Kings of Georgian Britain
For over a century of turmoil, upheaval and scandal, Great Britain was a Georgian land. From the day the German-speaking George I stepped off the boat from Hanover, to the night that George IV, bloated and diseased, breathed his last at Windsor, the four kings had presided over a changing nation.

Kings Georgian Britain offers a fresh perspective on the lives of the four Georges and the events that shaped their characters and reigns. From love affairs to family feuds, political wrangling and beyond, it is a chance to peer behind the pomp and follow these iconic figures from cradle to grave. As their very different lives will show, being a king isn't always about grand parties and jaw-dropping jewels, and sometimes following in a father's footsteps can be the hardest job around.

Take a step back in time and meet the wives, mistresses, friends and foes of these remarkable kings who shaped the nation, and find out what really went on behind closed palace doors. Whether dodging assassins, marrying for money, digging up their ancestors or sparking domestic disputes that echoed down the generations, the Georgian kings of Great Britain were never short on drama.
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Kings of Georgian Britain
For over a century of turmoil, upheaval and scandal, Great Britain was a Georgian land. From the day the German-speaking George I stepped off the boat from Hanover, to the night that George IV, bloated and diseased, breathed his last at Windsor, the four kings had presided over a changing nation.

Kings Georgian Britain offers a fresh perspective on the lives of the four Georges and the events that shaped their characters and reigns. From love affairs to family feuds, political wrangling and beyond, it is a chance to peer behind the pomp and follow these iconic figures from cradle to grave. As their very different lives will show, being a king isn't always about grand parties and jaw-dropping jewels, and sometimes following in a father's footsteps can be the hardest job around.

Take a step back in time and meet the wives, mistresses, friends and foes of these remarkable kings who shaped the nation, and find out what really went on behind closed palace doors. Whether dodging assassins, marrying for money, digging up their ancestors or sparking domestic disputes that echoed down the generations, the Georgian kings of Great Britain were never short on drama.
39.95 In Stock
Kings of Georgian Britain

Kings of Georgian Britain

by Catherine Curzon
Kings of Georgian Britain

Kings of Georgian Britain

by Catherine Curzon

Hardcover

$39.95 
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Overview

For over a century of turmoil, upheaval and scandal, Great Britain was a Georgian land. From the day the German-speaking George I stepped off the boat from Hanover, to the night that George IV, bloated and diseased, breathed his last at Windsor, the four kings had presided over a changing nation.

Kings Georgian Britain offers a fresh perspective on the lives of the four Georges and the events that shaped their characters and reigns. From love affairs to family feuds, political wrangling and beyond, it is a chance to peer behind the pomp and follow these iconic figures from cradle to grave. As their very different lives will show, being a king isn't always about grand parties and jaw-dropping jewels, and sometimes following in a father's footsteps can be the hardest job around.

Take a step back in time and meet the wives, mistresses, friends and foes of these remarkable kings who shaped the nation, and find out what really went on behind closed palace doors. Whether dodging assassins, marrying for money, digging up their ancestors or sparking domestic disputes that echoed down the generations, the Georgian kings of Great Britain were never short on drama.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781473871229
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication date: 06/12/2017
Pages: 232
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

CATHERINE CURZON is a royal historian who writes on all matters 18th century at www.madamegilflurt.com. Her work has been featured on HistoryExtra.com, the official website of BBC History Magazine, and in publications such as Explore History, All About History, History of Royals, and Jane Austen’s Regency World. She has spoken at venues including Kenwood House, Wellington College, the Royal Pavilion, the Hurlingham Club, the National Maritime Museum and Dr Johnson’s House.

Catherine holds a master’s degree in film and when not dodging the furies of the guillotine, can be found cheering on the mighty Terriers. She lives in Yorkshire atop a ludicrously steep hill.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements viii

List of Illustrations ix

Introduction xi

Act 1 George I 1

The Making of a Monarch 1

The Trouble with Uncles 4

Sons Divided 5

Mothers, Marriages and Miniatures 7

The Birth of an Electorate 10

The Elephant and the Maypole 11

The Disappearing Nobleman 13

A Future King? 18

Mother Makes Trouble 19

The Death of a Queen 23

The Coronation Riots 25

A Very Social Court 28

The South Sea Bubble Goes Pop 31

A Crown Divided 35

Family Affairs 37

The Wild Boy 38

Dying to Visit Hanover 42

Act 2 George II 44

An Absent Mother 44

Monsieur de Busch Goes to Court 47

Meeting the Mistress 50

A Trip to England 52

The Son They Left Behind 53

A Man of Action 54

Domestic Discord 55

The Uneasy Peace 58

A Happy Interlude 59

Walpole's Ruse 61

Trouble at Home 64

The Search for a Princess 68

'A deaf, peevish old beast' 70

A Game of Mistresses and Ladders 73

A New Princess 76

A Flight by Moonlight 78

Broken-Hearted 80

Choosing a Mistress 83

War and Rebellion 86

The Death of Fred 88

To Do His Utmost 89

The Butcher's Ruin 91

The King is Dead 92

Act 3 George III 94

'A boy in England born, in England bred' 94

A Fine Pair of Lordly Legs 97

Sophie, Frederica, Sarah and Charlotte 99

The Gentle Shepherd 103

So Many Governments, So Little Time 106

Brothers Banished 109

Death of a Dowager 112

Drama in Denmark 113

The Trouble with Tea 116

The Fallen Idol 120

A Family in Mourning 124

The Land of the Free 126

An Assassination Hat Trick 129

Revolution 135

The Mad King 137

Domestic Disputes and Dead Valets 139

Losing Amelia 142

The Windsor Years 144

Act 4 George IV 146

The Son and Heir 146

An Eye for the Ladies 151

A Political Prince 156

Scandalous Secrets 158

The Regency Bill 164

From Brighton to Jersey 165

A Monstrous Marriage 168

Who's the Mummy? 172

The Regent 175

Sepulchral Diversions 178

A Family at War 179

Assassins on Pall Mall 183

'They'll not Peterloo us again …' 184

Caroline's Continental Sunset 186

A Coronation Humiliation 191

A Coronation Celebration 193

'This is Death' 195

Afterword 198

Bibliography 199

Index 209

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