Andrew C. Thompson examines George II’s dual position as British king and elector of Hanover, placing continental priorities at the centre of a reign often described only through ministerial politics. The biography follows his troubled relationship with George I, family rivalries and partnership with Queen Caroline.
Thompson analyses the king’s dealings with Walpole and later ministers, his role in European war and the expansion of British power overseas. George emerges as a more engaged constitutional ruler than traditional accounts suggest, balancing dynastic security, parliamentary realities and military commitments across two states.