King George III

King George III was born to Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha in the early 1700s. He took the throne in 1760 at age 22 succeeding his grandfather, George II and became the King of England until his death in 1820.

George III married Charlotte of Mecklenburg- Strelitz and had 15 children. 13 of those children survived and their granddaughter, Victoria, later went on to become Queen of England and had a longer reign than any of the previous monarchs before her.

George III was heavily engaged in science and astrology and had his own personal observatory. He was the first King to incorporate science into his educational curriculum.

George III bought Buckingham Palace, formerly known as Buckingham house, for Queen Charlotte. It was near his home, St. James’s place and it later became known as the Queen’s house.

George III was known as “The Mad King” due to a serious presentation of mental illness. The medicinal practices at the time were not sufficient enough to treat what is now being debated as a number of mental illnesses such as porphyria and bipolar disorder.

George III went through several treatments that would now be considered torture such as bloodletting and being put in a straitjacket. His doctor at the time, Francis Willis documented putting his feet in hot water and vinegar as he displayed signs of exhaustion and distress.

In the last decade of his life, The King was determined “mentally unfit” to rule and the throne was passed to his son George IV as King Regent. This marked the beginning of the regency era in Great Britain.