George III of Great Britain was born on 24 May 1738 in Norfolk House. King of Great Britain and Ireland, George III reigned for sixty years, one of the longest reigns in British history, and the first Hanoverian king born in England. His reign saw the loss of the American colonies in the Revolutionary War, the Union with Ireland in 1801 and the wars with revolutionary and Napoleonic France, ending with victory at Waterloo. He suffered recurring bouts of mental illness, which may have been caused by porphyria or a psychiatric disorder, and was declared unfit in 1811, after which his son ruled as Prince Regent. He was a patron of the arts and sciences, and took an interest in agriculture.
Before and after
- 29 January 1737Birth of Thomas Paine
- 8 May 1737Birth of Edward Gibbon
- from 1738 to 1861Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
- from 10 May 1738 to 1 January 1740Nadir Shah's invasion of India
- 24 May 1738Birth of George III of Great Britain
- 15 November 1738Birth of William Herschel
- 2 June 1739Construction of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
- from 22 October 1739 to 18 October 1748War of Jenkins' Ear
- 1740Rise of Hasidic Judaism
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 23 May 1568 to 30 January 1648Eighty Years' War
- from 25 April 1588 to 1 August 1588Spanish Armada
- 13 April 1598Edict of Nantes
- from 22 February 1700 to 10 September 1721Great Northern War
- from March 1701 to September 1714War of the Spanish Succession
- from 16 December 1740 to 18 October 1748War of the Austrian Succession
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.