William Sterling

Infamous for “losing” America and going mad, George III was the first English-born king for 70 years and a great patriot who supported agricultural improvements and helped advance learning in the Age of the Enlightenment.

1. What is the course about?

Infamous for “losing” America and going mad, George III was the first English-born king for 70 years and a great patriot who supported agricultural improvements and helped advance learning in the Age of the Enlightenment.

2. What topics will we cover?

George III had the longest reign of any English monarch up to his time and only Queen Victoria and our queen have surpassed him since.  During his 82 years he never left England although the British Empire expanded rapidly during his reign.  He was one of the best educated of all our monarchs and had a huge thirst for knowledge, accumulating a massive library of some 60,000 books.   Although Parliament had taken over the reins of government during his two predecessors George was keen to play an important role and encourage moderation and reasonable reform.  He had one of the happiest marriages in royal history although his relations with his children were not always ideal.  His reign marked the start of the Industrial, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions but steered Britain free from the political revolution in France. Dr Sterling will present an outline of his life and reign but allowing plenty of time for class discussion and personal views to be expressed.

3. By the end of the course you should be able to:

Identify key stages in the history of late Georgian Britain

Demonstrate understanding of the roles of the king and parliament in the late 18th century

Contribute to discussions on the changes during the long reign in terms of the power of the Prime Minister, the development of the British Empire, including the loss of America, and the impact of the revolutions in Agriculture and Industry as well as the political upheavals in Europe.