George III (1738-1820)
George William Frederick, King of England, was born in London, the first of the Hanoverian kings to be a native of the land he ruled. Ascending the throne in 1760, he came to power amid the political turmoil of the Seven Years’ War and reigned through both the American and French revolutions. Though Parliament was largely responsible for the policies that led to the American war, the king was quick to interpret colonial resistance as an affront to his rule. In the end, the loss of the American colonies would give rise to a prolonged and even more costly struggle with France that would involve all of Europe. A victim of a hereditary disease known as porphyria, the King suffered from prolonged bouts of dementia late in life.