William IV of the United Kingdom
Monarch
1765 – 1837
Who was William IV of the United Kingdom?
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. William, the third son of George III and younger brother and successor to George IV, was the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain's House of Hanover.
He served in the Royal Navy in his youth and was, both during his reign and afterwards, nicknamed the "Sailor King". He served in North America and the Caribbean, but saw little actual fighting. Since his two older brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. His reign saw several reforms: the poor law was updated, child labour restricted, slavery abolished in nearly all the British Empire, and the British electoral system refashioned by the Reform Act 1832. Though William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, he was the last monarch to appoint a Prime Minister contrary to the will of Parliament. Through his brother, the Viceroy of Hanover, he granted that kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution.
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- Born
- Aug 21, 1765
Buckingham Palace - Also known as
- The Prince William, 1st Duke of Clarence and St Andrews
- Parents
- Siblings
- Spouses
- Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
(1818/07/11 - ) - Dorothea Jordan
- Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
- Children
- Nationality
- England
- Died
- Jun 20, 1837
Windsor Castle - Resting place
- St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
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"William IV of the United Kingdom." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/william_iv_of_the_united_kingdom>.
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