King George III
(born
George William Frederick
, 4 June 1738 ? 29 January 1820) was
King of Great Britain
and
Ireland
from 25 October 1760 to 1 January 1801, when he became King of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
until his death. He was also
Elector
of Hanover, which made him a Prince of the
Holy Roman Empire
.
George III
|
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Allan_Ramsay_-_King_George_III_in_coronation_robes_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/220px-Allan_Ramsay_-_King_George_III_in_coronation_robes_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) |
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Reign
| 25 October 1760 - 29 January 1820
|
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Coronation
| 22 September 1761
|
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Predecessor
| George II
|
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Successor
| George IV
|
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|
Born
| 4 June 1738
Norfolk House
,
London
,
England
|
---|
Died
| 29 January 1820
(aged 81)
Windsor Castle
,
Windsor
,
Berkshire
,
England
|
---|
Burial
| |
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Spouse
| Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
|
---|
Issue
| George IV
Frederick, Duke of York
William IV
Charlotte, Princess Royal
Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent
Princess Augusta Sophia
Princess Elizabeth
Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover
Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex
Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
Princess Mary
Princess Sophia
Prince Octavius
Prince Alfred
Princess Amelia
|
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|
House
| House of Hanover
|
---|
Father
| Frederick, Prince of Wales
|
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Mother
| Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
|
---|
During George's
reign
, he lost control of the
United States of America
however the
British Empire
made major gains in
South Asia
. His two kingdoms,
Great Britain
and
Ireland
, were merged into the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
. Also during his reign, the British were at war with republican and
Napoleon I
's France. The Electorate of
Hanover
eventually became a Kingdom.
George suffered from periodic bouts of
mental illness
. One of them caused a crisis in 1788, and attempts were made to nominate his son
George IV
as
regent
. The king quickly recovered and prevented that from happening.
[1]
George signed the
Quebec
Act of 1774, which abolished
William III
's anti-Catholic laws in the American colonies.
[2]
[3]
Also during his reign, George III signed legislation abolishing some of the anti-Catholic Laws in Great Britain and Ireland. For example, the Catholic Relief Acts of 1772 and 1774 allowed Roman Catholics to have land leases in Great Britain. In 1793, Hogart's Act allowed Roman Catholics to vote in Irish elections, but George blocked a proposal in 1800 to allow Catholics to sit in the British Parliament.
[4]
In the later part of his life, George suffered from recurrent
mental illness
, which was eventually permanent. Although it has since been suggested that he suffered from a
genetic
blood disease,
porphyria
, the cause of his illness is not certain. After a final relapse in 1810, a
regency
was established, and George's eldest son, George, Prince of Wales, ruled as
Prince Regent
. On George III's death, the Prince Regent succeeded his father as George IV.
Because of "his plain, homely, thrifty manners and tastes", George III has had the
nickname
of
Farmer
George
.
- 4 June 1738 ? 31 March 1751
:
His Royal Highness
Prince George
[5]
- 31 March 1751 ? 20 April 1751
:
His Royal Highness
The Duke of Edinburgh
- 20 April 1751 ? 25 October 1760
:
His Royal Highness
The Prince of Wales
- 25 October 1760 ? 29 January 1820
:
His Majesty
The King