GEORGE II., KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND IRELAND
Arms.—Within the Garter. Quarterly.
1st grand quarter; England and Scotland impaled.
2nd grand quarter; France.
3rd grand quarter; Ireland.
4th grand quarter; Brunswick impaling Lunenburg, Saxony in the base point, and the Crown of Charlemagne on an escutcheon of pretence; all as used by George I. (q.v.).
Crest.—A Royal Crown ppr., thereon a lion statant guardant or, crowned ppr.
Supporters.—The lion and the unicorn, as used by James I. (q.v.).
Motto.—Dieu et mon droit.
Badges.—Roses and a Thistle.
[Boerhave. Methodus Studii Medici. Amst., 1751.]
Variety.—Used as Prince of Wales.
Arms.—Within the Garter. Impaled.
Dexter: The Royal Arms of England, quarterly; first, England and Scotland impaled; second, France; third, Ireland; fourth, the arms of the Dominions of the Crown in Germany; over all the label, with three points arg., of an elder son.
Sinister: The arms of Princess Caroline of Brandenburg-Anspach. Quartered.
1. Per fess, gu. and arg. Magdeburg.
2. Arg., an eagle displayed sa. Brandenburg.
3. Arg., an eagle displayed sa. Jägerndorff.
4. Or, a griffin segreant gu. Herz. Wenden.
5. Or, a griffin segreant sa. Fürst Wenden.
6. Arg., a griffin segreant gu. Pommern.
7. Arg., an eagle displayed sa. Crossen.
8. Arg., a griffin segreant gu. Kassuben.
9. Arg., an eagle displayed gu. Prussia.
10. Per pale, arg. and gu. Halberstadt.
11. Or, a lion rampant sa., crowned or, within a bordure gobony, arg. and gu. Nüremberg.
12. Gu., 2 keys in saltire or. Minden.
13. Quarterly, arg. and sa. Hohenzollern.
14. Gu., a cross ar. Ratzeburg.
15. Gu. For right of Regalia.
Crest.—A Prince's coronet ppr., thereon a lion statant guardant or, coroneted ppr.
Helmet.—Royal.
Supporters.—The lion and unicorn, the Royal Supporters of England, each charged with a Prince of Wales' label. The lion is coroneted with the coronet of a Royal Prince.
Motto.—Ich dien.
[Playford. Wit and Mirth. London, 1714.]
Variety.—Used as Prince of Wales. The Prince of Wales' plumes, within a princely coronet, and flanked by the initials "G. P." for "Georgius Princeps."
Motto.—Ich dien.
[Musgrave. Antiquitates Britanno-Belgicae. Exeter, 1719.]
George, Electoral Prince of Hanover, afterwards Prince of Wales (born 30th October 1683, died 25th October 1760), was the only son of George I., and succeeded his father on the throne of England in 1727.
In 1753 an Act was passed "For the purchase of the Museum or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane and of the Harleian Collection of MSS.; and for providing one General Repository for the better reception and more convenient use of the said Collections, and of the Cottonian Library." In 1757 King George II. added to these "Foundation Libraries" of the British Museum, the old Royal Library of England, which had been largely brought together by Henry, Prince of Wales. The old Royal Library underwent several vicissitudes after the death of Prince Henry. It was kept at St. James's Palace. When it was at length incorporated with the Sloane and Cotton collections it numbered altogether about fifteen thousand volumes, manuscripts, and printed books.
On 2nd September 1705, Prince George, then Electoral Prince of Hanover, married Wilhelmina Caroline (born 1st March 1683, died 20th November 1737), the eldest daughter of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Anspach. Queen Caroline made herself as important in Court and political affairs as she had already done as Princess, and allied herself strongly with Sir Robert Walpole, then Minister of State, and her power became very great, as the King gave way to her wishes almost invariably. Both George II. and Queen Caroline disliked their eldest son Frederick. During the King's several absences in Hanover, Queen Caroline acted as Regent, to the great annoyance of the Prince of Wales.
