George III of Great Britain and Ireland, King of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg (r. 1760-1820), who presided over the loss of
Britain's American colonies. He was also elector of Hanover (1760-1815) and by decision of the Congress of Vienna, King of Hanover (1815-20).
After the dismissal of several ministers who did not satisfy him, the king found a firm supporter in Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, Prime Minister from 1770 to 1782. Lord North executed the royal policies that provoked the American Revolution. The unsuccessful conclusion of that protracted conflict forced North to resign, and during the government crisis that followed when three cabinets came and went in less than two years. The King himself was almost induced to abdicate. In 1809 the king became blind. As early as 1765 he had suffered an apparent dementia, and in 1788 his derangement recurred to such a degree that a regency bill was passed, but the king recovered the following year. In 1811 he succumbed hopelessly to this dementia and his son, later George IV, acted as a regent for the rest of his reign.