What Are The Causes Of King George III's Downfall

With the third longest reign in Great Britain’s long and illustrious history, King George III’s rule was riddled mishaps, most likely due to the fact that he was illiterate until the age of eleven. The mishaps may also have to deal with the fact that his rule was not considered Machiavellian and were often connected with the fact that they were often exactly contradictory to the writings in The Prince. Due to the way the government was run, the military handled in the wars throughout his reign, and the way he was perceived, King George III of England greatly contradicts Machiavellian’s idea of a great ruler.

As George became the sole ruler of the British empire, he ignored or was ignorant of Machiavelli’s ideas of how to maintain his government and conquered lands. George began to emulate the 3rd Earl of Bute, John Stuart and trusted him as they had very similar opinions without quite thinking twice. Moreover, he also approved the new taxes on colonies that were very heavy

For one, he was neither feared nor loved throughout the entirety of his rule, rather in colonies, he hated and loathed. George’s popularity was also inconsistent because he was not not true enemy or good friend of people. The Machiavellian ways of how to be popular not evident at all which caused American colonies to break away and his subjects. In addition, the Hanover king “relied on fortune” and his mental health significantly decreased after his daughter died and losing the American colonies. Another factor in the madness of King George in his later years was that he was very clingy with his children despite their growing up and eventual leaving. He was not good at letting go of things whether it be land or children which drove him to madness. Overall, the extent of his personal troubles and quirks stopped him from governing to his full