George III of Great Britain (r. 1760-1820) was the third of the Hanoverian monarchs, and he remains the longest-reigning king in British history. His six decades on the throne saw the creation of the United Kingdom, the loss of the 13 American colonies, but massive expansion of the British Empire elsewhere, and great victories such as Trafalgar against the French.
King George's Britain saw social changes with developments in agriculture and the first inventions of the Industrial Revolution. The arts flourished, too, with the Georgian style of architecture sweeping across cities and the arrival of literary greats like Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott. King George suffered from serious mental illness in the latter part of his life, and his son took over as Prince Regent in 1811 before succeeding him on his death as George IV of Great Britain (r. 1820-1830).
The House of Hanover
King George I of Great Britain (r. 1714-1727) became the first Hanoverian ruler in Britain in 1714 thanks to Queen Anne of Great Britain (r. 1702-1714) having no children. George was Elector of Hanover, a small principality in Germany, and the queen's nearest Protestant relative. He did have a remote connection to the royal Stuart line as he was a descendant of Elizabeth Stuart (d. 1662), daughter of James I of England (r. 1603-1625). George I was succeeded by his son, who became George II of Great Britain (r. 1727-1760). George II did not have a good relationship with his eldest son and heir Frederick Louis (b. 1707), but Frederick died nine years before his father in 1751 of pneumonia or a sporting accident. Frederick's eldest son George was then selected as the heir to the throne.
George William Frederick, future George III, was born on 4 June 1738 at Norfolk House in London. His father was Frederick, Prince of Wales, and his mother was Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (1719-1772). When Frederick died in 1751, George became the Prince of Wales. King George II died of a heart attack on 25 October 1760 in Kensington Palace. Prince George thus became king at the age of 23, and he also took on his grandfather's title of Elector of Hanover. George III's coronation was held on 22 September 1761 in Westminster Abbey. The young king was described by the duchess of Northumberland as tall, strong, with fair hair and blue eyes (Cannon, 324).
UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS HANOVER MONARCHS, GEORGE III SPOKE ENGLISH AS HIS FIRST LANGUAGE & HE NEVER VISITED THE PRINCIPALITY.
Family & Character
On 8 September 1761, George married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) in St. James' Palace; it was the first day they had met. Unlike his predecessors in the Hanover family, George remained faithful to his wife and did not have any mistresses, although he was rather difficult in domestic life. The royal couple, who called each other Mr and Mrs King in private, had 15 children, several of which died in infancy; two of the sons would become kings: George (b. 1762) and William (b. 1765). The royal court was remarkably tranquil, with few lavish banquets, gambling frowned upon, and religious matters to the fore. The king always got up early, worked hard, and always ate in moderation. He liked painting and playing the harpsichord and flute. He was also rather more scholarly than his predecessors, taking an active interest in agriculture and writing on that subject under the pseudonym Ralph Robinson. He even ran a small farm for the benefit of his children, which earned him the nickname of 'Farmer George'.
Royal House of Hanover in Britain Family TreeSimeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-SA)
The king actively collected books from a young age so that he eventually amassed a library of over 65,000 books. The king gave access to his library to scholars, and on his death, it was donated to the British Museum (today it is part of the British Library). Here was a new Hanoverian monarch, indeed. In 1762, unhappy with his other royal residences, the king moved to Buckingham House in London, which ultimately became Buckingham Palace. Two locations which did appeal to the royal family were Windsor Castle and Kew Gardens.
Unlike the previous Hanover monarchs, George spoke English as his first language, and he never visited the principality. The monarch never visited the corners of his realm either, with Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and the north of England never benefitting from a royal visit in his six-decade reign. Despite his inability to withdraw from southern England, the king viewed himself as the 'Patriot King', one who cared not for party politics but the ambition of the British Empire. The king, unlike his grandfather and great-grandfather, was able to trust the Tories again as his advisers. This party had been tainted in the past by its association with the rebel Jacobite cause, which tried to restore the Stuart royal line. Naturally, politicians belonging to the other main party, the Whigs, were not happy to see the end of their monopoly over the royal ear, even if they continued to win the general elections.
The Empire Grows
The Seven Years' War (1756-63) was a cross-European, intercontinental conflict, one which saw Britain and Prussia against Spain and France (and several other states). There were notable British losses early on, but a highlight was gaining control of Canada in 1760. Britain and Prussia finally won the war, with the former, in particular, benefiting from a reshuffle of colonies to gain dominance in the eastern side of North America, the Caribbean, and India.
The East India Company trade, c. 1800Simeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-SA)
King George commissioned the extraordinary navigator Captain James Cook (1728-79) to explore the Pacific Ocean. Cook was the first known European to chart the eastern coast of the Australian continent, landing in Botany Bay in April 1770, an area Cook named New South Wales. In another expedition, Cook became the first European to cross the Antarctic Circle in 1773 and prove once and for all that there was no great southern continent in temperate waters but very likely an icebound land further south.
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THERE WERE SOME 2 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING IN THE 13 NORTH AMERICAN COLONIES, & A GREAT MANY OF THEM BELIEVED GEORGE III WAS A DESPICABLE TYRANT.
The Indian subcontinent, where the hugely powerful East India Company was rapidly increasing its territories and revenues, looked the most promising corner of the empire in terms of potential revenues from taxes, trade, and the exploitation of natural resources. In June 1757, Robert Clive (1725-1774) masterminded victory at the Battle of Plassey and so won control of Bengal. Revenue from Bengal and a trade monopoly in India and with China paid for even larger armies and more wars. The East India Company won the four Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767-99) to gain territory in southern India. Victory in the three Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775-1819) gave control of central India. Victory in the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-16) extended British India up to the Himalayas. Only the Punjab remained out of British control, and this was conquered by 1849. India became the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire, especially so after the disaster of losing control of eastern North America.
The Loss of the American Colonies
The 13 British colonies on the eastern side of North America pushed for independence in the latter half of the 18th century. There were some 2 million people living in these colonies, and a great many of them believed George III was a despicable tyrant out to repress their freedom. George III makes for an unlikely tyrant as, in reality, he played the part of a back-seat constitutional monarch like no king or queen had ever done before him. The British government and its new breed of all-powerful prime ministers may have been the real enemy, but it was King George as the figurehead who became the target of hatred and propaganda.
George III in Coronation RobesAllan Ramsay (Public Domain)
The British regarded North America as an important source of trade goods like tobacco and a lucrative market in which to sell goods made in Britain and other parts of the empire. The British government was not quite sure how to handle the colonists' requests for greater political freedom since no other colony had ever done such a thing. The British error was not to realise that the wealth of the American colonies, the presence of a democratic assembly in each state, and the largely European makeup of their citizenry all combined to place them in a particular position. North America was not India and could not be treated as such. The Americans regarded themselves as equals to British citizens, but they had no political representation in the British parliament, which was imposing legislation on them. What the American citizens did have in common with their British counterparts was the obligation to pay taxes. "No taxation without representation" became the rallying cry of the colonials.George III of Great Britain (r. 1760-1820) was the third of the Hanoverian monarchs, and he remains the longest-reigning king in British history. His six decades on the throne saw the creation of the United Kingdom, the loss of the 13 American colonies, but massive expansion of the British Empire elsewhere, and great victories such as Trafalgar against the French.
King George's Britain saw social changes with developments in agriculture and the first inventions of the Industrial Revolution. The arts flourished, too, with the Georgian style of architecture sweeping across cities and the arrival of literary greats like Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott. King George suffered from serious mental illness in the latter part of his life, and his son took over as Prince Regent in 1811 before succeeding him on his death as George IV of Great Britain (r. 1820-1830).
The House of Hanover
King George I of Great Britain (r. 1714-1727) became the first Hanoverian ruler in Britain in 1714 thanks to Queen Anne of Great Britain (r. 1702-1714) having no children. George was Elector of Hanover, a small principality in Germany, and the queen's nearest Protestant relative. He did have a remote connection to the royal Stuart line as he was a descendant of Elizabeth Stuart (d. 1662), daughter of James I of England (r. 1603-1625). George I was succeeded by his son, who became George II of Great Britain (r. 1727-1760). George II did not have a good relationship with his eldest son and heir Frederick Louis (b. 1707), but Frederick died nine years before his father in 1751 of pneumonia or a sporting accident. Frederick's eldest son George was then selected as the heir to the throne.
George William Frederick, future George III, was born on 4 June 1738 at Norfolk House in London. His father was Frederick, Prince of Wales, and his mother was Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (1719-1772). When Frederick died in 1751, George became the Prince of Wales. King George II died of a heart attack on 25 October 1760 in Kensington Palace. Prince George thus became king at the age of 23, and he also took on his grandfather's title of Elector of Hanover. George III's coronation was held on 22 September 1761 in Westminster Abbey. The young king was described by the duchess of Northumberland as tall, strong, with fair hair and blue eyes (Cannon, 324).
UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS HANOVER MONARCHS, GEORGE III SPOKE ENGLISH AS HIS FIRST LANGUAGE & HE NEVER VISITED THE PRINCIPALITY.
Family & Character
On 8 September 1761, George married Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) in St. James' Palace; it was the first day they had met. Unlike his predecessors in the Hanover family, George remained faithful to his wife and did not have any mistresses, although he was rather difficult in domestic life. The royal couple, who called each other Mr and Mrs King in private, had 15 children, several of which died in infancy; two of the sons would become kings: George (b. 1762) and William (b. 1765). The royal court was remarkably tranquil, with few lavish banquets, gambling frowned upon, and religious matters to the fore. The king always got up early, worked hard, and always ate in moderation. He liked painting and playing the harpsichord and flute. He was also rather more scholarly than his predecessors, taking an active interest in agriculture and writing on that subject under the pseudonym Ralph Robinson. He even ran a small farm for the benefit of his children, which earned him the nickname of 'Farmer George'.
Royal House of Hanover in Britain Family TreeSimeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-SA)
The king actively collected books from a young age so that he eventually amassed a library of over 65,000 books. The king gave access to his library to scholars, and on his death, it was donated to the British Museum (today it is part of the British Library). Here was a new Hanoverian monarch, indeed. In 1762, unhappy with his other royal residences, the king moved to Buckingham House in London, which ultimately became Buckingham Palace. Two locations which did appeal to the royal family were Windsor Castle and Kew Gardens.
Unlike the previous Hanover monarchs, George spoke English as his first language, and he never visited the principality. The monarch never visited the corners of his realm either, with Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and the north of England never benefitting from a royal visit in his six-decade reign. Despite his inability to withdraw from southern England, the king viewed himself as the 'Patriot King', one who cared not for party politics but the ambition of the British Empire. The king, unlike his grandfather and great-grandfather, was able to trust the Tories again as his advisers. This party had been tainted in the past by its association with the rebel Jacobite cause, which tried to restore the Stuart royal line. Naturally, politicians belonging to the other main party, the Whigs, were not happy to see the end of their monopoly over the royal ear, even if they continued to win the general elections.
The Empire Grows
The Seven Years' War (1756-63) was a cross-European, intercontinental conflict, one which saw Britain and Prussia against Spain and France (and several other states). There were notable British losses early on, but a highlight was gaining control of Canada in 1760. Britain and Prussia finally won the war, with the former, in particular, benefiting from a reshuffle of colonies to gain dominance in the eastern side of North America, the Caribbean, and India.
The East India Company trade, c. 1800Simeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-SA)
King George commissioned the extraordinary navigator Captain James Cook (1728-79) to explore the Pacific Ocean. Cook was the first known European to chart the eastern coast of the Australian continent, landing in Botany Bay in April 1770, an area Cook named New South Wales. In another expedition, Cook became the first European to cross the Antarctic Circle in 1773 and prove once and for all that there was no great southern continent in temperate waters but very likely an icebound land further south.
ADVERTISEMENT
THERE WERE SOME 2 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING IN THE 13 NORTH AMERICAN COLONIES, & A GREAT MANY OF THEM BELIEVED GEORGE III WAS A DESPICABLE TYRANT.
The Indian subcontinent, where the hugely powerful East India Company was rapidly increasing its territories and revenues, looked the most promising corner of the empire in terms of potential revenues from taxes, trade, and the exploitation of natural resources. In June 1757, Robert Clive (1725-1774) masterminded victory at the Battle of Plassey and so won control of Bengal. Revenue from Bengal and a trade monopoly in India and with China paid for even larger armies and more wars. The East India Company won the four Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767-99) to gain territory in southern India. Victory in the three Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775-1819) gave control of central India. Victory in the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-16) extended British India up to the Himalayas. Only the Punjab remained out of British control, and this was conquered by 1849. India became the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire, especially so after the disaster of losing control of eastern North America.
The Loss of the American Colonies
The 13 British colonies on the eastern side of North America pushed for independence in the latter half of the 18th century. There were some 2 million people living in these colonies, and a great many of them believed George III was a despicable tyrant out to repress their freedom. George III makes for an unlikely tyrant as, in reality, he played the part of a back-seat constitutional monarch like no king or queen had ever done before him. The British government and its new breed of all-powerful prime ministers may have been the real enemy, but it was King George as the figurehead who became the target of hatred and propaganda.
George III in Coronation RobesAllan Ramsay (Public Domain)
The British regarded North America as an important source of trade goods like tobacco and a lucrative market in which to sell goods made in Britain and other parts of the empire. The British government was not quite sure how to handle the colonists' requests for greater political freedom since no other colony had ever done such a thing. The British error was not to realise that the wealth of the American colonies, the presence of a democratic assembly in each state, and the largely European makeup of their citizenry all combined to place them in a particular position. North America was not India and could not be treated as such. The Americans regarded themselves as equals to British citizens, but they had no political representation in the British parliament, which was imposing legislation on them. What the American citizens did have in common with their British counterparts was the obligation to pay taxes. "No taxation without representation" became the rallying cry of the colonials.