George II became king of Great Britain and Ireland and elector of Hanover in 1727. Although initially dissatisfied with Robert Walpole, he retained the minister whose parliamentary management supported the government. Queen Caroline helped maintain their working relationship. Royal influence remained important in appointments and foreign affairs, but effective government increasingly depended on ministers able to command support in Parliament.

The king's Hanoverian position shaped his strategic concerns. War on the European continent could threaten his German electorate as well as British commercial and diplomatic interests. During the War of the Austrian Succession, he personally accompanied the allied army at Dettingen in 1743, becoming the last British monarch to take part in battle. His participation reflected dynastic responsibility and an active conception of kingship.

The Jacobite rising of 1745 challenged the Hanoverian succession directly. Charles Edward Stuart's forces advanced into England before withdrawing, and the Duke of Cumberland, the king's younger son, defeated them at Culloden in 1746. Repression after the victory strengthened government control in the Highlands while imposing severe costs on defeated communities. The failure of the rising greatly reduced the immediate prospect of a Stuart restoration.

George worked with several ministerial combinations after Walpole's fall, eventually accepting the partnership associated with Newcastle and William Pitt. During the Seven Years' War, British forces and allies achieved major successes in North America, India, and Europe. His reign's final years saw a substantial expansion of British imperial power. His eldest son Frederick had died in 1751 after a prolonged family and political conflict. When George died in 1760, Frederick's son succeeded as George III. His reign linked parliamentary government with royal engagement in patronage, strategy, and dynastic security.