George II

1. Letters and correspondence of George II, 1715-1823
2. Private papers of George II, [1714]-1759
3. Miscellaneous, 1717-[?1769]

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Born 1683 in Hanover to Georg Ludwig (later George I) and his wife Sophia Dorothea of Celle, Georg August was the last British monarch to be born abroad. Following the dissolution of his parents' marriage in 1694, George Augustus's upbringing was entrusted to his grandparents, Ernest August and Sophia; the young George is believed to have had no further contact with his mother from this time. In 1705, he married Caroline of Ansbach and had 8 children by her. The same year saw the start of George's anglicisation when he was naturalised as an English subject followed by his installation as a Knight of the Garter in 1706 and duke of Cambridge later that year. On his father's accession to the throne of Great Britain in 1714, George, his wife, and their younger children moved to England - their eldest son, Frederick remained in Hanover as a representative of the dynasty's authority. In London, George took up his seat in the House of Lords but had no formal role in politics; as the relationship between father and son deteriorated so the court of the younger George became a focus for opposition politics and politicians. George's poor relationship with his father would later be mirrored by his poor relationship with his own eldest son, Frederick, Prince of Wales. Succeeding to the throne in 1727 on the death of his father, George II's reign saw an end to the Jacobite rebellions, the start of the Seven Years' War, the expansion of British interests throughout the world, and the creation of the British Museum (which included the donation of his own Royal Library as one of the founding collections). George II died in October 1760 and was succeeded by his grandson, George III