Do you know where his motivations fell on the personal - political continuum? This proposal isn't something I had known about (or at least remembered).
Well, at first it seems to have been political, given that Leipniz, none other, first suggests the idea of such a match when Charles is all of thirteen years old (and Caroline is fifteen) in 1698) to Benedicta of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a lady who was both cousin to Figuelotte and the aunt of Charles. This then remains super hush hush and Caroline has no idea until the idea gets revived again five years later when Charles is en route to claim Spain (well, as in he doesn't, but you know, HE DID NOT KNOW THAT!), and Caroline receives a breathless letter she's to visit her maternal aunt the Duchess of Weissenfels AT ONCE. Which she does, and where she meets young Charles who is now eighteen and as presentable as can be expected. They talk for five hours, he really likes her and tells his aide-de-camp people back at home should go ahead and negotiate for the match, he's proposing, while continuing his travels.
Given whom Charles would end up marrying - original EC - and that she was also a Protestant princess (who did agree to being converted), I would say that the Habsburgs were ready to freshen up the gene pool did want a princess from one of the Protestant principalities because they expected trouble from Louis re: Spain, the French had a nasty habit of teaming up with some of the German princes against the HRE rulership, and it probably seemed a good idea to strengthen ties there ahead of time. Caroline might not have had a large dowry, but she had good connections due to both Brandenburg/Prussia and Hannover (due to Figuelotte sort of adopting her) and Saxony, in the sense that her late mother had been miserably married there to the previous Elector, granted, but August the Strong did have some sympathy for his late sister-in-law and had granted her a good pension for her remaining years, and sent Caroline some nice presents now and then. Added to which was Caroline being a beauty, with parents who both had produced various children (important, that), and a good reputation, all of which are good factors, and who knows, young Charles might really have been smitten. But I do think strengthening ties between the imperial house and the Protestant principalities was the basic idea.
G2 being uxurious: it's slightly mentioned in Sophie's letters but can be missed there - when Caroline got smallpox, George Augustus remained at her side and caught it as well. This is how her stepfather had died (only her stepfather had caught it from his mistress, not wife), which must have been on everyone's mind, so it was both a courageous and devoted thing of future G2 to do.
I think I quoted the famous lampoon about their marriage which was sung shortly after their coronation in London when reviewing Hervey's memoirs (because of course Hervey quotes it): "You may strutt, dapper George, but 'twill all be vain;/We know 'tis Caroline, not you, that reign."
Re: The First Iron Lady: A life of Caroline of Ansbach - I: Cinderella
Well, at first it seems to have been political, given that Leipniz, none other, first suggests the idea of such a match when Charles is all of thirteen years old (and Caroline is fifteen) in 1698) to Benedicta of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a lady who was both cousin to Figuelotte and the aunt of Charles. This then remains super hush hush and Caroline has no idea until the idea gets revived again five years later when Charles is en route to claim Spain (well, as in he doesn't, but you know, HE DID NOT KNOW THAT!), and Caroline receives a breathless letter she's to visit her maternal aunt the Duchess of Weissenfels AT ONCE. Which she does, and where she meets young Charles who is now eighteen and as presentable as can be expected. They talk for five hours, he really likes her and tells his aide-de-camp people back at home should go ahead and negotiate for the match, he's proposing, while continuing his travels.
Given whom Charles would end up marrying - original EC - and that she was also a Protestant princess (who did agree to being converted), I would say that the Habsburgs
were ready to freshen up the gene pooldid want a princess from one of the Protestant principalities because they expected trouble from Louis re: Spain, the French had a nasty habit of teaming up with some of the German princes against the HRE rulership, and it probably seemed a good idea to strengthen ties there ahead of time. Caroline might not have had a large dowry, but she had good connections due to both Brandenburg/Prussia and Hannover (due to Figuelotte sort of adopting her) and Saxony, in the sense that her late mother had been miserably married there to the previous Elector, granted, but August the Strong did have some sympathy for his late sister-in-law and had granted her a good pension for her remaining years, and sent Caroline some nice presents now and then. Added to which was Caroline being a beauty, with parents who both had produced various children (important, that), and a good reputation, all of which are good factors, and who knows, young Charles might really have been smitten. But I do think strengthening ties between the imperial house and the Protestant principalities was the basic idea.G2 being uxurious: it's slightly mentioned in Sophie's letters but can be missed there - when Caroline got smallpox, George Augustus remained at her side and caught it as well. This is how her stepfather had died (only her stepfather had caught it from his mistress, not wife), which must have been on everyone's mind, so it was both a courageous and devoted thing of future G2 to do.
I think I quoted the famous lampoon about their marriage which was sung shortly after their coronation in London when reviewing Hervey's memoirs (because of course Hervey quotes it): "You may strutt, dapper George, but 'twill all be vain;/We know 'tis Caroline, not you, that reign."