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'''George III''' (George William Frederick; June 4, 1783 – 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. A mediocre king, 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, 1783 – 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. A mediocre king, 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.   

[[Image:GEORGE3.JPG|thumb|250px]]

[[Image:GEORGE3.JPG|thumb|250px]]

==Life==

==Life==

He was born in London as George William Frederick,  the first son of Frederick Lewis, prince of Wales (1707–1751), and his wife, Augusta (1719–1772) of Saxe-Gotha; he was the grandson of king [[George II]]. His education suffered at first from the quarrels between his father his grandfather, and from the folly of his ignorant and overprotective mother. His tutors were political appointees and usually of little ability, while the small group gathered around his mother thought very highly of Bolingbroke's Patriot King and urged young George to follow its precepts.  

George was born in London as George William Frederick,  the first son of Frederick Lewis, prince of Wales (1707–1751), and his wife, Augusta (1719–1772) of Saxe-Gotha; he was the grandson of king [[George II]]. His education suffered at first from the quarrels between his father his grandfather, and from the folly of his ignorant and overprotective mother. His tutors were political appointees and usually of little ability, while the small group gathered around his mother thought very highly of Bolingbroke's Patriot King and urged young George to follow its precepts.  

==King==

==King==

Following Bolingbroke's advice when he succeeded his grandfather as king in 1760, he tried to rule through ministers of his own choosing. In 1761 he brought about the resignations of the rather domineering [[William Pitt]] and of Newcastle, who had long controlled the bribery that held [[Whig party, Britain|Whig]] majorities together. George was able to do this partly because he took control of the Crown patronage and so could build up a party devoted to his wishes, and partly because the Whig oligarchy was divided into bitterly opposed factions that could be played off against each other. Thus the king recovered some of the constitutional authority that had been lost by [[George I]] and [[George II]] since 1714. From 1760 to 1780 he dismissed and appointed ministers at his pleasure and dictated their general policy.  

Following Bolingbroke's advice when he succeeded his grandfather as king in 1760, he tried to rule through ministers of his own choosing. In 1761 he brought about the resignations of the rather domineering [[William Pitt]] and of Newcastle, who had long controlled the bribery that held [[Whig party, Britain|Whig]] majorities together. George was able to do this partly because he took control of the Crown patronage and so could build up a party devoted to his wishes, and partly because the Whig oligarchy was divided into bitterly opposed factions that could be played off against each other. Thus the king recovered some of the constitutional authority that had been lost by [[George I]] and [[George II]] since 1714. From 1760 to 1780 he dismissed and appointed ministers at his pleasure and dictated their general policy.  

==Image and memory==

==Image and memory==

George's desire to identify the monarchy with national achievement and visible splendor was evident from the start of his reign. Individual and organized patriotism was increasing, and the king represented reassuring stability in the midst of national flux and humiliation following Britain's declining fortunes and eventual defeat in the war of American independence. After 1780 royal resurgence was also part of the conservative reaction to the [[French Revolution]]. Newspapers were important to royal propaganda and display, as was civic pride, a growth in the number of voluntary organizations, increased rapport between a variety of religious interests and royalty, and the wartime context of much of George III's reign. He accustomed his subjects to expect a glamorous show from their king amid a steady background of domestic probity. Concurrently, there was a decline in the crown's capacity for positive political power. The monarch began to be viewed as politically neutral while political and social radicals began to abandon the realm of conventional, xenophobic patriotism, leaving the latter to the state authorities and the monarch.<ref> Linda Colley, "The apotheosis of George III: loyalty, royalty, and the British nation, 1760–1820", ''Past and Present'', 102 (1984), 94–129 ·  

George's desire to identify the monarchy with national achievement and visible splendor was evident from the start of his reign. Individual and organized patriotism was increasing, and the king represented reassuring stability in the midst of national flux and humiliation following Britain's declining fortunes and eventual defeat in the war of American independence. After 1780 royal resurgence was also part of the conservative reaction to the [[French Revolution]]. Newspapers were important to royal propaganda and display, as was civic pride, a growth in the number of voluntary organizations, increased rapport between a variety of religious interests and royalty, and the wartime context of much of George III's reign.  

 

George accustomed his subjects to expect a glamorous show from their king amid a steady background of domestic probity. Concurrently, there was a decline in the crown's capacity for positive political power. The monarch began to be viewed as politically neutral while political and social radicals began to abandon the realm of conventional, xenophobic patriotism, leaving the latter to the state authorities and the monarch.<ref> Linda Colley, "The apotheosis of George III: loyalty, royalty, and the British nation, 1760–1820", ''Past and Present'', 102 (1984), 94–129 ·  

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Rejecting high society in London and the lavish luxuries of court life, King George and his consort Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) preferred to live away from London in what Charlotte referred to as their "sweet retreat," allowing them to focus on family and domestic life. This practice helped to revive the reputation and popularity of the monarchy and marked the beginning of the transition to the modern form of the British court. George was the punctual, abstemious, uxorious, musical Hanoverian who liked clocks, disliked gambling and worried about his country's economy, tried to protect his empire, and worried about his eldest son's astronomical debts. Admirers of the sober and prudish king called attention to the loving husband, devoted (albeit domineering) father, connoisseur of fine art, and the patron of literature.  

Rejecting high society in London and the lavish luxuries of court life, King George and his consort Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) preferred to live away from London in what Charlotte referred to as their "sweet retreat," allowing them to focus on family and domestic life. This practice helped to revive the reputation and popularity of the monarchy and marked the beginning of the transition to the modern form of the British court. George was the punctual, abstemious, uxorious, musical Hanoverian who liked clocks, disliked gambling and worried about his country's economy, tried to protect his empire, and worried about his eldest son's astronomical debts. Admirers of the sober and prudish king called attention to the loving husband, devoted (albeit domineering) father, connoisseur of fine art, and the patron of literature.