George III, the "Mad King"? Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1738

George was born in London on June 4, 1738. His grandfather, George II, was king at the time.

Answer: Less than a day

As often happened in those days, George's marriage was based on politics rather than love. He had a choice but didn't meet his bride until the day of the wedding.

Answer: Parliament

King George was far from an absolute monarch. He opposed independence but didn't have a large role in running the colonies. Parliament passed the tax laws and other "intolerable acts" which drove the colonists to declare their independence.

Answer: George, Prince of Wales

George, the Prince of Wales, was by his own admission "rather too fond of women and wine". He secretly married Maria Fitzherbert on December 15, 1785, in violation of a law that required him to get royal permission. None of this kept him from becoming Regent in 1811 when his father was deemed permanently incapacitated or becoming King George IV upon his father's death.

William Henry, later William IV, had ten children by a woman he didn't marry, but at least he didn't have a secret marriage. Frederick became the subject of a song about marching up and down a hill but didn't do anything notoriously scandalous.

Answer: Johann Christian Bach

Johann Christian Bach, the son of the famous Johann Sebastian Bach, moved to England and became a court composer under George III. Handel was associated with his predecessors, writing "Water Music" for George I and the coronation anthem "Zadok the Priest" for George II. Mozart visited England as a child and performed for George III. Elgar lived after the king's time.

Answer: He was born in England and spoke fluent English.

The first two Georges of Great Britain were German-born. George I spoke only limited English. The first language of George II, surprisingly, was French. He studied English but was never fluent at it. George III was well-educated and was a native speaker of English.

Answer: A giant telescope

King George loved science. In 1782 he appointed William Herschel as court astronomer and, in 1785, he provided funding for the construction of a 40-foot telescope, the largest to that date. Herschel originally named the planet Uranus after George: Georgium Sidus (The Georgian Star). It was named Uranus some seven decades later, after the Greek god Ouranos (the sky).

Answer: Bipolar disorder

George III suffered from bouts of mental illness starting in 1788. Medicine was primitive in his time, and it's impossible to be sure today what caused them. A liver disease called porphyria was widely accepted at one time. Today the favored explanation is bipolar disorder.

His increasing debility necessitated his removal from the throne in 1811, when George, Prince of Wales acted as Regent (he became George IV up[on the death of his father, George III). He was, however, fully lucid and functional during the American Revolution.

Answer: An act of Parliament removing him

By 1811, King George was clearly incapable of carrying out his duties. The Regency Act of 1811 named the Prince of Wales (later George IV) as Regent for the remainder of the king's life.

Answer: Longest reigning British king

George III became king on October 23, 1760 and died on January 29, 1820. This gave him the longest reign of any king at 59 years, though he had not exercised royal power since 1811 (when his son acted as Regent). Queens Victoria and Elizabeth II surpassed him, but no male British monarchs did. King Charles III spent more of his life waiting to be king than any of his predecessors.

George III had 15 children, but his family didn't even come close in size to the Saudi royal family, which numbered in the thousands, when Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became King of Saudi Arabia in 2015. Henry VI was the youngest British monarch, becoming king aged less than 9 months.