George V
George V, king of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British dominions beyond the seas, and emperor of India
George V was born on June 3, 1865 in Marlborough House, London and died on January 20, 1936 in Sandringhausen after a bronchitis. His father was Edward VII and his mother was Alexandra of Denmark. Until the death of his older brother Albert in 1892 he served as a professional naval officer and became the new official successor of the throne. In 1893 he married Mary of Teck with whom he had four sons and one daughter and in 1901 he was appointed Prince of Wales. In 1910 he finally ascended the throne while there was a constitutional crisis in the parliament: the so called budget controversy between the Tories and the Liberals that dealt with new social reforms. George was on the side of the Liberals (House of Commons) and wanted to push through the reforms. The result was the Parliament Bill of 1911. During World War I George and his wife made several visits to the front where George`s pelvis was injured. During the worldwide depression of 1929 - 1931 the king was forced to try to unite the three leading political parties into a coalition parliament. Under his reign there were also numerous changes in the Empire. After the establishment of the independent Irish Parliament in 1918 the Government of Ireland Act of 1920 divided Ireland along religious lines. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa also claimed self-governance and so the British Commonwealth of Nations was created by the Statute of Westminster in 1931. The India Act in 1935 granted India a kind of self-determination. There was also a big change in the manner of monarchy under George. In contrast to his ancestors he drew upon diligence, dignity and duty and transformed the monarchy from a institution of constitutional legality to a "bulwark of traditions, values and customs", especially concerning the family. George V was not the kind of intellectual king but rather like most of his subjects and he gave the following kings and queens the role of a representative.
Literature
http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon60.html