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media type="custom" key="3475236"This is Jackson's pagemedia type="custom" key="3475344"http://www.historycentral.com/Bio/RevoltBIOS/GEORGEIII.htmlGeorge III (1738-1820): George succeeded his grandfather to the throne, and was the first king of the House of Hanover to command respect among his British subjects. Eventually, his belief that his way was the best way led to friction with statesmen and with the general public. As the King of England and sovereign of the British Empire, King George formally bore the responsibility for the colonial crisis, although in reality, he had little to do with the actual policies involved. King George concurred with the parliamentary provision to tax the colonists to pay for imperial defense. However, he opposed an abrasive approach to the colonies. His support of the Townshend Duties as a symbol of the supremacy of Parliament over the colonies, however, involved him in the issue that set off the Boston Tea Party and the ensuing crisis in 1774 and 1775. His eventual approval of the use of force against the colonists, resulting from his fear that the secession of the colonies would lead to the end of Britain's imperial power, finally facilitated the official beginning of the Revolutionary War. After the Revolutionary, King George supported the official union of Great Britain and Ireland, but refused to allow William Pitt's proposal to emancipate the Roman Catholics. Pitt, who was the object of great dislike on the part of the king, resigned, then resumed office again until his death in 1806. Although George's administrative choices and appointments were less than stellar, and he managed to increase the national debt by a factor of almost six, King George's reign did see a huge expansion of trade and commerce, as well as additional conquests for the empire, despite the loss of the American colonies.

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761564250 George III (1738-1820), king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1760-1820), who presided over the loss of Britain’s American colonies; he was also elector of the German region of [|Hannover] (1760-1815) and, by decision of the [|Congress of Vienna], king of Hannover (1815-1820).  George was born in London on June 4, 1738, the oldest son of Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, and the grandson of King [|George II]. The first of the [|Hanoverian House] to be born and educated as an Englishman, he was primarily interested in his royal prerogatives as king of Great Britain—in contradistinction to his two predecessors, to whom Hannover was the main concern. George’s aim was to rule as well as reign, and he was a skillful and astute intriguer; by 1763 he had managed to regain many of the powers that strong Whig ministries had appropriated during the reigns of the first two Georges. His problem was that he lacked the self-confidence and the mature statesmanship to form and achieve any long-term policy. After the dismissal of several ministers who did not satisfy him, the king found a firm supporter in [|Frederick North, 2nd earl of Guilford], prime minister from 1770 to 1782. Lord North executed the royal policies that provoked the [|American Revolution] (1775-1783). The unsuccessful conclusion of that protracted conflict forced North to resign, and during the government crisis that followed—when three cabinets came and went in less than two years—the king himself was almost induced to abdicate. He then took a political gamble by placing the government in the hands of the 24-year-old [|William Pitt], thereby restoring stability for the rest of the century. In line with his belief in royal authority, George favored the wars with France (1793-1815) that grew out of the French Revolution.  In 1809 the king became blind. As early as 1765 he had suffered an apparent dementia, and in 1788 his derangement recurred to such a degree that a regency bill was passed, but the king recovered the following year. It is now thought likely that he had inherited [|porphyria], a defect of the metabolism that may in time lead to delirium. In 1811 he succumbed hopelessly, and his son, later [|George IV], acted as regent for the rest of his reign. George III died at Windsor Palace on January 29, 1820.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web01/features/bio/B04.html Madness, revolution, war—and fifteen children. Poor George III—he lost his American colonies and his mind. He loved books and agriculture. Some people called him "farmer George." Do you think they called him that to his face? Early in his reign, Britain defeated France in the Seven Years' War. This made George ruler of the world's strongest superpower. He insisted on taxing the colonies to pay war debts, but the colonists didn't think much of that. Parliament passed tax laws; George refused to back down, and the colonies declared their independence. After the colonies beat the British in the American Revolution, George became mentally ill and couldn't rule for a time. He got better, fought France again, enjoyed a brief period of peace, and then fought another war with France. (Do you think all those wars were stressful?) On the plus side, during his reign, Britain abolished the slave trade, though slavery continued in British colonies until 1833. After George III went completely mad, his eldest son ruled in his place and eventually succeeded him as king.