Caroline
Caroline, born Wilhelmine Charlotte Caroline, was a significant historical figure who served as the queen consort of Great Britain as the wife of King George II. Orphaned at a young age, she was educated by the philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who greatly influenced her intellectual development. Caroline married George Augustus in 1705, aligning herself politically with the Hanoverian dynasty. Upon her husband’s ascent to the throne in 1727, she became queen and played an essential role in British politics, notably through her friendship with Prime Minister Robert Walpole.
Renowned for her intelligence and political acumen, Caroline was often seen as a key decision-maker behind the scenes, influencing government policies and appointments. Her marriage to George II was considered relatively harmonious, despite their family's ongoing disputes. Caroline's legacy includes fostering an environment that elevated the role of queen consorts beyond traditional expectations, contributing to the cultural and political landscape of her time. She passed away in 1737, leaving a lasting impact on the monarchy and British history.
Caroline
Queen of Great Britain and Ireland (r. 1727-1737)
- Born: March 1, 1683
- Birthplace: Ansbach, Brandenburg-Ansbach (now in Germany)
- Died: November 20, 1737
- Place of death: London, England
During her long and colorful life, the intelligent and politically savvy Queen Caroline participated actively in politics and government during the reign of King George II and helped rule Great Britain.
Early Life
Caroline was born Wilhelmine Charlotte Caroline to Eleanor Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach (1662-1696) and Johann Friedrich, margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1667-1686). Caroline was orphaned at a young age, and she spent her early years primarily at Dresden and Berlin, where she formed a close attachment to Sophia Charlotte, queen of Prussia (r. 1701-1705).
In 1704, the twenty-one-year-old Caroline met mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), Sophia Charlotte’s friend who often visited the queen at her home at Lützenburg. Leibniz was to become Caroline’s tutor, and the two remained friends until Leibniz’s death in 1716.
Like all royal princesses, Caroline understood that her role in life was to make an advantageous marriage. Political and economic connections were of primary concern in royal marriages; love and romance took a distant back seat. Caroline turned down the opportunity to become queen of Spain because to do so would have meant changing her Protestant faith to that of Roman Catholicism. However, George Augustus (1683-1760), the Protestant son of the elector of Hanover and in line to become heir to the throne of Great Britain, seemed a perfect match. In 1705, Caroline married George Augustus in Hanover, Germany, and shortly thereafter, in 1707, she gave birth to their first child, Prince Frederick Louis (1707-1751).
Life’s Work
In 1714, Caroline’s father-in-law became the first British king from Hanover, George I, upon the death of the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne. Caroline’s husband became the prince of Wales and she became the princess of Wales. The couple set off for England, leaving behind Frederick Louis, who was just seven years old. Since there was no English queen, Caroline became the first lady of Britain and took on all the responsibilities of a sitting queen. Intelligent, witty, and astute, the young princess immediately became politically entrenched in government and court politics.
As the princess of Wales, but mostly as the first lady, Caroline gained political influence through her developing friendship with British prime ministerRobert Walpole (1672-1745), a relationship that was to last the rest of her life. Indeed, it was Caroline who helped Walpole retain power during his turbulent tenure as the first British prime minister (1730-1742). Under Walpole’s peaceful and prosperous term, the foundations of the Industrial Revolution were realized. Britain saw increased coal production, an increase in shipbuilding and in agriculture, and a rise in British colonization in the Caribbean and in India. Caroline could see the long-term advantages of political maneuvering, and so she encouraged political and religious appointments based on intelligence and experience rather than on cronyism.
When Caroline’s husband became estranged from his father, King George I, Walpole made sure that Caroline nevertheless maintained a prominent political position and enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle at London’s Leicester House. During her time at Leicester House, Caroline began a prominent intellectual salon for London’s literary lights. At the same venue, a dissident Whig group headed by Walpole sprang up as well, further suggesting Caroline’s powerful political influence.
Caroline sided with her husband in his continuing disputes with his father. So severe was the family infighting that Caroline and George were forced to leave court and live in their London residence, Leicester House. They even lost custody of their children. In time, the royal couple reconciled with the king in 1720, and seven years later, George was crowned King George II and Caroline became queen.
As queen, Caroline effectively ruled as regent in the absence of her husband, but she could not contain the family squabbling that characterized the royal Hanoverian family. Although it would seem that the family would have learned from their battle with George I, the hostilities continued into the next generation with Caroline’s eldest son, Frederick, prince of Wales.
By 1728, when he finally was able to join his parents in England, Frederick was an adult and beyond their political influence. At every turn, he opposed his parents, especially Caroline, and turned instead to Parliament for support. Despite having personally picked her new daughter-in-law, Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (1719-1772), Caroline plotted to undermine the marriage. Of particular note was a strange episode concerning the birth of Caroline’s first grandchild. Frederick had to smuggle Augusta—who was in labor—out of Hampton Court Palace to ensure Caroline would not disrupt the birth. Family quarrels continued to escalate, and they caused complete estrangement between Caroline and her son’s family.
Scholars maintain that Caroline’s marriage to George II was an unusually happy one, although no one doubted her intellectual superiority over her husband. Caroline maintained great patience with the king, putting up with, and even acknowledging, her husband’s string of royal mistresses.
Caroline was also highly influential in scholarly matters. Indeed, in 1715, she had recommended a debate, conducted through a series of letters between Leibniz and Samuel Clarke—the English physicist, theologian, and friend of Sir Isaac Newton—in an effort to work out an unresolved dispute between Leibniz and Newton. In the letters, Clarke defended Newton’s conceptions of space and time, ideas that Leibniz, Newton, and many others have argued over for centuries. The letters, published soon after the exchange, received a wide readership and are still read today.
On the domestic front, Caroline gave birth to eight children—three sons and five daughters—and died from a ruptured womb on November 20, 1737, in London. George had been so attached to Caroline that he arranged for matching coffins with removable sides to be built so that they could rest together upon his own death, which came twenty-three years later. The two are indeed buried together at Westminster Abbey. Caroline’s troublesome son Frederick died in 1751, never having inherited the throne, and it passed in 1760 to Caroline’s grandson, George III.
Significance
Caroline became one of the most popular queens in the history of the English monarchy. She brought to light—and lived—the idea that queen consorts could be far more than bearers and mothers of royal children. Indeed, no one doubted that Caroline was intellectually superior to her husband, King George II, and he often relied upon her wisdom and support. From her childhood as the student of mathematical genius Leibniz, many acknowledged that Caroline was to become the real, behind-the-scenes decision maker in England during George’s reign; she greatly influenced Prime Minister Walpole, who acted, it has been said, on her behalf.
In effect, the government was in Walpole’s hands, but so great was Caroline’s influence on him that upon her death in 1737, his power came to an abrupt halt and the country plunged into years of war, first with Spain and then with both Spain and France during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748).
Bibliography
Clarke John, et al. The Houses of Hanover and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. Volume 1 of this impressive five-volume series covers the reigns of British monarchs George I and George II. Very approachable and also full of illustrations, this work sheds light on the Hanover Dynasty and the long-lasting, deep influence of Queen Caroline of Ansbach.
Sinclair-Stevenson, Christopher. Blood Royal: The Illustrious House of Hanover. New York: Doubleday, 1980. A well-written account of the colorful House of Hanover, of which Caroline of Ansbach was a highly influential member as wife, mother, grandmother, and diplomat.
Treasure, Geoffrey. Who’s Who in Early Hanoverian Britain: 1714 to 1789. London: Treasure Stackpole Books, 2002. An indispensable guide to the royal eighteenth century Hanover Dynasty. Considers all the major members of Caroline’s family and also those who made up her political and social milieu.
Van der Kiste, John. King George II and Queen Caroline. London: Alan Sutton, 1998. This work recounts the marriage between King George II and Queen Caroline, their political and social milieu, and family fractions.
Wilkins, W. H. Caroline the Illustrious, Queen-Consort of George II and Sometime Queen-Regent: A Study of Her Life and Time. New York: Longmans, Green, 1901. A dated but wonderfully succinct account of Caroline, her life at the British court, and her lasting political influence.