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[[Image:King George III Allan Ramsay.jpg|thumb|250px]]

[[Image:King George III Allan Ramsay.jpg|thumb|250px]]

'''George III''' (George William Frederick; June 4, 1738 – January 29, 1820) was king of Great Britain and Ireland and elector of Hanover for 60 momentous years (1760-1820), and was insane off and on after 1788.  His son and successor [[George IV]] acted as regent during the insane years. George III's reign is noted for losing the first [[British Empire]] with a defeat in the [[American Revolution]], the building of a second empire based in India, Asia and Africa, the beginnings of the [[industrial revolution]] that made Britain an economic powerhouse, and above all the life and death struggle with the French, 1793-1815, which ended with the defeat of [[Napoleon]] in 1815.   

'''George III''' (George William Frederick; June 4, 1738 – January 29, 1820) was king of Great Britain and Ireland and elector of Hanover for 60 momentous years (1760-1820), and was insane off and on after 1788.  His son and successor [[George IV]] acted as regent during the insane years. George III's reign is noted for losing the first [[British Empire]] with a defeat in the [[American Revolution]], the building of a second empire based in India, Asia and Africa, the beginnings of the [[industrial revolution]] that made Britain an economic powerhouse, and above all the life and death struggle with the French, 1793–1815, which ended with the defeat of [[Napoleon]] in 1815.   

He was the last powerful king in Britain.  He misused his powers by bribing politicians, promoting favorites such as Lord Germain, and interfering with the politicians trying to run the government and the [[British Empire]]. After he lapsed into insanity, and was followed by several debauched incompetents, there was no one who wanted a king to be make any serious decisions. George III did help make the Crown into a glittering ornament, the centerpiece of increasing elaborate ceremonies and today the basis of a major tourism industry. However he also was a patron of the sciences and the first English speaking monarch of Britain since Queen Anne. He was a staunch opponent of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.<ref>http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/history/world/wh0156.htm</ref>

He was the last powerful king in Britain.  He misused his powers by bribing politicians, promoting favorites such as Lord Germain, and interfering with the politicians trying to run the government and the [[British Empire]]. After he lapsed into insanity, and was followed by several debauched incompetents, there was no one who wanted a king to be make any serious decisions. George III did help make the Crown into a glittering ornament, the centerpiece of increasing elaborate ceremonies and today the basis of a major tourism industry. However he also was a patron of the sciences and the first English speaking monarch of Britain since Queen Anne. He was a staunch opponent of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.<ref>http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/history/world/wh0156.htm</ref>

===Historiography===

===Historiography===

* Butterfield, Hebert. ''George III and the Historians'' (1959) [http://www.questia.com/read/15596315?title=George%20III%20and%20the%20Historians online edition]

* Butterfield, Hebert. ''George III and the Historians'' (1959) [http://www.questia.com/read/15596315?title=George%20III%20and%20the%20Historians online edition]

** Christie, Ian R. "George III and the Historians - Thirty Years On." ''History'' 1986 71(232): 205-221. Issn: 0018-2648  

** Christie, Ian R. "George III and the Historians - Thirty Years On." ''History'' 1986 71(232): 205–221. Issn: 0018-2648  

* Caretta, Vincent.  ''George III and the Satirists from Hogarth to Byron.'' (1990.) 389 pp.   

* Caretta, Vincent.  ''George III and the Satirists from Hogarth to Byron.'' (1990.) 389 pp.   

   

   

===Primary Sources===

===Primary Sources===

* Bullion, John L., ed. "George III on Empire, 1783." ''William and Mary Quarterly'' 1994 51(2): 305-310. [http://www.jstor.org/pss/2946866 in Jstor] An essay written by the king in early 1783 laments the loss of America, stating that the American colonies had set the stage for separation by trading with British rivals. The king implies the need for free trade, yet still seems to be a mercantilist. He suggests that British policy should give some attention to development of resources/  

* Bullion, John L., ed. "George III on Empire, 1783." ''William and Mary Quarterly'' 1994 51(2): 305–310. [http://www.jstor.org/pss/2946866 in Jstor] An essay written by the king in early 1783 laments the loss of America, stating that the American colonies had set the stage for separation by trading with British rivals. The king implies the need for free trade, yet still seems to be a mercantilist. He suggests that British policy should give some attention to development of resources/  

*  Sedgwick, Romney, ed. ''Letters from George III to Lord Bute, 1756-1766'' (1939) [http://www.questia.com/SM.qst?act=adv&contributors=George%20III&dcontributors=George%20III online edition]

*  Sedgwick, Romney, ed. ''Letters from George III to Lord Bute, 1756-1766'' (1939) [http://www.questia.com/SM.qst?act=adv&contributors=George%20III&dcontributors=George%20III online edition]