When we look back at Jane Austen's time, we often think of the Prince Regent (later George IV) and the Regency period (1811-1820). However, it was George III that was King for the entirety of Jane's lifetime, his reign spanning from 1760 to 1820. The third longest reign in the history of the British monarchy.

Sadly, we will never really know what Jane thought of the King as there is no mention of him in her parody The History of England, nor does she provide any opinion of him in any surviving letters (she mentions the death of the King very briefly in a letter to Cassandra, but does not provide any opinion). However, the King was popular and considered scandal free compared to his son the Prince Regent. Although, George III's reign saw many wars, in particular of note, the Napoleonic Wars.

George III was born in 1738, and was the grandson of George II. When his father sadly died in 1751, George became heir to the throne. He was the first of the Hanoverian Kings (George I and II) to be born in England and use English as his first language.

His grandfather, George II, offered him St James Palace when he turned 18, but he rejected the offer, being guided by his mother and her strict moral values. A strong contrast to the Prince Regent who squandered money on Carlton House.

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As a young man, George was smitten with Lady Sarah Lennox but was advised against the match. His grandfather tried to arrange a marriage with Princess Sophie Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, but George and his mother resisted it. Following his ascension, George was married to Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1761.

The marriage was an arranged one, with the couple meeting for the first time on their wedding day, however, it seemed to be a happy one. George never took any mistresses, and the couple went on to have 15 children, of which George IV, the Prince Regent, was the eldest.

 

 

 

 

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George purchased Buckingham House for use as a family retreat in 1761. The main building of which is now used as the core for Buckingham Palace as we know it today. He held residences at Kew and Windsor Castle, and retained St James for official use.

 

 The King was known for not travelling very far, never venturing further north than but did like to take the family to Weymouth in the 1790s, which popularised it as a seaside resort. Indeed, Weymouth is where Frank Churchill meets Jane Fairfax in Emma.

 

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 In 1775, the American War of Independence began between the Kingdom of Great Britain and New United States of America, but eventually Spain, France, the Netherlands became involved. The Americans declared themselves free in 1776, but George obstinately kept the war going. By 1783, George III accepted defeat and signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the war. George is quoted as saying to the American Minister to London: "I was the last to consent to the separation; but the separation having been made and having become inevitable, I have always said, as I say now, that I would be the first to meet the friendship of the United States as an independent power".

The stress of so many wars in George's time may have contributed towards his severe bouts of illness throughout his lifetime, particularly in 1788-89 and 1801. Medical historians now believe him to have suffered from porphyria, an abnormality in the metabolism of haemoglobin. It caused mental disturbances and extreme sensitivity to light, which led to the nickname "Mad King George". Some of you may know the 1994 movie "The Madness of King George".

In 1810, George was blind from cataracts and suffering from rheumatism pain. His illness was quite serious at this time, a relapse thought to have been triggered by his youngest daughter Amelia's death. He accepted the need for a regency as he was unable to perform the duties of his post, and thus began in 1811 the Regency period.