King George III
He reigned in England from 1760 to 1820.
He was born in 1738 and he died in 1820 at the age of 81.
During his sixty years of ruling Great Britain, he had to deal with the many problems of being a monarch in Europe. However, our major concern with King George III was that he became king during the French and Indian War. In this war the British were trying to defend their colonies while making sure that the French did not advance to far into the still uncharted wilderness of the New World.
King George was at a disadvantage in that all news coming from the New World had to be brought back via a ship. Trips across the Atlantic Ocean still took at least four weeks. He also was responsible to the British Parliament who actually made the laws for the colonies.
The Lords of the Parliament were probably tired of sending money to fight a war for colonist living on another continent. Parliament felt that it was time for these colonies to help pay for the many problems they were constantly causing the British Parliament. So the best way that the Parliament could think of to raise money from the colonist was to raise taxes on goods that were coming in and out of the new World.
In the New World the colonist who were loyal to King George III were called loyalist. During and after the Revolutionary War many of these loyalist became fearful for their lives and property and many of them went back to England after the war.
It is said that King George is known in England as the ‘King who lost America’.
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