George II

the long version

"Why is George II the forgotten monarch? Despite his lengthy rule (1727-1760) he has been so neglected that most of us know little or nothing of him." "One answer is the lack of easily accessible source material - George left no diary and was not a letter writer. But George has also been dismissed as merely a puppet in the hands of the towering politicians of his time: in particular Wilpole, Pitt and Newcastle." "In this new biography - the first for over 30 years - Jeremy Black reassesses this charge, and demonstrates convincingly that George II is a worthy subject of enquiry. Exploiting rich archival resources, including contemporary satire and the letters written about George rather than by him, he pieces together a figure who was the pivot in an often finely balanced - and sometimes dangerously unbalanced - fledgling political system." "By drawing comparisons between George, his predecessors and successors, his European counterparts and famous ministers of the day, Black goes beyond biography. He not only reveals much about George himself, but also dissects the role of the king and the changing face of monarchical power."--Jacket.