Many people are interested in learning more about King George the Third’s madness and whether he was so crazy owing to the upcoming Netflix series Queen Charlotte.
Who Was King George The Third?
The eldest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, George III was born on June 4, 1738, in London.
After the death of his father in 1751, he succeeded his grandfather, George II, as king in 1760. He was the first Hanoverian king to be born in England and to speak English as his first language.
The two things that George III is most famous for are losing the American colonies and getting diagnosed with a mental illness.
Reading the United Kingdom royal page we get to know that he was the first monarch to study science as a subject in school (he had his own astronomical observatory), and the Science Museum today displays some of his collection of scientific instruments as portrayed in the series. George III, commonly known as “Farmer George,” was deeply interested in farming, especially on the royal estates in Richmond and Windsor.
For his wife Queen Charlotte, George III purchased Buckingham House (now known as Buckingham Palace) in 1761 so they could live comfortably next to St James’s Palace, where numerous royal events were conducted. The Queen’s House was the new name for Buckingham House.
What Was His Mental Illness?
We have read and seen that he suffered from an identity crisis when he would change into his former self. There was no name given to this and he was just called mad at that time with very harsh treatment given to him.
The majority of King George’s life was spent in what was regarded as mental stability. In 1788, at the age of 50, his first sickness was documented. According to the NIH’s investigation, the monarch allegedly suffered from hypomania, which grew worse in the autumn. Relapses are said to have occurred in 1795, 1801, and 1804.
His manic periods were characterised by “agitation, rambling incoherent speech, and episodes of violence and sexual impropriety.” King George apparently endured chronic mania and potential dementia in 1810 after experiencing a “persisting relapse.”
According to modern historians, King George most certainly had a bipolar illness, which may result in irrational fluctuations in behaviour, mood, and activities. The contemporary definition appears to match King George’s alleged symptoms.