This work investigates the complex diplomatic and military relationship between Great Britain and the Electorate of Hanover during the eighteenth century. Jeremy Black, a prolific historian of eighteenth-century Europe, utilizes extensive archival research to examine how the personal union of the British and Hanoverian crowns influenced British foreign policy. He argues that the commitment to Hanoverian interests was a central, often contentious, driver of British interventionism in continental European conflicts throughout the period.

Historians recognize this text as a rigorous examination of the geopolitical realities facing eighteenth-century Britain. Scholars frequently cite Black's work for its detailed synthesis of archival evidence regarding the intersection of dynastic interests and national foreign policy.