George II (1683-1760) of Britain succeeded his father, George I, in 1727. George II was a brave man and ambitious for military prestige. He saw himself as a warrior-prince and was the last British ruler to lead troops on the battlefield.
Great changes marked the reign of George II. Military triumphs, especially during the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), laid the foundations of empire in India and Canada and increased British prestige throughout Europe. Britain also experienced growing commercial prosperity and, eventually, increasing political stability. In 1745, George put down the last serious attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the Stuart family.
During the first part of George’s reign, his chief advisers were his wife—Queen Caroline—and Sir Robert Walpole. Later, his chief ministers, Henry Pelham and William Pitt, helped him greatly. George II was born in Herrenhausen, near what is now Oldenburg, Germany, on Nov. 10, 1683. He died on Oct. 25, 1760.
