These volumes contain typed transcriptions of King George III's correspondence between December 1783 and 1810; most items are incoming letters to the king. Windsor Castle librarian Sir John Fortescue compiled this collection in the early 20th century as part of a larger project to publish the king's entire correspondence; these typescripts are a companion to several volumes that Fortescue published in 1927-1928, which cover the period from 1760 to November 1783. The transcripts include manuscript revisions and additions. The letters (10,327 pages) pertain to a wide array of political issues and to the king's various interests, and many of Great Britain's most influential political leaders from the late 18th and early 19th centuries are represented throughout the collection. Topics include the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, the 1800 Act of Union with Ireland, and the ministries of William Pitt (1759-1806).
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 his grandfather, King George II, although he was not formally crowned until September 22, 1761. He married Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818) on September 8, 1761. During the early years of his reign, Great Britain cycled through multiple administrations. By the early years of Lord North's ministry in the 1770s, domestic political matters became more settled, while international affairs became increasingly heated. King George took a strong, though ultimately unsuccessful, stand against rebelling North American colonists in the mid-1770s, and domestic matters became increasingly difficult following Great Britain's peace negotiations with the newly independent United States in 1783. Political turbulence in France and Ireland also affected British political life during this period. By 1810, George III had become effectively incapacitated by mental illness, and he remained secluded in Windsor Castle until his death on January 29, 1820.
