George II King and Elector Andrew C. Thompson

“Thompson has finally, and triumphantly, given us one of the essential, basic building blocks for royal history in the 18th century….I’m utterly delighted that this long-standing gap has been filled so authoritatively.”—Lucy Worsley, BBC History Magazine (Books of the Year)

“[A] fine biography . . . Mr. Thompson makes a strong case for his subject's importance.”—Martin Rubin, Wall Street Journal

“This is an impeccably sourced, cross-referred and well indexed book, drawing on new archival material in both Britain and Germany. It is, thank goodness, unashamedly chronological and written in an engaging narrative style.”—Richard Ormrod, The Tablet

'If George III is well known as 'the man who lost America', it was won in the reign of George II. It is very much to be welcomed that Andrew Thompson - one of the most promising of the younger British historians working in this vibrant field - has written the biography of this relatively unknown King. By looking at the political, marital, religious, musical and strategic interests of his subject - and drawing heavily on rich material in the German archives - the author gives us a scintillating picture of a story which spans not only the Atlantic Ocean but, more importantly, the North Sea separating George's British Kingdom from his Hanoverian homeland.' - Brendan Simms, University of Cambridge

'A groundbreaking study of a neglected monarch. Using newly-discovered archival material, Andrew C. Thompson offers a fundamental reappraisal of George II both as British King and Hanoverian Elector, revealing his central political role fully for the first time.' - Hamish Scott, University of Glasgow

'Andrew Thompson is a first-rate archival historian, equally at home in both British and German archives. He is thus uniquely well qualified to write a biography of one of Britain's most neglected monarchs and the last one to be born abroad. The result is an impressive and sympathetic reassessment, full of fresh and original insights, of the man who presided over Britain's emergence as a world power. This will remain the definitive biography for a generation and more.' - Stephen Taylor, University of Reading

'This magnificent biography will mark a watershed in our knowledge and understanding of Hanoverian England.' - Tim Blanning

"The author's detailed study and clear mastery of German sources… shed[s] light on the political nature of Germany in the eighteenth century."—A.T. Contemporary Review