George II of Great Britain
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 dignity of Archtreasurer of the Holy Roman Empire).
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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)
- Martin Miller in Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948)
- Ivan Triesault in The Lady and the Bandit (1951), about Dick Turpin
- Arthur Young in John Wesley (1954)
- Richard Harris in King of the Wind (1989)
- Clive Swift in the BBC TV drama series Aristocrats (1999)
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Ancestors
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Issue
Caroline's nine pregnancies, between 1707 and 1724, resulted in eight live births:
| Name | Birth | Death | 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 | 10 July 1711 | 31 October 1786 | |
| Princess Caroline | 21 June 1713 | 28 December 1757 | |
| Prince George William | 13 November 1717 | 17 February 1718 | died in infancy |
| Prince William, Duke of Cumberland | 26 April 1721 | 31 October 1765 | |
| Princess Mary, Landgravine of Hesse | 5 March 1723 | 14 January 1772 | married, 1740, Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse; had issue |
| Louise, Queen of Denmark and Norway | 18 December 1724 | 19 December 1751 | married, 1743, Frederick V of Denmark; had issue |
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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 (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 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 King" was developed during George II's reign. It is thought that the first public performance of the song—sometimes cited as an adaptation of a piece by the French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully—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 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 Hallelujah chorus. This is often observed even if there are no royalty present.
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See also
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References
- 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
- Henry Churchyard "Royal Genealogies, Part 9"
- Sam Sloan "Big Combined Family Trees (pafg746)"
- Funeral of George II An account by Horace Walpole on Mytimemachine.co.uk
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George II of Great Britain
Cadet branch of the House of Welf
Born: 10 November 1683 Died: 25 October 1760 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George I |
King of Great Britain King of Ireland Elector of Hanover 11 June 1727 – 25 October 1760 |
Succeeded by George III |
| British royalty | ||
| Preceded by George, Elector of Hanover later became King George I |
Heir to the Thrones as heir apparent 1714 – 1727 |
Succeeded by Frederick, Prince of Wales |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New creation | Duke of Cambridge 3rd creation 1706 – 1727 |
Merged in the crown |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by James Stuart in English peerage |
Prince of Wales 1714 – 1727 |
Succeeded by The Prince Frederick |
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