William IV of the United Kingdom

William IV (William Henry) (21 August 1765–20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. William, the son of King George III and younger brother and successor of King George IV, was the penultimate monarch of the House of Hanover. During his youth, he served in the Royal Navy; he was afterwards nicknamed the Sailor King. His reign was one of several reforms: the poor law updated, municipal government democratised, child labour restricted and slavery abolished throughout the British Empire. The most important reform legislation of William IV's reign was the Reform Act 1832, which refashioned the British electoral system. William did not meddle in politics as much as either his brother or his father, though he did prove to be the last monarch to appoint a Prime Minister contrary to the will of Parliament (in 1834).

Early life

William was the son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He had two elder brothers (Prince George, Prince of Wales and Prince Frederick, Duke of York), and was not expected to inherit the Crown. At the age of thirteen, he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman, and was present at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1780. He served in New York during the American War of Independence. He became a Lieutenant in 1785 and a Captain in the following year. In 1786, he was stationed in the West Indies.

Related Topics:
King George III - Queen Charlotte - Prince Frederick, Duke of York - Battle of Cape St. Vincent - New York - American War of Independence - Lieutenant - 1785 - Captain - 1786 - West Indies

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William sought to be made a Duke like his elder brothers, and to receive a similar Parliamentary grant; but his father was reluctant. To put pressure on him, William threatened to run for the House of Commons for the constituency of Totnes, Devon. Defeated, George III created him Duke of Clarence and St Andrews in 1789, supposedly saying, "I well know it is one more vote added to the opposition."

Related Topics:
Duke of Clarence and St Andrews - 1789

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The newly created Duke ceased actively serving in the Royal Navy in 1790. He was promoted to Rear-Admiral upon retirement. When the United Kingdom declared war on France in 1793, he was anxious to serve his country, but was not put in command of any vessel. Instead, he spent some of his time in the House of Lords, where he defended the exorbitant spending of his brother, the Prince of Wales, who had applied to Parliament for a grant for relief of his debts. He also spoke in favour of slavery (which, although it had virtually died out in the United Kingdom, still existed in the British colonies); he used his experience in the West Indies to defend his positions.

Related Topics:
1790 - Rear-Admiral - France - 1793 - Slavery

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After he left the Royal Navy, the Duke of Clarence had a long affair with an Irish actress, Dorothea Bland, better known by her stage name, Mrs Jordan. From 1791, the couple had at least ten illegitimate children, who were given the surname "FitzClarence." The affair would last for twenty years before ending in 1811, for political reasons. In that same year, Clarence was appointed Admiral of the Fleet. On 13 July 1818, he married Princess Adelaide, daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, a woman half his age. Though he had been able to father at least ten illegitimate children by Mrs Jordan, Clarence had only two short-lived children by his wife: Charlotte Augusta Louisa (who died on 21 March 1819, the day of her birth{{fn|1}}) and Elizabeth Georgina Adelaide (20 December 1820 - 4 March 1821).

Related Topics:
Dorothea Bland - 1791 - 1811 - Admiral of the Fleet - 13 July - 1818 - Princess Adelaide - Duke of Saxe-Meiningen - 21 March - 1819 - 20 December - 1820 - 4 March - 1821

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Clarence's elder brother, the Prince of Wales, had been Prince Regent since 1811 because of the mental illness of their father, King George III. In 1820, the king died, leaving the Crown to the Prince Regent, who became King George IV. As the new King had no surviving children (his daughter, Princess Charlotte, died in childbirth in 1817), the Duke of Clarence was second in the line of succession to the Throne, preceded only by his brother, Frederick, Duke of York. When the Duke of York died in 1827, Clarence, then more than sixty years old, became heir-presumptive. Later that year, George IV appointed Clarence to the office of Lord High Admiral, which had been in commission (that is, exercised by a board rather than by a single individual) since 1709. Whilst in office, Clarence attempted to take independent control of naval affairs, although the law required him to act, under most circumstances, on the advice of at least two members of his Council. The King requested his resignation in 1828; the Duke of Clarence complied.

Related Topics:
Prince Regent - 1811 - 1820 - Princess Charlotte - 1827 - Lord High Admiral - 1709 - 1828

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