last of the Mohicans]]'' (1936) *[[Martin Miller]] in ''Bonnie Prince Charlie'' (1948) *[[Ivan Triesault]] in ''The Lady and the Bandit'' (1951), about [[Dick Turpin]] *[[Arthur Young (actor)|Arthur Young]] in ''John Wesley'' (1954) *[[Richard Harris]] in ''[[King of the Wind]]'' (1989) *[[Clive Swift]] in the [[BBC]] TV drama series ''Aristocrats'' (1999) ==Ancestors== {{ahnentafel top|width=100%}} {{ahnentafel-compact5 |style=font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%; |border=1 |boxstyle=padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; |boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; |boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; |boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; |boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; |boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; |1= 1. '''George II of Great Britain''' |2= 2. [[George I of Great Britain]] |3= 3. [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]] |4= 4. [[Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover]] |5= 5. [[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia, Princess Palatine of the Rhine]] |6= 6. [[George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] |7= 7. [[Eleonore Desmier, Countess of Williamsburg]] |8= 8. [[George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] |9= 9. [[Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt]] |10= 10. [[Frederick V, Elector Palatine]] |11= 11. [[Elizabeth of Bohemia|Princess Elizabeth Stuart of Scotland]] |12= 12. [[George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (= 8) |13= 13. [[Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt]] (= 9) |14= 14. Alexander II Desmier, Marquis de Desmier |15= 15. Jacquette Poussard de Vendre |16= 16. [[William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] |17= 17. [[Dorothea of Denmark]] |18= 18. [[Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt]] |19= 19. Magdalena of Brandenburg |20= 20. [[Frederick IV, Elector Palatine]] |21= 21. [[Louise Juliana of Nassau|Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau]] |22= 22. [[James I of England]] |23= 23. [[Anne of Denmark]] |24= 24. [[William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (= 16) |25= 25. [[Dorothea of Denmark]] (= 17) |26= 26. [[Louis V, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt]] (= 18) |27= 27. Magdalena of Brandenburg (= 19) |28= 28. Alexander Desmier, Seigneur d'Olbreuse |29= 29. Marie Baudouin |30= 30. Joachim Poussard, Seigneur de Bas Vandre |31= 31. Susan Gaillard }}</center> {{ahnentafel bottom}} ==Issue== Caroline's nine pregnancies, between 1707 and 1724, resulted in eight live births: {| border=1 style="border-collapse: collapse;" |- bgcolor=cccccc !width="20%"|Name!! width="15%"|Birth!! width="15%"|Death!! width="45%"|Notes |- |[[Frederick, Prince of Wales]]||[[1 February]] [[1707]]||[[31 March]] [[1751]]||married, 1736, [[Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha]]; had issue |- |[[Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange]]||[[2 November]] [[1709]]||[[12 January]] [[1759]]||married, 1734, [[William IV, Prince of Orange]]; had issue |- |[[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Princess Amelia]]||[[10 July]] [[1711]]||[[31 October]] [[1786]]||&nbsp; |-Sarah Sophia |[[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Princess Caroline]]||[[21 June]] [[1713]]||[[28 December]] [[1757]]||&nbsp; |- |[[Prince George William of Great Britain|Prince George William]]||[[13 November]] [[1717]]||[[17 February]] [[1718]]||died in infancy |- |[[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]||[[26 April]] [[1721]]||[[31 October]] [[1765]]||&nbsp; |- |[[Princess Mary of Great Britain|Princess Mary, Landgravine of Hesse]]||[[5 March]] [[1723]]||[[14 January]] [[1772]]||married, 1740, [[Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse]]; had issue |- |[[Louise of Great Britain|Louise, Queen of Denmark and Norway]]||[[18 December]] [[1724]]||[[19 December]] [[1751]]||married, 1743, [[Frederick V of Denmark]]; had issue |} ==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 the royal finances. British attempts to tax the Americans would lead to the [[American Revolution]]. Great Britain, however, fared much better in India. [[Company rule in India|Company rule]] (that is, rule by the [[British East India Company]]) was secured within years of George II's death. *He served as the ninth Chancellor of [[University of Dublin|Trinity College, Dublin]] between 1715 and 1718. *In 1734 George II founded the [[Georg August University of Göttingen]]. *George II's disinterest in British government had contributed to the decline of the royal power. His successor, [[George III]], sought to reverse the trend, but failed; thus, the power of ministers became well-established. *The patriotic song "[[God Save the Queen|God Save the King]]" was developed during George II's reign. It is thought that the first public performance of the song&mdash;sometimes cited as an adaptation of a piece by the French composer [[Jean-Baptiste Lully]]&mdash;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 performance of [[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]] from [[G.F. Handel]] took place on March 23, 1743, in the presence of King George II. The King rose to his feet and remained standing for the duration of the piece. It may have been in recognition of that his earthly [[kingdom]] was subservient to the [[Kingdom of Heaven]]. However, no one could remain sitting while the King stood, so the entire audience stood throughout the duration of the piece. The tradition remains to this day of the audience standing for the [[Messiah (Handel)#Hallelujah|''Hallelujah'' chorus]]. This is often observed even if there are no royalty present. ==See also== *[[List of British monarchs]] *[[Succession to the British Throne]] *[[Line of succession to the British Throne]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{wikiquote}} *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/george_ii_king.shtml British Broadcasting Corporation. (2004). "George II."] *"George II." (1911). ''Encyclopædia Britannica,'' 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press. * Nichols F. Observations concerning the body of His Late Majesty. Philos Trans Lond. 1761;52:265-274. *"George II and Queen Caroline." John Van der Kiste, Sutton Publishing, 1997 *[http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/~saw/royal/r09.html#I321 Henry Churchyard "Royal Genealogies, Part 9"] *[http://www.anusha.com/pafg746.htm#24175 Sam Sloan "Big Combined Family Trees (pafg746)"] *[http://www.mytimemachine.co.uk/georgeii.htm Funeral of George II] An account by Horace Walpole on [http://www.mytimemachine.co.uk/ Mytimemachine.co.uk] {{s-start}} {{s-hou|[[House of Hanover]]|10 November|1683|25 October|1760|[[House of Welf]]}} {{s-reg}} {{s-bef|before=[[George I of Great Britain|George I]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of British monarchs|King of Great Britain]]<br />[[King of Ireland]]<br />[[Elector of Hanover]]|years=11 June 1727 – 25 October 1760}} {{s-aft|after=[[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]]}} {{s-roy|uk}} {{s-bef|before=[[George I of Great Britain|George, Elector of Hanover]]<br /><small>''later became King George I''</small>}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of heirs to the English and British thrones|Heir to the Thrones]]'''<br />''as [[heir apparent]]''|years='''1714 – 1727}} {{s-aft|after=[[Frederick, Prince of Wales]]}} {{s-reg|en}} {{s-new|creation}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Cambridge]]|creation=3rd creation|years=1706 – 1727}} {{s-non|reason=Merged in the crown}} {{s-reg|gb}} {{s-bef|before=[[James Francis Edward Stuart|James Stuart]]'''<br />''in English peerage''}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Prince of Wales]]|years=1714 – 1727}} {{s-aft|after=[[Frederick, Prince of Wales|The Prince Frederick]]}} {{end}} {{British Monarchs}} {{British princes}} {{Princes of Wales}} {{Dukes of Cornwall}} {{Dukes of Rothesay}} {{Dukes of Cambridge}} {{Rulers of Hanover}} [[Category:Monarchs of Great Britain]] [[Category:Pretenders to the throne of the kingdom of France (Plantagenet)]] [[Category:House of Hanover]] [[Category:Princes of Wales]] [[Category:Protestant monarchs]] [[Category:English and British princes]] [[Category:Dukes of Cambridge|301]] [[Category:Dukes in the Peerage of England]] [[Category:Dukes of Cornwall|020]] [[Category:Dukes in the Peerage of Scotland]] [[Category:Dukes of Rothesay|017]] [[Category:Knights of the Garter]] [[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain]] [[Category:Royal Fellows of the Royal Society]] [[Category:People associated with Trinity College, Dublin]] [[Category:Chancellors of the University of Dublin]] [[Category:People from Hanover]] [[Category:1683 births]] [[Category:1760 deaths]] [[Category:British investors in slavery and slave trading]] [[Category:Burials at Westminster Abbey]] [[Category:Deaths by aortic dissection]] [[ar:جورج الثاني من بريطانيا العظمى]] [[bs:George II od Velike Britanije]] [[cs:Jiří II.]] [[cy:Siôr II, brenin Prydain Fawr]] [[da:George 2. af Storbritannien]] [[de:Georg II. (Großbritannien)]] [[et:George II]] [[es:Jorge II de Gran Bretaña]] [[fr:George II de Grande-Bretagne]] [[ga:Seoirse II na Breataine Móire]] [[gd:Deòrsa II, Rìgh Bhreatainn is Èireann]] [[gl:Xurxo II de Gran Bretaña]] [[ko:그레이트브리튼의 조지 2세]] [[hr:Đuro II., kralj Velike Britanije i Irske]] [[it:Giorgio II di Gran Bretagna]] [[he:ג'ורג' השני, מלך בריטניה]] [[ka:ჯორჯ II]] [[la:Georgius II (rex Britanniae)]] [[lv:Džordžs II (Lielbritānija)]] [[hu:II. György brit király]] [[mr:जॉर्ज दुसरा, इंग्लंड]] [[nl:George II van Groot-Brittannië]] [[ja:ジョージ2世 (イギリス王)]] [[no:Georg II av Storbritannia]] [[nn:Georg II av Storbritannia]] [[nrm:George II dé Grande Brétangne]] [[pl:Jerzy II Hanowerski]] [[pt:Jorge II da Grã-Bretanha]] [[ro:George al II-lea al Marii Britanii]] [[ru:Георг II (король Великобритании)]] [[simple:George II of Great Britain]] [[sr:Џорџ II]] [[fi:Yrjö II (Iso-Britannia)]] [[sv:Georg II av Storbritannien]] [[th:สมเด็จพระเจ้าจอร์จที่ 2 แห่งบริเตนใหญ่]] [[ur:جورج دوم]] [[zh:乔治二世 (英国)]]