Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Historians have found little to praise about King George IV (1820—1830). E.A.Smith has written a splendid biography reassessing the life and reign of a king, traditionally pictured as a pleasure loving, dissolute dilettante, interested only in wine and women. He quarreled constantly with his father, George III, who forced him into a loveless marriage with a German princess. Smith's excellent revisionist study of George IV, while not avoiding his sins, throws new light on his troubled relationship with his father. The author analyzes the king's services to the arts and his contributions to the architecture of London. Finally, Smith stresses the influence of George IV on the British constitution, arguing that he laid the foundations of the constitutional monarchy." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 293-300) and index.