George III

The Life and Reign of Britain's Most Misunderstood Monarch

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George III

By: Andrew Roberts

Narrated by: Philip Stevens

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Brought to you by Penguin.

George III, Britain's longest-reigning king, has gone down in history as 'the cruellest tyrant of this age' (Thomas Paine, eighteenth century), 'a sovereign who inflicted more profound and enduring injuries upon this country than any other modern English king' (WEH Lecky, nineteenth century), 'one of England's most disastrous kings' (JH Plumb, twentieth century) and as the pompous, camp and sinister monarch of the musical 'Hamilton' (twenty-first century).

Andrew Roberts's magnificent new biography takes entirely the opposite view. It convincingly portrays George as intelligent, benevolent, scrupulously devoted to the constitution of his country and (as head of government as well as head of state) navigating the turbulence of eighteenth-century politics with a strong sense of honour and duty. He was a devoted husband and family man, a great patron of the arts and sciences, keen ('Farmer George') to advance Britain's agricultural capacity and determined that her horizons should be global.

The book gives a detailed, revisionist account of the American War of Independence, amongst other things persuasively taking apart a significant proportion of the Declaration of Independence. In a later war, it shows how George's support for William Pitt was crucial to the battle against Napoleon. And it makes a credible, modern diagnosis of George's terrible malady which robbed him of his mind for the last 10 years of his life - his other main claim to the popular imagination.

Roberts argues that, far from being a tyrant or incompetent, George III was one of our most admirable monarchs. George III shows one of Britain's premier historians at his sparkling best.

© Andrew Roberts 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Andrew RobertsPhilip StevensPenguin

18th Century

Europe

Great Britain

Historical

Modern

Politics & Activism

Royalty

War

Imperialism

Winston Churchill

England

Marriage

Boston

18th Century Europe Great Britain Historical Modern Politics & Activism Royalty War Imperialism Winston Churchill England Marriage Boston

Critic Reviews

George, Roberts writes, "more than filled the role of King of Great Britain worthily; he filled it nobly". After reading this mammoth, elegant and splendidly researched biography, no open-minded reader could possibly disagree - not even an American.

(Dominic Sandbrook)

'Andrew Roberts is our most prodigious biographer ... His demolition of the authors of the Declaration's case against George III is elegant and comprehensive.

(Dominic Lawson)

Magisterial ... George III is notorious for two reasons: losing America and going mad. Roberts provides a fresh and spirited account of both occurrences ... Roberts's fundamentally humane approach to his biographical subjects ... treats George III with as much respect and compassion when sick, blind and deaf as when powerful at the promising start of his reign. The result is a lengthy book that remains engaging throughout.

(Ruth Scurr)

powerful ... a very fine book ... This book should be read by every American whose interest in history goes beyond the feel-good. It is challenging, but richly evidenced and scrupulously argued. ... Coming after his powerful studies of Halifax, Salisbury, Napoleon and Churchill, it consolidates Roberts's position as one of the greatest biographers in the English language today. (Noel Malcolm)

If not for such fierce competition (in the form of such works as Salisbury: Victorian Titan, Churchill: Walking with Destiny and Masters & Commanders) one might be able to unequivocally say that George III is the author's masterpiece. This biography teems with detail, ideas and elegance. Roberts is a great writer - and this is one of his greatest achievements. Roberts sets himself a goal, that of challenging or overturning certain misconceptions that we might harbour about his subject. That George III was a tyrant, unintelligent and a victim of porphyria. Suffice to say, Roberts achieves his goal: mission impossible turns into mission accomplished. Roberts convinces through both persuasive prose and hard evidence (as opposed to just supposition). ... magnificent

(Richard Foreman)

George may become Britain's best-understood monarch, thanks to this impressive new biography. It is unashamedly revisionist. ... Roberts's account is masterly, combining a compelling narrative - one has to keep turning the pages even though one knows the outcome - with analysis that is both cogent and incisive. He appears to have read everything that is in the mainstream and much that isn't, including a wide range of archival sources. ... [George III] has had to wait two centuries for rehabilitation, but it has come at last. Roberts has got deep inside George and his world and has found a man of many sterling qualities. ... tremendous

(Tim Blanning)

Most relevant

Andrew Roberts has written a masterpiece that will rehabilitate the image of a much maligned and ultimately tragic monarch. The depth of his research has been absolutely breath-taking and his writing style is informative, accessible and entertaining.

You need the stamina of a marathon runner to listen to the entire 36 hours and I must admit that I did skip the five year period when the American war of independence was going badly for the Poms. (Turgid depressing stuff if you are a closet redcoat supporter!) However that is not the fault of Andrew Roberts.

What I did enjoy was Andrew's demolition of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, which apart from its brilliant opening paragraph is a tissue of hyperbole, outright lies, unfounded ad hominem attacks on the character of George III or 'after the fact' justifications. Propaganda at its most devious. It also demonstrated the incredible tolerance that Great Britain had for its ungrateful and treacherous American colonies and that nothing could have been done to avoid the American revolution. (Britain was fortunate that it did not happen during the Napoleonic wars.)

I had no idea about George III's love of the arts, science and architecture. I did not appreciate his considerable intellect, personal integrity or his love and loyalty to his queen.

But most of all, Andrew Roberts has completely destroyed the myth that George III was a tyrant. In fact he was certainly the least tyrannical head of state of his era having total respect for the liberal constitution of Great Britain.

Congratulations Andrew Roberts. History owes you a debt of gratitude for putting the facts straight.