George III. King of Great Britain and Ireland

King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1820 (from 1801, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland), George III was the third monarch of the House of Hanover. His reign, one of the longest in British history, was marked by continuous international conflicts and was also affected by the mental disorders he suffered from. But it was, undoubtedly, the independence of the thirteen American colonies that constituted a milestone in his reign. Britain's stance towards revolutionary France was one of real opposition: Napoleon Bonaparte, first as consul and then as emperor, was firm in his goal of wanting to block the United Kingdom. Despite the signing of the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, George III was sceptical of this new climate of peace that followed the signing: he was afraid that Britain might be occupied at any time by Napoleon's troops and thus wasted no time in putting British troops and volunteers on alert. In addition, public opinion was in in favour of the post of prime minister being filled by someone able to lead the country in times of war; this helped William Pitt "The Younger" to return to power. The threat of occupation by Napoleon would not disappear until Britain's victory over France and Spain at Trafalgar (1805). George III became seriously ill in 1810. His son, the future George IV, took on the regency until the monarch's death in 1820.