Callow Youth

When George III came to the throne in 1760, aged 22, he was an immature young man whose people skills needed plenty of work. In the mid-18th century, monarchs still had a say over which politician should lead the government. Consequently, George's first decade on the throne was a time of political turbulence, while the new king effectively learned on the job. Never a born diplomat, George made up for it by conscientious dedication to duty.

George did have one advantage over many monarchs: he had a good marriage. He only married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (pictured, above left) because she was the result of a meticulous search for suitable German princesses. Nevertheless, the union turned out to be a genuinely happy one. They married in 1761 and went on to have 15 children.

Trouble in America

Defeat for Britain in the American War of Independence (1775-1783) certainly occurred on George's watch. But modern historians no longer believe that he was directly responsible for the conflict. Tensions between the North American colonies and the British political establishment had been building for years. In the mid-1760s, London began to impose duties on Americans as Britain sought to recoup the cost of earlier wars in the territory and pay for garrisons. American resentment over these measures eventually led to the war.

George should, however, take the blame for prolonging the war in 1779. Senior ministers were ready to sue for peace but George insisted that Britain fight on, in order not to encourage similar rebellions in other colonies, especially Ireland.

In the Blood?

In 1788, George became seriously ill and suffered a mental breakdown. At the time, it was thought that he simply wasn't robust enough to cope with the pressures of his official duties and worries over his wayward sons. Now, many historians believe that the king was not "mad" but was the victim of an inherited defect in his metabolism. The condition, known as porphyria, is a blood disorder that can cause intense pain, hyper-activity and delirium. George exhibited all these symptoms.

He recovered in 1789, just as the establishment was on the verge of declaring a Regency. He suffered another acute bout of illness in 1801. In 1810, George succumbed to permanent mentality instability. His son (later George IV) took over as Prince Regent until the old king's death in 1820.

Renaissance Man

Although George is chiefly remembered for the loss of America and for his so-called madness, he reigned for almost 60 years – still the second-longest tenure on the throne in British history. During this time, Britain became the pre-eminent power in Europe. George himself became a popular figure following the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France in 1793.

George was the first monarch to study science during his education and he had his own observatory. He was a keen patron of the arts, founding the Royal Academy of the Arts in 1768 and starting a Royal book collection that later became the nucleus of a national library. George was also a champion of agriculture, earning himself the nickname "Farmer George".