William IV of Great Britain
William IV was a naval officer for most of his life, became king at sixty-four, and reigned for seven years in which the constitution changed more than in the previous century. He was the third son of George III, sent to sea at thirteen as a midshipman, served in the West Indies and New York during the American war, and was a friend of Nelson, who described him as a good officer. He lived for twenty years with the actress Dorothea Jordan and had ten illegitimate children by her, who took the surname FitzClarence, and separated from her under family pressure to find a legitimate heir; she died in poverty in France. He married Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen in 1818, and both their daughters died in infancy. He became king in 1830 on his brother's death, and was an immediate relief to the public — informal, plain-spoken, given to walking about London unattended, and known as the sailor king. The Reform crisis defined the reign. The Whig government's bill to redistribute parliamentary seats away from rotten boroughs was blocked repeatedly by the Lords, and the king was asked to create enough new peers to force it through. He dissolved parliament in 1831 in person to get a reforming majority, and in 1832 agreed to create the peers, which was enough of a threat that it was not necessary. The Slavery Abolition Act, the Factory Act and the new Poor Law followed. He was the last monarch to appoint a prime minister against the will of parliament, and the attempt failed. He died in 1837, and his niece Victoria succeeded him.
- Lived: 1765 CE – 1837 CE
- Nationality: British
- Roles: king, naval_commander
