George III, King of England

“George III (1760-1815). The first two Hanoverian kings were ignorant of English politics and obliged to rely on their ministers. Moreover, they cared more for Hanover than for England. But George II had English ideas. He was born and educated in England, and he made up his mind that he would rule in the manner of the old kings. He tried to restore the power of the crown at the expense of Parliament. In private morals and social relations he was better than his predecessors, and his character inspired respect. He had the loftiest ideas of royal dignity, and the greater part of his reign was taken up with the struggles with Parliament. But though he had some good qualities, he was narrow-minded, ill-educated, and imprudent. During the first twenty-four years of his reign he managed to estrange his people, check the prosperity of the nation, and lose forever the American colonies. His reign therefore was disastrous. The details of the struggle with the American colonies and the rise of the United States to the foremost rank among nations do not properly fall within the scope of this work. It is sufficient here to state that by the treaty of 1783 England’s control over the thirteen colonies was lost forever. During the latter part of the reign of George III he was incapacitated for ruling. He was stricken with insanity, and the government passed into the hands of the prince regent, afterwards George IV. The most interesting side of the reign from the point of view of general history is the relations of England with foreign powers and the part where she played in the wars that arose from the French Revolution."—Colby, 1899

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