William IV: A King at Sea

by R.J.B. Knight

William IV, 'the Sailor King', is best known for his naval career and for living for twenty years with the actress Mrs Jordan, with whom he had ten children. Knight's book shows that William was pretty much a disaster in whatever field he found himself.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Royalty, British Literature

103 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2015

About the author

Roger John Beckett Knight is one of the leading scholars in the field of 18th century and Napoleonic era British naval history. A former Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, he is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and has served as a member of the council of both the Society for Nautical Research and the Navy Records Society.

Reviews

[Vince Sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, according to this book (and many others I would imagine), William was a bit of a disaster. He was a pugnacious youth, he was promoted in the Navy to a degree that was far beyond his capabilities, and William had very poor leadership, indeed, social skills. However, despite all of this, you can't help but like the man. As a king, he was very much 'his own person' and seemed perfectly well aware of his shortcomings, as well as his strengths. And of course, he eventually passed the electoral reforms that the country was crying out for - a considerable feat.
Importantly, he paved the way for the glories of the Victoria's reign, which he helped enable by reversing many of the excesses of his brother's reign.
A very well written book, and an excellent introduction to a lesser known British monarch. Of course, as with all books in this series, the presentation and design/artwork are outstanding.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of William IV's life and reign. Knight is critical of William's career as a naval officer but concludes that he was a success as king because he was willing to listen to advice. There is some good analysis of William's personal life as well. Knight praises William's longtime mistress Dora Jordan as "remarkable and openhearted" but has a mixed view of Queen Adelaide who helped William get his finances under control but opposed political reform. I would have been interested to read more about William's relationship with his ten children with Dora Jordan and his travels in British North America and the Caribbean. The book includes a wide range of suggestions for further reading.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sailor King?

As you would expect from the Penguin Monarch Series. Short, concise and informative. Roger Knight knows the history of this period, esxoailly in naval matters so is the perfect person to address this topic. William was a typical Hannoverian, bad tempered, difficult and promoted to positions way out of his depth. But meant well and did good things. He made a decent enough king especially compared to his contemporaries. Great insight, great read.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty dry and factual (especially the first half covering Well Liam’s naval career), lacking the colour and insight other titles in the series display.

[Philip Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third son of George III and the last Hanovarian king, William IV is often overlooked. He is often referred to as the 'Sailor King' on account of his time in the Royal Navy in which his performance was patchy. He was a drinker, a brawler, a womaniser, and almost constantly in masses of debt. Like other Havovarians his familial relationships were chaotic and generally disfunctional.

Following his time in the Navy he also confronted the Duke of Wellington with whom he could not see eye to eye and generally cultivated hostility and resentment. He did, however, begin his time as king with a surge of popularity and presided over the Reform Act.

He was succeeded by Queen Victoria in 1837.

[Tom J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative read about one of Britain’s ‘forgotten kings’.

My only criticism is that it would be interesting to read more of his relationship with the young (soon to be Queen) Victoria and her mother.

[Susanna Robertson-Sheath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting; some parts were rather much but I may enjoy it more on a second or third read. Ending was a nice sudo-obituary to King William IV.

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously not the fault of the author but... nothing much happens during this particular reign.