God Save the King is the national anthem of the United Kingdom and the royal anthem of several Commonwealth realms, with the words changed to Queen when a queen reigns. The song was first performed in London theatres in autumn 1745, during the Jacobite rising, as a patriotic expression of loyalty to George II. The origin of the melody is uncertain and has been attributed to various composers. It has never been officially made the anthem by law but became so by custom. Its tune has been used by many other countries, including Germany and the United States, which used it for the song My Country, 'Tis of Thee, and composers such as Haydn and Beethoven drew on it.
Before and after
- 1 August 1744Birth of Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck
- from 7 August 1744 to 25 December 1745Second Silesian War
- 1745Founding of North Adams
- 18 February 1745Birth of Alessandro Volta
- October 1745Publication of God Save the King
- 15 December 1745Battle of Kesselsdorf
- 1746Founding of Princeton University
- from 29 January 1746 to 22 February 1746Siege of Brussels
- 30 March 1746Birth of Francisco Goya
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The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.