King George III is famous for being the longest-reigning king in British history, holding the throne for over 60 years from 1760 until his death in 1820. George III is widely remembered for two things: losing the American colonies and going mad.
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George III ascended to the throne at the age of 22. During his reign, he oversaw significant changes in British society and politics, including the Industrial Revolution and the emergence of the modern parliamentary system.
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Credit line: (c) (c) Royal Academy of Arts / Photographer credit: John Hammond /
His controversial policies towards the American colonies sparked the American Revolution in 1775. George, one of the most cultured monarchs, established a new royal library (65,000 of his books were later given to the British Museum as the foundation of a national library) and opened his library to scholars.
George founded and funded the Royal Academy of Arts (now famous for its exhibitions) in 1768. He was the first king to study science (he had his own astronomical observatory), and examples of his scientific instrument collection can now be seen in the Science Museum.
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