He Born on June 4th 1738 in London, eldest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales together with Augusta of Saxe-Gotha princes of Saxe-Gotha. After the death of his father in 1751, he became heir to the throne. He succeeded his grandfather George II in 1760. He is the first one to be born in England and to use English as the first language and the third Hanoverian monarch. He is remembered for losing the American colonies and going mad.
Background
George William Frederick or George the III was born at the Norfolk House in London. He was the eldest son of Frederick Prince of Wales and Saxe-Gotha. He was the grandson of King George II. He was thought unlikely to survive as he was born 2 months premature. He was baptized the same day he was born by Thomas Secker who was the Bishop of Oxford and Rector of St. James.
He was publicly baptized at Norfolk house one month later by Secker. His godparents were his uncle Duke of Saxe-Gotha, King of Sweden and his aunt Queen of Prussia. He grew into a reserved, shy child and healthy. His family moved to Leicester Square where George and his younger brother Prince Edward were educated together by private tutors. By the age of 8, he could read and write and also comment on political events. He was the first British Monarch to study science systematically. His lessons included physics, astronomy, chemistry, French, mathematics, Latin, music, history, commerce, geography, constitutional law and agriculture.
His religious education was totally Anglican. At age 10, George took part in family production of Joseph Addison’s play Cato. King George II, George’s grandfather disliked the Prince of Wales and took very little interest in his grandchildren. In 1751, the Prince of Wales died unexpectedly from a lung injury making George heir to the throne. He became the Duke of Edinburgh by inheriting one of his father’s titles. The king now got interested in his grandson and made him the Prince of Wales although the title is not automatically required. In 1756, as George approached his eighteenth birthday, the King offered him a grand establishment at st. James Palace but George’s mother guided him to refuse the offer and preferred to keep him at home so that she could imbue him with her strict moral values.
Education
George was educated by private tutors. At the age of 8 he could speak English and German. He also learnt French. His lessons included physics, English, Mathematics, chemistry, French, latin, history, geography, music, constitutional law, agriculture and astronomy. He also learnt sporting and social accomplishments like fencing, dancing and riding. His religious education was wholly Anglican. George showed particular interest in natural sciences. In his youth, he was acutely shy and reserved. George was strongly influenced by Scottish nobleman John Stuart who was his primary mentor and was also the third Earl of Bute and he helped George overcome his shyness and advised him on many personal and political matters.
Career
George’s grandfather suddenly died in 1760 and George, 22 years by then became King. A year later he married Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. George not only inherited the crown but also an ongoing world war, changing social issues and a religious strife. Britain and France had been engaged in a border Skirmish along the frontier in North America. This began when a British colonial militia led by Lieutenant George Washington attacked French Fort Duquesne.
George III was closely advised by his Prime Minister Lord Bute during the resulting seven years’ war. He kept the young and inexperienced monarch isolated from key members of parliament. Bute was maligned by other members of parliament, he eventually was forced to resign due to strong critics from the press and his purported involvement in a sec scandal involving George’s mother.
George Grenville succeeded Bute as King George’s prime minister in 1763. Grenville viewed the American colonies as a source of revenue due to his debt at the end of the seven years’ of war. He reasoned that the colonies had to pay for protection they benefited from the outcome of the war that led to British troops in North America. King George found sense in the reasoning and supported the Sugar Act of 1764 and the stamp act in 1765. The stamp act was met with outrage, violence and contempt in the colonies because of taxation without representation that rang out in Boston, Massachusetts and spread to the other colonial cities.
Parliament passed the declaratory act in 1766 stating that the colonies were subordinate to the parliament and subject to British law. This led to the parliament proceeding to pass more tax laws. Lords Edmund Burke and William Pitt expressed opposition to taxing the colonies as impractical. They argued that it was difficult in implementing taxation as the distance involved was great. King George III pushed the parliament to pass marriage act making it illegal for a member of the royal family to marry without permission of the monarch.
His direct responsibility for losing the American colonies is not great. He opposed the bid for American colonies independence to the end although he did not develop the policies such as stamp act of 1765 and Townshend duties of 1767 on paper, tea and other products. This led to war in 1775-1776 and had the support of the parliament.
These policies were due to financial burdens of garrisoning and administering vast expansion of the territory brought under the British Crown in America. Declaration of the American independence in July 4th 1776, the defeat that the loss of the American colonies represented and the surrender by the British forces in 1782 threatened Hanoverian throne.
He became more popular than before due to his strong defense of what he saw as national interest and prospect of a long war with France which was revolutionary. In the last decade of his rule, he was mentally unfit to rule. From 1811, George III’s son George IV acted as the Prince Regent. There are allegations from some medical historians that George III’s mental problems were due to a hereditary physical disorder called Porphyria.
Achievements
Religion
King George III was Anglican.
Politics
King George III supported reforms although at one point he turned disaster into Triumph at home as he opposed a plan by powerful ministers to reform the East India Company. He viewed this as a scheme of the parliament to further corruption. He came open and said that any minister who supported this would become his enemy. He regained some of his popularity as the bill was ultimately defeated.
Views
He was a king who believed in transparency and fought corruption at all costs. He opposed his ministers from reforming the East India Company and viewed it as corruption
Personality
His personal interests were frugal. He did not have any mistresses as it was with other kings before him. He was of high moral values. His economical nature made Gillary the cartoonist to ridicule him eating a boiled egg for breakfast and advising his daughters to drink tea without sugar.
George III was a peacemaker; his determination to wind up the seven years of war brought a clash between him and Pitt the elder on the first day of King George III’s Reign. Junius the English political author also accused George III of cowardice.
Physical Characteristics:
George III had flame red hair, blue eyes, very tall, very Handsome and with lantern Jaws at a younger age he was physically fit. He inherited porphyria from Prince James, a metabolic disorder and from the age of forty he became obese and had leg ulcers and gout.
Quotes from others about the person
Knavery seems to be so much a the striking feature of its inhabitants that it may not in the end be an evil that they will become aliens to this kingdom.
Interests
development
Connections
George was smitten with Lady Sarah Lennox in 1759 but lord Bute advised against the match so George abandoned his thoughts of marriage. The following year at the age of 22, he succeeded to the throne after the death of his grandfather George II died. On September 8th 1761, George married Princes Charlotte of Mecklenburg- Strelitz. Together they had the following sons; George IV of the United Kingdom, William IV of the United Kingdom, Emest Augustus king of Hanover, Prince Adolphus Duke of Cambridge, Prince Frederick, Prince Augustus Frederick , Prince Octavius, Prince Edward and prince Alfred. They had the following daughters; Princes Amelia, Princes Sophia, Princes Mary and Princes Elizabeth. He was son to Frederick Louis and Princes Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. He was the grandson of George II of Great Britain.
Father:
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Mother:
Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Spouse:
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
References
George III: A Personal History
In George III: A Personal History, British historian Christopher Hibbert reassesses the royal monarch George III (1738–1820)
1999
A Royal Experiment: The Private Life of King George III
The surprising, deliciously dramatic, and ultimately heartbreaking story of King George III's radical pursuit of happiness in his private life with Queen Charlotte and their 15 children
• His Royal Highness Prince George: 4th June 1738- 31st March 1751
• His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh: 31st March 1751- 20th October 1751
• His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales: 20th April 1751- 25th October 1760
• His Majesty The King: 25th October 1760- 29th January 1820
Awards
On 27th July 1749, George was granted the royal arms differenced by a label of five points Azure which was the centre point bearing a fleur-de-lis Or. He inherited his difference of a plain label of three points Argent upon his father’s death.
On 27th July 1749, George was granted the royal arms differenced by a label of five points Azure which was the centre point bearing a fleur-de-lis Or. He inherited his difference of a plain label of three points Argent upon his father’s death.