George IV: Difference between revisions
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George IV was born on 17th August 1762 at St James's Palace and died on 26th June 1830 at Windsor Castle. He was the eldest son of George III and Queen Charlotte. | |||
Already in his early years, he began pursuing a life of pleasure. In 1785 he illegally married Maria Fitzherbert, a catholic widow whom he fell madly in love with in 1784. Because he would not have been able to become king, the marriage was declared involved by his father. He ended up marrying his cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick. She gave birth to their daughter Charlotte in 1796, who died at 21 years old, giving birth in 1817. | |||
Through the declaration of insanity of George III, George IV became regent in February 1811. In 1820, with the death of his father, George IV became king of the United Kingdom, of Great Britain and Ireland. | |||
His wife, who had gone abroad to Italy after the birth, now came back to demand her rights. He managed to keep her away from the coronation, denying her queenship. She died only one month later. This news was not unpleasant for George IV, who had been trying to divorce her for quite a while. | |||
George IV is considered an outstanding collector and builder. His enthusiasm for architecture can be held responsible for the "Regency" style of architecture. He built the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and transformed Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. His passion for collecting led him to acquire some important works of art, which can be found in today's Royal Collection. His interest spread from dress over fashion to military matters. He was friends with artists, acquired artworks from auctions and dealers and obtained French furniture to furnish his houses. | |||
After his coronation in 1820, he visited Hannover in 1821 and Scotland in 1822. This visit made him the first monarch to visit Scotland since 1651. Politically he did not enjoy the best standing. In 1829 George was forced to agree to catholic emancipation. | |||
George IV died at 67, with the death of his daughter and no male heir, childless, passing the throne to his brother, William, Duke of Clarence, who became William IV. | |||
Revision as of 17:32, 3 July 2023
George IV was born on 17th August 1762 at St James's Palace and died on 26th June 1830 at Windsor Castle. He was the eldest son of George III and Queen Charlotte. Already in his early years, he began pursuing a life of pleasure. In 1785 he illegally married Maria Fitzherbert, a catholic widow whom he fell madly in love with in 1784. Because he would not have been able to become king, the marriage was declared involved by his father. He ended up marrying his cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick. She gave birth to their daughter Charlotte in 1796, who died at 21 years old, giving birth in 1817. Through the declaration of insanity of George III, George IV became regent in February 1811. In 1820, with the death of his father, George IV became king of the United Kingdom, of Great Britain and Ireland. His wife, who had gone abroad to Italy after the birth, now came back to demand her rights. He managed to keep her away from the coronation, denying her queenship. She died only one month later. This news was not unpleasant for George IV, who had been trying to divorce her for quite a while. George IV is considered an outstanding collector and builder. His enthusiasm for architecture can be held responsible for the "Regency" style of architecture. He built the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and transformed Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. His passion for collecting led him to acquire some important works of art, which can be found in today's Royal Collection. His interest spread from dress over fashion to military matters. He was friends with artists, acquired artworks from auctions and dealers and obtained French furniture to furnish his houses. After his coronation in 1820, he visited Hannover in 1821 and Scotland in 1822. This visit made him the first monarch to visit Scotland since 1651. Politically he did not enjoy the best standing. In 1829 George was forced to agree to catholic emancipation. George IV died at 67, with the death of his daughter and no male heir, childless, passing the throne to his brother, William, Duke of Clarence, who became William IV.