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.Ireland and the British Empire ed. Kenny, Kevin Oxford University Press 2004 page 79

George signed the Quebec Act of 1774, which abolished William III's anti-Catholic laws in the American colonies.Willis, Robert The Democracy of God: An American Catholicism 2006 iUniverse Inc. page 18 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.Ditchfield, G.M. George III: An Essay in Monarchy  Pallgrave McMillan 2002 pages 101-102

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 GeorgeThe London Gazette consistently refers to the young prince as "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 
+George III of the United Kingdom s ancestors in three generations|-
|-
| 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

References

Other websites

Category:1738 births
Category:1820 deaths
Category:Kings and Queens of Hanover
Category:People Buried in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle
Category:Kings and Queens of Great Britain
Category:19th-century British monarchs
Category:Monarchs of the United Kingdom