George III of the United Kingdom

George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820)

Later years

In 1810, George III became dangerously ill, the malady possibly having been triggered by the death of his youngest and favourite daughter, the Princess Amelia, from erysipelas or porphyria. Arsenic poisoning is also a possible cause. By 1811, George III had become permanently insane and locked away at Windsor Castle until his death. Sometimes speaking many hours without pause, he claimed to talk to angels and once greeted an oak tree as King Frederick William III of Prussia. His doctors gave him James's Powder (calomel and tartar emetic) and bled him regularly. They also advised him to bathe in the sea (thus encouraging public seaside vacations).

Related Topics:
1810 - Princess Amelia - Erysipelas - Porphyria - 1811 - Angel - Oak tree - Frederick William III of Prussia - James's Powder - Calomel - Tartar emetic

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Parliament then passed the Regency Act 1811, to which the Royal Assent was granted by the Lords Commissioners (who were appointed under the same irregular procedure as was adopted in 1788). The Prince of Wales acted as Regent for the remainder of George III's life.

Related Topics:
Regency Act 1811 - Royal Assent

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Spencer Perceval was assassinated in 1812 (he was the only British Prime Minister to have ever suffered such a fate) and was replaced by Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool. Lord Liverpool oversaw British victory in the Napoleonic Wars. The subsequent Congress of Vienna led to significant territorial gains for Hanover, which was upgraded from an electorate to a kingdom.

Related Topics:
1812 - Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool - Congress of Vienna

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Meanwhile, George III's health deteriorated. Over the Christmas of 1819, George suffered a further bout of madness and spoke nonsense for fifty-eight hours, then sank into a coma. On 29 January 1820, George died — blind, deaf and insane at Windsor Castle. By the time of his death, George III had lived for over eighty-one years and had reigned for more than fifty-nine years — in each case, more than any other English or British monarch until that point. Neither record has been surpassed by any monarch since, with the exception of Queen Victoria, (George's granddaughter). In fact, George III's reign was longer than the reigns of all three of his immediate predecessors (Queen Anne, King George I and King George II) combined. George III was buried on 16 February in St. George's Chapel, Windsor.

Related Topics:
Christmas - 1819 - Coma - 29 January - 1820 - Windsor Castle - Queen Victoria - Queen Anne - King George I - King George II - 16 February - St. George's Chapel, Windsor

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George was followed by his eldest son (who became George IV). Next came another of George III's sons, who became William IV. William IV, too, died without legitimate children, leaving the throne to his niece, Victoria, the last monarch of the House of Hanover.

Related Topics:
George IV - William IV

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