George
III (1738-1820), king of Great Britain. He was the first of the House
of Hanover to command general respect on becoming sovereign, and at the
outset he conciliated all classes of his subjects. In 1761 he married Charlotte
Sophia, princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. During the administration
of George III's favourite prime minister, Lord North, the American colonies,
protesting England's attempts at taxation, proclaimed, on the 4th of July,
1776, and, eventually, achieved their independence. The peace treaty was
signed in February 1783. George III welcomed the union between Ireland
and Great Britain, but refused the proposed Catholic emancipation, which
led to the resignation of William Pitt in 1801. In 1810, his favourite
child, Princess Amelia, fell dangerously ill; this caused an attack of
mental derangement, not the first he had had. In 1811, his eldest son
George,
Prince of Wales (later George IV) was appointed regent.; and till his
death, on 29 January 1820, George was hopelessly insane; he also lost his
sight. His ailment is now believed to have been caused by porphyria.
See: Thomas Gainsborough. Portrait
of George III. Portrait
of Queen Charlotte.
Allan Ramsay. Portrait of
George III. Portrait of George
III. Portrait of Queen Charlotte.
Sir Joshua Reynolds. George
III. George III.