George III

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
Portrait by Allan Ramsay, 1762
King of the United Kingdom and Hanover
Reign	25 October 1760 – 29 January 1820
Coronation	22 September 1761
Predecessor	George II
Successor	George IV
Born	4 June 1738 Norfolk House, London, England
Died	29 January 1820 (aged 81) Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England
Burial	St George's Chapel
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
Full name George William Frederick
House	House of Hanover
Father	Frederick, Prince of Wales
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.

Titles and styles

• 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

Ancestors

George III of the United Kingdom s ancestors in three generations

George III of the United Kingdom	Father: Frederick, Prince of Wales	Paternal Grandfather: George II of Great Britain	Paternal Great-grandfather: George I of Great Britain
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Sophia Dorothea of Celle
		Paternal Grandmother: Caroline of Ansbach	Paternal Great-grandfather: John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Princess Eleanor Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach
	Mother: Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha	Maternal Grandfather: Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg	Maternal Great-grandfather: Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels
		Maternal Grandmother: Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst	Maternal Great-grandfather: Prince Charles of Anhalt-Zerbst
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Sophie of Saxe-Weissenfels

References

1. Ireland and the British Empire ed. Kenny, Kevin Oxford University Press 2004 page 79
2. Willis, Robert The Democracy of God: An American Catholicism 2006 iUniverse Inc. page 18
3. "The Quebec Act, 1774". www.solon.org.
4. Ditchfield, G.M. George III: An Essay in Monarchy Pallgrave McMillan 2002 pages 101-102
5. The London Gazette consistently refers to the young prince as "His Royal Highness Prince George" "No. 8734". The London Gazette. 5 April 1748. p. 3. "No. 8735". The London Gazette. 9 April 1748. p. 2. "No. 8860". The London Gazette. 20 June 1749. p. 2. "No. 8898". The London Gazette. 31 October 1749. p. 3. "No. 8902". The London Gazette. 17 November 1749. p. 3. "No. 8963". The London Gazette. 16 June 1750. p. 1. "No. 8971". The London Gazette. 14 July 1750. p. 1.

Other websites

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