January 29, 2020

Today, January 29, marks 200 years since the death of King George III of the United Kingdom in 1820. George was king during one of the most critical periods in British history. He succeeded his grandfather George II in 1760. During the following 60 years, revolutions and other major events changed many aspects of British life.

King George III of the United Kingdom died 200 years ago on Jan. 29, 1820. Credit: © Shutterstock

The French Revolution (1789-1799) led to a war between Britain and France that threatened Britain’s existence. The American Revolution (1775-1783) cost Britain the American Colonies that became the United States. The Industrial Revolution during the late 1700′s and early 1800′s created a new society and more than doubled the British population. Britain also acquired new territories in southern Africa, southern Asia, and Australia during the reign of George III. The Act of Union, which became effective in 1801, brought Ireland into the kingdom, which was then called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

George III took a far greater part in governing the country than did George II. He tried to destroy the power of the Whig aristocrats, who had held control for many years under Sir Robert Walpole, Henry Pelham, and the Duke of Newcastle. George chose his ministers, especially Lord North and William Pitt the Younger, with this in mind. In North America, George’s policies and attitude toward the colonists helped fuel the revolutionary fervor that led to war.

George was born in London on June 4, 1738. He probably suffered from a nervous system disorder now known as porphyria. The sickness struck at various times and made George appear to be mentally ill. By 1810, the “mad king” had become incapable of logical acts and was thought to be insane. His eldest son, George, the Prince of Wales, ruled as regent from 1811 until his father’s death, when he succeeded him as George IV.

February 20, 2019

On Feb. 20, 1547, 472 years ago today, young Edward Tudor became King Edward VI of England and Ireland. The son of King Henry III, who had died the month before, Edward was just 9 years old when he took the throne. Because of Edward’s youth, his uncle Edward Seymour, who soon became the Duke of Somerset, governed for him as Protector of England. In 1549, the Earl of Warwick, later called the Duke of Northumberland, took Somerset’s place.

King Edward VI of England and Ireland. Credit: Edward VI (1546), oil on panel attributed to William Scrots; Windsor Castle/Royal Collection Trust

Edward VI was born on Oct. 12, 1537, in what is now part of London. His mother, Jane Seymour, was the third wife of Henry III and died shortly after Edward’s birth. Henry had separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Edward, Somerset, and Northumberland all wished England to continue its new Protestant path.

Edward’s reign—troubled by economic woes, social unrest, and war with Scotland—was a brief one. Just six years after becoming king, he became fatally ill with a fever and severe lung infection (most likely tuberculosis). Before Edward died, he named his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey, who was also Northumberland’s daughter-in-law, as his successor. Edward’s half sister Mary had been next in line for the throne, but she was a devout Roman Catholic. Lady Jane reigned for only nine days before she was dethroned in favor of Mary. Edward died at age 15 on July 6, 1553.