(1738–1820). King George III ruled Great Britain during the time of the American Revolution. He is best remembered for losing Britain's American colonies. He is also known for his periods of madness, or mental instability.

Early life

George William Frederick was born in London, England, on June 4, 1738 (May 24, 1738, according to the calendar in use at the time). His parents were Prince Frederick and Princess Augusta. His grandfather was King George II. George III became the heir to the throne when his father died in 1751. After George II died in 1760, George III was crowned king.

In 1761 George married Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Germany. They remained devoted to one another until Charlotte's death in 1818. Between 1762 and 1783 the couple had 15 children.

Reign

By the time George became king, Great Britain was a constitutional monarchy. That meant that the monarch, or king, did not have absolute power. The king chose the prime minister. The prime minister and the British Parliament ran the government.

The major event of George's reign was the American Revolution. Beginning in the 1760s Parliament tried to raise money to pay its debts by taxing the American colonies. The colonists grew angry over the taxes. They complained to Parliament and to the king. They claimed that Parliament could not tax them because it did not represent them. Parliament disagreed.

In August 1775 George announced that the colonists were committing treason, the crime of betraying one's country. Any Englishman who aided them was also committing treason. Parliament could no longer argue for a compromise with the colonists.

In 1776 Thomas Paine published his famous pamphlet Common Sense. In it he argued for American independence. He also attacked the practice of kings' inheriting the throne from a relative. The pamphlet helped to turn the colonists against George III.

Thomas Jefferson took advantage of this popular mood when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. The declaration directly attacks George III. It labels George a tyrant (a cruel, all-powerful leader) and lists many ways in which he had failed his people. Some historians, however, think that George was not a tyrant. They point out that the problems with the American colonies started before he became king.

Illness and death

After the American Revolution, George became very ill. Modern doctors think that he may have suffered from a disease called porphyria. He had stomach pains, seizures, and hallucinations (seeing things that do not exist). The king's doctors did not know what the disease was or how to cure it. They believed that the king was insane.

In 1788 George grew so ill that he could no longer rule. Parliament planned to have the king's oldest son, George, rule in his father's place. Before his son could take control, however, George III recovered.

George fell seriously ill again in 1811. By that time he was also becoming deaf and blind. Prince George took over the throne as regent, or ruler in place of the king. George III died on January 29, 1820, in Windsor, England. His son became King George IV.