King George II and Queen Caroline

by John van der Kiste

This biography of the last king to lead British troups into baffle and his able wife provides intriquing insight into 18th century war and politics.Often derided as the buffoon who "hated all boets and bainters", George II was fortunate to be served by Prime Ministers Sir Robert Walpole and William Pitt, and was wise enough to leave the business of government to them. His wife, generally regarded as the ablest of British queens between Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, used her influence in politics and patronage so that she and Walpole effectively ruled the kingdom between them. Her death in 1737 was seen as a national calamity. Illustrated throughout, this new biography provides a much-needed reevaluation of these monarchs and the times in which they ruled.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, 18th Century, Germany, Royalty, Biography

293 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1998

About the author

John Van der Kiste, British author, was born in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, on September 15, 1954, son of Wing Commander Guy Van der Kiste (1912–99). He was educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, where he briefly formed a rock band Cobweb with fellow pupil Miles Tredinnick, later vocalist with new wave band London and subsequently playwright and scriptwriter, and read Librarianship at Ealing Technical College, where he edited the librarians’ student magazine.
He has worked for several years in public and academic libraries, but is best known as a writer. His first book, Frederick III, appeared in 1981, and since then he has published over twenty historical biographies, as well as books on local history, true crime, rock music, a novel and a play. He is also a contributor to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Guinness Rockopaedia, and has produced articles on historical, musical and art subjects in national and local journals, including Illustrated London News, Royalty Digest, European Royal History Journal, Best of British, BBC History Magazine, Record Collector, Antique Collector, This England, The Independent, and Gibbons Stamp Monthly. He has reviewed books and records for the press, written CD booklet notes, and between 1991 and 1996 edited the 70s rock fanzine Keep on Rockin.
In 2002 he was a consultant for the BBC TV documentary 'The King, the Kaiser and the Tsar', first screened in January 2003.
He married professional musician and teacher Kim Graham (née Geldard) in 2003 and lives in Devon.

Reviews

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

This moved along and was interesting, more or less.
Bit of standard sexism.
I'm not as familiar with this time period so I am unsure of the accuracy, seems to match other history books I've read on this period
🤷🏾‍♀️

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book about the second King of the Hanoverian dynasty. The lives of George and Caroline are interesting to read about. In love at the beginning of their marriage, the King eventually took mistresses, but never fell out of love with his wife. I loved how he wanted to be buried with her and wanted the middle of their coffins to be removed so that their "dust" could mingle. Of course, the couple also had their trials with their children, as all Hanoverian monarchs seemed to have had. An interesting read.

[Madeleine McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Energetic and juicy history of George II and his wife. It shows a great deal of the George's and why they tend to be ill-thought-of. Great history.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A joint biography of the second Hanoverian king of Great Britain and his wife. van der Kiste goes into the background of George's life in Hanover and the transition to life in England. He does a good job of acknowledging the different faults between the generations and tries to keep an objective look at both sides between father son, and grandson.