King George II

George Augustus was born in 1683, the eldest son of George I and Sophia Dorothea of Celle. He married Caroline of Ansbach in 1705 and they went on to have seven children, the eldest of whom was Prince Frederick, father of King George III.

George II came to the throne in 1727 when his father, with whom he had a troubled relationship, died. He retained the services of Robert Walpole, his father’s chief advisor.

He was the last British monarch to take part in battle when, in 1742, he led his troops at the battle of Dettingen. The following year, Britain went to war with France.

The French king, Louis XV, supported the claim of the Catholic Stuarts to the English throne. Although James Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender, was now 57 years old and did not wish to lead another military campaign, his son,

Charles, the Young Pretender, left France for Scotland with ammunition provided by Louis and 700 men.

There followed the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 which culminated in victory for King George’s troops at Culloden and a series of harsh measures against the Scots.

King George II died in 1760 and was succeeded by his grandson George III.