George IV of the United Kingdom (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom from 29 January 1820 to 26 June 1830, succeeding George III and preceding William IV. He served as Prince Regent for his mentally-ill father from 1811 until his accession to the throne, and he reigned for ten years.
Biography[]
The statue of George at Trafalgar Square
George was born at St. James' Palace in London, England on 12 August 1762, the son of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Prince George scandalously married a Catholic woman in 1785 (in a legally void marriage), and he developed a negative reputation for being selfish, unreliable, and irresponsible; as George was supportive of the Whigs, the Whigs' political rivals, the Tory Party, attempted to portray Prince George as a drunkard and philanderer while expressing sympathy and support for King George III (whose infamous "madness" was not well-known or widely discussed until the late 20th century). In 1811, George became Prince Regent after his father's mental illness became permanent, but the foolish Prince George proved to be little better than his insane father. He led an extravagant lifestyle and was a patron of new forms of leisure, style, and taste, overseeing the building of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, the remodelling of Buckingham Palace, and the rebuilding of Windsor Castle. His poor relationship with both his father and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, earned him the contempt of the people and dimmed the prestige of the monarchy. He forbade Caroline from attending his coronation in 1820 and even passed a law that led to the Queen being tried in a court in an attempt by George to divorce her. Lord Liverpool dominated British politics as Prime Minister during George's reign, and it was Liverpool who served as a role model for the people at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, unlike his monarch. However, George did have some political successes, earning the support of the Irish people with a visit to Ireland where he met with Daniel O'Connell and claimed to be a friend to Ireland, and winning the love of (Highland) Scots during his visit to Scotland, where he dressed in a kilt to win over those who sympathized with the Jacobites of old; from then on, especially due to the efforts of Sir Walter Scott, Scotland became associated with tartan, even as Lowland Scots shunned kilts. After Liverpool's retirement, however, King George was forced to accept Catholic emancipation despite opposing it. He died in 1830, and his brother William succeeded him as king.