Editing George II of Great Britain (section)

==Early life==
=== Birth and family ===
[[File:Sophie Dorothea Prinzessin von Ahlden.jpg|thumb|left|George as a young boy with his mother, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, and his sister, Sophia Dorothea of Hanover]]
George was born in the city of [[Hanover]] in Germany, followed by his sister, [[Sophia Dorothea of Hanover|Sophia Dorothea]], three years later. Their parents, George Louis, Hereditary Prince of [[Electorate of Hanover|Brunswick-Lüneburg]] (later King [[George I of Great Britain]]), and [[Sophia Dorothea of Celle]], both committed adultery. In 1694<!--28 December 1694 O.S.--> the marriage was dissolved on the pretext that Sophia Dorothea had abandoned her husband.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 6.</ref> She was confined to [[Ahlden House]] and denied access to her two children, who probably never saw their mother again.<ref>Black, ''George II'', pp. 35–36; Thompson, p. 19; Van der Kiste, p. 7.</ref>

George spoke only French, the language of diplomacy and the court, until the age of four, after which he was taught German by one of his tutors, Johann Hilmar Holstein.<ref>Thompson, p. 16.</ref> In addition to French and German, he also learned English and Italian, and studied genealogy, military history, and battle tactics with particular diligence.<ref>Trench, p. 7; Van der Kiste, p. 9.</ref>

George's [[Cousin|second cousin once removed]], [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]], ascended the thrones of [[Kingdom of England|England]], [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]] in 1702. Though she had had seventeen pregnancies, of which five resulted in live births, her [[Prince William, Duke of Gloucester|only surviving child]] died in 1700. By the [[Act of Settlement 1701]], therefore, the [[Parliament of England|English Parliament]] designated Anne's closest Protestant [[Blood relationship|blood relations]], George's grandmother [[Sophia of Hanover|Sophia]] and her descendants, as Anne's heirs in England and Ireland. Consequently, after his grandmother and father, George was third in line to succeed Anne in two of her three realms. He was naturalized as an English subject in 1705 by the [[Sophia Naturalization Act]], and in 1706 he was made a [[Knight of the Garter]] and created [[Duke of Cambridge|Duke and Marquess of Cambridge]], Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton, and Baron Tewkesbury in the [[Peerage of England]].<ref>Thompson, pp. 35–36.</ref> England and Scotland [[Acts of Union 1707|united in 1707]] to form the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], and jointly accepted the succession as laid down by the English Act of Settlement.<ref>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/Ann/6/11/contents Union with Scotland Act 1706] and [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aosp/1707/7/contents Union with England Act 1707], The National Archives, retrieved 20 September 2011.</ref>

===Marriage===

[[File:Caroline Wilhelmina of Brandenburg-Ansbach by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt.jpg|thumb|Princess Caroline by [[Godfrey Kneller]], 1716]]

George's father did not want his son to enter into a loveless arranged marriage as he had and wanted him to have the opportunity of meeting his bride before any formal arrangements were made.<ref name=vdk17/> Negotiations from 1702 for the hand of Princess [[Hedvig Sophia of Sweden]], Dowager Duchess and regent of [[Holstein-Gottorp]], came to nothing.<ref>Thompson, p. 28.</ref> In June 1705, under the false name "Monsieur de Busch", George visited the [[Principality of Ansbach|Ansbach]] court at its summer residence in Triesdorf to investigate ''incognito'' a marriage prospect: [[Princess Caroline of Ansbach]], the former ward of his aunt [[Queen Sophia Charlotte of Prussia]]. The English envoy to Hanover, Edmund Poley, reported that George was so taken by "the good character he had of her that he would not think of anybody else".<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 15.</ref> A marriage contract was concluded by the end of July.<ref>Thompson, p. 30; Van der Kiste, p. 16.</ref> On 22 August / 2 September 1705{{efn|name=dates}} Caroline arrived in Hanover for her wedding, which was held the same evening in the chapel at [[Herrenhausen Gardens|Herrenhausen]].<ref name=vdk17>Van der Kiste, p. 17.</ref>

George was keen to participate in the [[War of the Spanish Succession|war against France]] in [[Flanders]], but his father refused to let him join the army in an active role until he had a son and heir.<ref>Thompson, p. 31; Van der Kiste, p. 18.</ref> In early 1707 George's hopes were fulfilled when Caroline gave birth to a son, [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Frederick]].<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 19.</ref> In July Caroline fell seriously ill with [[smallpox]], and George caught the infection after staying by her side devotedly during her illness.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 21.</ref> They both recovered. In 1708 George participated in the [[Battle of Oudenarde]] in the vanguard of the Hanoverian cavalry; his horse and a colonel<!--Colonel Johann Albrecht von Lösecke--> immediately beside him were killed, but George survived unharmed.<ref>Thompson, p. 32; Trench, p. 18; Van der Kiste, p. 22.</ref> The British commander, [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Marlborough]], wrote that George "distinguished himself extremely, charging at the head of and animating by his example [the Hanoverian] troops, who played a good part in this happy victory".<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 23.</ref> Between 1709 and 1713 George and Caroline had three daughters: [[Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange|Anne]], [[Princess Amelia of Great Britain|Amelia]], and [[Princess Caroline of Great Britain|Caroline]].<ref>Thompson, p. 37.</ref>

By 1714 Queen Anne's health had declined, and [[British Whigs]], who supported the Hanoverian succession, thought it prudent for one of the Hanoverians to live in England to safeguard the Protestant succession on Anne's death. As George was a [[peer of the realm]] (as Duke of Cambridge), it was suggested that he be summoned to Parliament to sit in the [[House of Lords]]. Both Anne and George's father refused to support the plan, although George, Caroline, and Sophia were all in favour.<ref>Van der Kiste, p. 30.</ref> George did not go. Within the year both Sophia and Anne were dead, and George's father was king.<ref>Thompson, p. 38.</ref>