William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1764 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. William, the third son of George III of the United Kingdom and younger brother and successor to George IV was the last person to rule both the United Kingdom and Hanover. His niece, Victoria, ruled only the United Kingdom, not Hanover.
William IV | |
---|---|
King of the United Kingdom | |
26 June 1830 – 20 June 1837 | |
8 September 1831 | |
Predecessor | George IV |
Successor | Victoria |
Born | 21 August 1764 Buckingham Palace, London, England |
Died | 20 June 1837 Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England | (aged 72)
Burial | |
Spouse | Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (m. 1818) |
House | Hanover |
Father | George III |
Mother | Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
He lived for 20 years with Dorothea Jordan. They had ten children.
Early life
William, Henry was born in 21 August 1765 to the king of England, George III at Buckingham House. He was baptized on 20 September 1765. He joined the royal navy at the age of 13, as a midshipman. He served in the battle of Cape St. Vincent.
In 1785, he became a lieutenant and was transferred to the West Indies. He wanted to be a duke like his older brothers, but his father refused. He had an affair with a woman named Doro Jordan from 1791, and she mothered 10 children of his. In 1820 when his father died he became second in line for him to be king. In 1827, he became the first when his older brother died. And in 1830 June 26th when one of his older brothers died too, he became king and was crowned in 8 September, 1831.
Ancestors
William IV of the United Kingdom | Father: George III of the United Kingdom |
Paternal Grandfather: Frederick, Prince of Wales |
Paternal Great-grandfather: George II of Great Britain |
Paternal Great-grandmother: Caroline of Ansbach | |||
Paternal Grandmother: Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg | ||
Paternal Great-grandmother: Magdalena Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst | |||
Mother: Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
Maternal Grandfather: . Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prince of Mirow |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Adolf Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | |
Maternal Great-grandmother: Christiane Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | |||
Maternal Grandmother: Princess Elizabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen | ||
Maternal Great-grandmother: Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbach |
William IV Of The United Kingdom Media
William (left), aged thirteen, and his younger brother Edward, painted by Benjamin West, 1778
Prince William at the age of 17, by Thomas Gainsborough, c. September 1782
Portrait in dress uniform by Martin Archer Shee, c. 1800
Cartoon by James Gillray of William and Mrs. Jordan: A large, cracked chamber-pot represents Mrs. Jordan, and the Duke has thrust himself into a fissure in the "Jordan".
"The Disconsolate Sailor", 1811: a cartoon by Charles Williams about Catherine Tylney-Long's choice between the Duke of Clarence (right) and William Wesley-Pole (left)
Portrait as Lord High Admiral. Print by William James Ward, after Abraham Wivell's painting, first published in 1827
Portrait by James Lonsdale, 1830. William wears Masonic insignia.
Portrait by Sir David Wilkie, 1837
Half-Crown of William IV, 1836. The inscription reads GULIELMUS IIII D(EI) G(RATIA) BRITANNIAR(UM) REX F(IDEI) D(EFENSOR) (William IV by the Grace of God King of the Britains, Defender of the Faith)