What do you think?
Rate this book
The English Monarchs
George IV
This engrossing biography of George IV, king of England from 1820 to 1830, gives a full and objective reassessment of the monarch’s character, reputation, and achievement. Previous writers have tended to accept the unfavorable verdicts of the king’s contemporaries that he was a dissolute, pleasure-loving dilettante and a feeble and ineffective ruler who was responsible for the decline of the power and reputation of the monarchy in the early nineteenth century. Now E.A. Smith offers a new view of George IV, one that does not minimize the king’s faults but focuses on the positive qualities of his achievement in politics and in the patronage of the arts.
Smith explores the roots of the king’s character and personality, stressing the importance of his relationship with his parents and twelve surviving siblings. He examines the king’s important contributions to the cultural enhancement of his capital and his encouragement of the major artistic, literary, and scholarly figures of his time. He reassesses the king’s role as constitutional monarch, contending that it was he, rather than Victoria and Albert, who created the constitutional monarchy of nineteenth-century Britain and began the revival of its popularity. Smith’s biography not only illuminates the character of one of the most colorful of Britain’s rulers but also contributes to the history of the British monarchy and its role in the nation’s life.
Smith explores the roots of the king’s character and personality, stressing the importance of his relationship with his parents and twelve surviving siblings. He examines the king’s important contributions to the cultural enhancement of his capital and his encouragement of the major artistic, literary, and scholarly figures of his time. He reassesses the king’s role as constitutional monarch, contending that it was he, rather than Victoria and Albert, who created the constitutional monarchy of nineteenth-century Britain and began the revival of its popularity. Smith’s biography not only illuminates the character of one of the most colorful of Britain’s rulers but also contributes to the history of the British monarchy and its role in the nation’s life.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 1999
4 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 26, 2020
Interesting. Gotta read something decent on George I and Will IV to complete the Hanoverian set.
Binds in well with recent scholarship moving towards a more signficant role even for 18th/19th century monarchy
Binds in well with recent scholarship moving towards a more signficant role even for 18th/19th century monarchy
July 16, 2016
Also posted on Eva Lucias blog
E. A. Smith presents the reader with a thorough and detailed biography, where we read and learn about the historical figure, George IV, his life, his relationships with different women and his attempt to deal with politics, both internal and external in the early 1900s. It was a time when the French Revolution lured upon Europe and created political insecurity in all of Europe, which had an effect on Britain too.
It is obvious that several historians and writers have approached the subject with George IV and his bad reputation and simply looking at his faults and how he maybe wasn’t the perfect (I’m nice!) and ideal image of a monarchal leader. George IV has been described as the reason for the decline of the British power and that he as a person was rather horrible.
However, E. A. Smith looks besides his fault and try to bring out a lighter image of what happened in George IV’s reign, his past and family relations. Through a chronological browse through from birth to death, we are introduced to a certain historical figure in the British history.
It is well-written, detailed and one learns a lot along the way...
Blog ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Youtube ~ Spotify ~
E. A. Smith presents the reader with a thorough and detailed biography, where we read and learn about the historical figure, George IV, his life, his relationships with different women and his attempt to deal with politics, both internal and external in the early 1900s. It was a time when the French Revolution lured upon Europe and created political insecurity in all of Europe, which had an effect on Britain too.
It is obvious that several historians and writers have approached the subject with George IV and his bad reputation and simply looking at his faults and how he maybe wasn’t the perfect (I’m nice!) and ideal image of a monarchal leader. George IV has been described as the reason for the decline of the British power and that he as a person was rather horrible.
However, E. A. Smith looks besides his fault and try to bring out a lighter image of what happened in George IV’s reign, his past and family relations. Through a chronological browse through from birth to death, we are introduced to a certain historical figure in the British history.
It is well-written, detailed and one learns a lot along the way...
Blog ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Youtube ~ Spotify ~
August 21, 2022
6/10
A perfectly adequate, if occasionally fawning biography of a fat bastard.
A perfectly adequate, if occasionally fawning biography of a fat bastard.
Want to read
August 18, 2011Intense Biography. Father hated him, that's why he's a corrupt King and rude to Victoria.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews