1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: a show for those who can never know enough about history. 4 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Louzier, and today we're reflecting on the reign 5 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: of King George the Third, a misunderstood monarch who's unluckily 6 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: remembered for all the wrong reasons. The day was January nine, 7 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: eighteen twenty. Following a decade's long struggle with mental illness, 8 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: King George the Third died at Windsor Castle after a 9 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: reign of almost sixty years. By the time of his death, 10 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,480 Speaker 1: he'd been driven permanently insane and had spent years confined 11 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: to the padded rooms of his own palace. In seventeen 12 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,639 Speaker 1: thirty eight, George William Frederick, the future King George the Third, 13 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: was born two months premature at the Norfolk House in London. 14 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: He became heir to the British throne at the age 15 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:25,559 Speaker 1: of twelve following the death of his father, Frederick, Prince 16 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 1: of Wales. Ten years later, in seventeen sixty, he ascended 17 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: to the throne following the death of his grandfather, George 18 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:37,759 Speaker 1: the Second. This marked the first time in almost half 19 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: a century that Britain was to be ruled by a 20 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: monarch who had actually been born in England. This led 21 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: to renewed hope among the public that George the Third 22 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: would do a better job upholding the country's values and 23 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: traditions than his foreign born predecessors. One year later, on 24 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: September eighth, seventeen sixty one, the new King to Be 25 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: married Charlotte Sophia, and two weeks later a dual coronation 26 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: was held for the couple at Westminster Abbey. Compared to 27 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: the British kings who came before and after him, George 28 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: the Third had a relatively stable love life. He never 29 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: took a mistress and seemed to get along well with 30 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 1: his wife. They had fifteen children together, nine sons and 31 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: six daughters. For a time, it seemed that stability would 32 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: extend to his political rule as well. Both he and 33 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: his wife were well educated people with a deep love 34 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: of learning. They were huge proponents of Georgian culture, including 35 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: the arts, sciences, and of course, architecture. In fact, in 36 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,959 Speaker 1: seventeen sixty eight, George the Third personally founded the Royal 37 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: Academy of Arts, a venerable institution dedicated to the creation, enjoyment, 38 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: and appreciation of the visual arts. He also earned the 39 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: nickname farmer George due to his agricultural interests and his friendly, 40 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: homespun nature. However, it wasn't long before the well liked 41 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: king fell victim to the times. When he took the throne, 42 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 1: political revolution was already under way in the American colonies, 43 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: and though he hadn't played a direct role in the 44 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: colonists grievances, he was labeled a tyrant and blamed for 45 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 1: them all the same. To be clear, George the Third 46 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: didn't support American independence from Britain, but he did at 47 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: least concede that the way the colonies were being ruled 48 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: from afar wasn't working. In the seventeen eighties, he wrote quote, 49 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: America is lost. Must we fall beneath the blow? Or 50 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: have we resources that may repair the mischief? This somewhat 51 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: optimistic stance was ultimately ruled out in seventeen eighty two 52 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: when British forces surrendered in the America and colonies were 53 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: lost for good. Six years later, things got exponentially worse 54 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: for George the Third when he suffered the first in 55 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: a series of severe mental breakdowns The prevailing theory is 56 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,600 Speaker 1: that his illness was due to a hereditary blood disease 57 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: called porphyria. By sight nine, he was experiencing chronic stomach pains, 58 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: as well as skin sensitivity and blue colored urine. These 59 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 1: were soon followed by psychiatric symptoms, including intense paranoia, confusion, 60 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:40,600 Speaker 1: and hallucinations. He became manic, often speaking for hours at 61 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 1: a time without pause, which would eventually culminate with him 62 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: foaming at the mouth. On one occasion, he reportedly planted 63 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: a beefsteak in the ground, insisting that it would one 64 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,919 Speaker 1: day grow into a beef tree. On another occasion, he 65 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 1: was seen at Windsor Castle talking to and trying to 66 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: shake hand with an oak tree, apparently he believed it 67 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: to be the King of Prussia. This increasingly strange behavior 68 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: forced him to retire from public life, and he was 69 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,799 Speaker 1: frequently confined to his chambers to hide the true depths 70 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: of his illness. George the Third suffered four more serious 71 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,919 Speaker 1: breakdowns over the next thirty years, with the final and 72 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: most debilitating occurring in eighteen ten. By that point, his son, 73 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: the Prince of Wales, had been named regent and was ruling, 74 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 1: and his father's stead. George the Third struggled on for 75 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: another decade, chronically ill and virtually blind due to cataracts. 76 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: At last, on January eighteen twenty, he died at Windsor 77 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 1: Castle while under the care of his devoted wife, Queen Charlotte. 78 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 1: He was eighty one years old. Upon his death, George's son, 79 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: the Prince Regent, ascended to the throne as King George 80 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: the Fourth. His coronation was a lavish affair that cost 81 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,480 Speaker 1: the country two hundred and forty thousand pounds, the equivalent 82 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: of almost fourteen million pounds today. This reckless spending was 83 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: a stark contrast to his father's joint coronation with Queen Charlotte, 84 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 1: which had only cost the public seventy thousand pounds. It 85 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: was both a sign of things to come and yet 86 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 1: another reason to lament the sad loss of a much 87 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: more frugal ruler. Today, George the Third is mostly remembered 88 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: as the mad king who lost Britain's claim to the 89 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 1: New World. It's a legacy more tarnished than he perhaps 90 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 1: truly deserves. By all accounts his illness notwithstanding, King George 91 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: was a thoughtful, level headed ruler who tirelessly promoted British 92 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: culture and was only undone by forces beyond his control. 93 00:06:56,279 --> 00:07:00,479 Speaker 1: As historians continue to reassess his reign, there's hope that 94 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: in time he'll be remembered less as a mad king 95 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: and more as good old farmer George. I'm gay, Bluesier 96 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 97 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you'd like to learn 98 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: more about the topics covered on the show, you should 99 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: consider following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t 100 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: d I HC Show, and if you have any comments 101 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: or suggestions, you can always send them my way at 102 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: this Day at I heart media dot com. Thanks to 103 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank you for listening. 104 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another Day 105 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 1: in History class. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 106 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or where ever 107 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.