George III summary

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George III, orig. George William Frederick, (born June 4, 1738, London, Eng.—died Jan. 29, 1820, Windsor Castle, near London), King of Great Britain and Ireland (1760–1820); also elector (1760–1814) and king (1814–20) of Hanover. The grandson of George II, he ascended the throne during the Seven Years’ War. His chief minister, Lord Bute, forced William Pitt’s resignation and caused intrigue rather than stability within the government. Bute resigned in 1763, but George’s political overtures to others were snubbed, until Lord North became prime minister in 1770. England was in financial distress caused by the war, and George supported attempts to raise funds through taxation of the American colonies, which led to the American Revolution. With North, he was blamed for prolonging the war and losing the colonies. He reasserted his power when North and Charles James Fox planned to take control of the East India Company; he forced them to resign and reaffirmed his control through a new “patriotic” prime minister, William Pitt, the Younger. George supported him until the war with Revolutionary France (1793) and fears of related uprisings in Ireland caused Pitt to propose political emancipation of the Roman Catholics. George’s vehement opposition led to Pitt’s resignation in 1801. In 1811 George’s ill health and a return of the madness that had afflicted him for short periods earlier in his life caused Parliament to enact the regency of his son, the future George IV.

George IV Summary

George IV was the king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and king of Hanover from January 29, 1820, to June 26, 1830. He served as the sovereign de facto from February 5, 1811, when he became regent for his father, George III, who suffered from mental illness. The eldest son of

English colonies in 17th-century North America

American colonies Summary

American colonies, the 13 British colonies that were established during the 17th and early 18th centuries in what is now a part of the eastern United States. The colonies grew both geographically along the Atlantic coast and westward and numerically to 13 from the time of their founding to the

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not

Ireland Summary

Ireland, country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. The magnificent scenery of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline faces a 2,000-mile- (3,200-km-) wide expanse of ocean, and its geographic isolation has helped it to develop a rich heritage of