This collection consists of volumes II, III, and IV of The History of the Reign of George III, King of Great Britain, which anonymous author "K. H." composed in Gloucestershire, England, between 1820 and 1823. The treatise covers Great Britain's domestic and international political affairs in depth, including conflicts in North America during the American Revolutionary era and the War of 1812. The location of volume I is unknown.
The three volumes, formally titled "The History of the Reign of George III, King of Great Britain (Designed as a Continuation of Mr. Smollet's History)," have 1,323 pages that cover the period between 1770 and the King's death in 1820. Volume IV also contains a 214-page appendix that provides supplemental information for the years 1763-1820. Each chapter is preceded by a detailed list of contents.
The densely-written account chronicles the country's internal and external political affairs, as well as events occurring throughout Europe and, to a lesser extent, North America and North Africa. Topics addressed concern parliamentary leadership, wars, shifting alliances among major European powers, the French Revolution, and Britain's relationship with Ireland. The final chapter contains the author's reflections on King George III, written shortly after the King's death.
The appendix at the conclusion of Volume IV contains annual lists of appointments, births, marriages, and deaths between 1763 and 1820, as well as other information about domestic and European political affairs. The appointments include British political, religious, and military figures, and reflect some changes in peerage. Also recorded are births and deaths of European royal families.
George III, King of Great Britain, was born in 1738, the son of Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales, and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. He ascended to the throne on October 25, 1760, following the death of King George II, his grandfather, although he was not formally crowned until September 22, 1761. He married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) on September 8, 1761. Domestically, the early years of his reign were difficult, as Great Britain cycled through multiple different administrations. By the early years of Lord North's ministry in the 1770s, political matters became more settled, while international affairs became increasingly heated, especially with the American colonies. By 1810, the King had become incapacitated by mental illness, and he remained secluded in Windsor Castle until his death on January 29, 1820.
