When George III came to the throne Great Britain was in the middle of winning the Seven Years War, which greatly expanded the territory the British controlled in North America and also the Indian subcontinent. By 1760 the Seven Years War had swung decisively in favour of the British, their Hanoverian, and also their Prussian allies.
George III thus came to the throne at a point in time when Great Britain had proved that it was most powerful nation upon earth and at that time the only constitutional monarchy. George III’s grandfather and great grandfather had not sought to have a great say in British politics apart from ensuring that Hanover was protected from France. George on the other hand would become actively involved in politics with disastrous consequences.
Much of the credit for British success went to the then Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder, General Wolf in Canada, and Robert Clyde in India. However George II had let his admirals, generals, and Prime Ministers get on with their jobs yet George III would find it impossible to avoid in interfering in the running of Great Britain and its greatly expanded empire. George took his role and duties as king seriously, with hindsight too seriously.
Controversy at Home, Rebellion in North America
The reign of George III coincided with increased demands for electoral and political reform in Great Britain. The young king was determined to prevent the loss of already limited royal powers and successive ministries refused to sanction political reforms. His refusal to allow political reform became stronger in response to the American and French Revolutions. Meanwhile British policies in North America inadvertently led to the outbreak of rebellion within the American colonies. The American Colonists would succeed in gaining independence assisted in particular by the French.
The French were determined to reverse their defeats at the hands of Great Britain contributing to their decision to back the American rebels after the outbreak of the American War of Independence / American Revolution in 1776. At first the war went badly for the British yet George III’s failure to appoint William Pitt the Elder to be Prime Minister instead of Lord North was widely regarded as a mistake. The appointment of William Pitt the Younger in 1783 proved too little too late to prevent the loss of the American colonies. However Pitt the Younger did prove to be a highly skilled Prime Minister particularly during the wars against revolutionary France.
The King’s Mental Illness and the Need for a Regent
George III had always intended to be a monarch that took an active political role. However his ability to do so was put in doubt with brief bouts of mental illness in 1765 and again in 1788. Later research has arguably demonstrated that he suffered from a blood or kidney disorder that would now be treatable. However in 1811 he lapsed into a severe and permanent period of illness resulting in his son acting as regent until his death in 1820.
Sources:
Crystal D (1998) Chambers’ Biographical Encyclopedia, 2nd edition, Edinburgh
Holmes R, (2007) Battlefield, Oxford University Press, Oxford
Gardiner & Wenborn (1995) The History Today Companion to British History, Little, Brown & Co, London
Lenman B, (2004) Chambers Dictionary of World History, Edinburgh
