King George III

by John Brooke

King George III is commonly remembered as the King who lost the American colonies and for little else. He was, however, a great book collector, the founder of the Royal Academy, and a patron of art and science. Furthermore, his ideal of monarchy determined the pattern of the future.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Royalty

412 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1972

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a student of British history I am
Impressed when a book about a familiar subject provides a new point of view that I find believable and "embraceable". Even better is a book that provides a wealth of factual information that I haven't come across before. Best of all is such a book that has been around since the 1970s.

This is such a book. The misunderstanding of the King's attitudes and actions and underpinnings during the American "rebellion" we're completely fascinating. While the Americans painted King George as a tyrant, in fact he was the cypher of his ministers - as he HAD to be according to the British constitution. He was a scrupulously "correct" British king and rarely if ever overstepped his constitutional authority. He was among the last to give up on the cause but among the first to accept it with grace once it was done.

This is also the book that corrected the historical record a out the king's "madness." He lays out the case for an ailment (porphyria) that was at core physical rather than mental. He also points out the absolute cruelty that the king went through from the "doctors" that were appointed to "help" him.

All in all a tremendous read.

[Alister Aldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Brooke's biography of one of the most misunderstood British monarchs is in its own right a monument of historiography. When it came out, this book was the first academic work to portray the king in a sympathetic light. Maybe too sympathetic some would say, Brooke never hid the fact that he liked George III. Nonetheless, this biography was written in the tradition of Brooke's mentor and colleague Sir Lewis B. Namier. Even if King George III: America's Last Monarch becomes obsolete one day, its impact in historiography will never change. Brooke is also to be credited for helping Macalpine and Hunter's porphyritic theory being almost universally (and in a sadder way almost unquestionably) accepted by historians.

It should also be noted that Brooke wrote in an admirable fashion and the broader public can enjoy this book just as much as academics. However, the book is more detailed on the first half of George's reign, which in a way fits Brooke's interests in the 1760's and 70's. Almost half a century later, it remains an excellent book. Readers who want to learn more about George III can also consider Jeremy Black's George III: America's Last King (the title is a deliberate reference to Brooke) for a more up-to-date book with more recent research.

[Jeremy Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many of the books on King George III presume the readers’ thorough knowledge of English mores and the British constitutional structure, with its varied earls, dukes, and lords, but Brooke offers, here, the most readable and contextually helpful biography of the man America comically and hyperbolically still refers to as a tyrant and a madman. And in providing that readable context, Brooke warmly and thoughtfully invites us into the company of a king who might just as well have preferred a common and simple life to the one that now locks him into a room of historical bias on both sides of the Atlantic. The author never veers too far from his subject, keeping us tethered to the very reason we picked up the book to learn more. What I found most poignant, most touching, most revealing, was the loss of little Octavius, the king’s second young son, just six months before peace was signed with the newly independent American states. Octavius died from an attempted smallpox inoculation for which he could not recover, leaving his father, King George III, to say, “There will be no heaven for me if Octavius is not there.”

[Davina Cutchall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Times are at a difficult moment for many. we ask that you would take the time to know that I will do all I can,and answer any of your questions to the best of my ability. I would one to see others get involved with one another and feel safe.