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.

During George's reign, he lost the majority of the North American overseas possessions however began to make 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.

George signed the Quebec Act of 1774, which abolished William III's anti-Catholic laws in the American colonies. 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.

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
- **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

|rowspan="8" align="center"|**George III of the United Kingdom**|rowspan="4" align="center"|**Father:** Frederick, Prince of Wales|rowspan="2" align="center"|**Paternal Grandfather:** George II of Great Britain|align="center"|**Paternal Great-grandfather:** George I of Great Britain|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|align="center"|**Paternal Great-grandmother:** Sophia Dorothea of Celle|||||||
|rowspan="2" align="center"|**Paternal Grandmother:** Caroline of Ansbach|align="center"|**Paternal Great-grandfather:** John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach|||||
|align="center"|**Paternal Great-grandmother:** Princess Eleanor Erdmuthe Louise of Saxe-Eisenach|||||||
|rowspan="4" align="center"|**Mother:** Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha|rowspan="2" align="center"|**Maternal Grandfather:** Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg|align="center"|**Maternal Great-grandfather:** Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg|||
|align="center"|**Maternal Great-grandmother:** Magdalena Sibylle of Saxe-Weissenfels|||||||
|rowspan="2" align="center"|**Maternal Grandmother:** Princess Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst|align="center"|**Maternal Great-grandfather:** Prince Charles of Anhalt-Zerbst|||||
|align="center"|**Maternal Great-grandmother:** Sophie of Saxe-Weissenfels|||||||

## Infobox (royalty)

- **name**: George III
- **succession**: King of the United Kingdom and Hanover
- **image**: Allan Ramsay - King George III in coronation robes - Google Art Project.jpg
- **caption**: Portrait by Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), Allan Ramsay, 1762
- **reign**: 25 October 1760 – 29 January 1820
- **coronation**: 22 September 1761
- **predecessor**: George II of Great Britain, George II
- **successor**: George IV of the United Kingdom, George IV
- **spouse**: Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
- **issue**: George IV of the United Kingdom, George IV
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, Frederick, Duke of York
William IV of the United Kingdom, William IV
 Charlotte, Princess Royal
Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent
Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom, Princess Augusta Sophia
Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Princess Elizabeth
Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover
Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, Princess Mary
Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom, Princess Sophia
Prince Octavius of Great Britain, Prince Octavius
Prince Alfred of Great Britain, Prince Alfred
Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom, Princess Amelia
- **royal house**: House of Hanover
- **full name**: George William Frederick
- **father**: Frederick, Prince of Wales
- **mother**: Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
- **birth date**: 4 June 1738
- **birth place**: Norfolk House, London, England
- **death date**: 29 January 1820
(aged 81)
- **death place**: Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England
- **burial place**: St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, St George's
Chapel