King George III has been represented in several works of art, including the Bridgerton spinoff “Queen Charlotte” on Netflix, the Broadway smash “Hamilton,” the 1991 play “The Madness of King George,” and the 1995 film “The Madness of King George.”
He has also been a humorous character in several other works. Although he enjoyed a nearly 60-year reign, he is now recognized as the king who lost America and for having recurrent episodes of severe illness and erratic behaviour that prevented him from reigning for his final ten years. Here are full details about Mad King’s Illness.
Mad King George Illness
By historian Lucy Worsley, modern medicine may be able to shed light on the true causes of King George III’s erratic behaviour. George III is well-known as the “mad king who lost America” in children’s history books.
Here you can also find the Twitter post related to the Illness of Mad King George; see what collider said on it:
What is the truth about the monarch’s mental illness? #QueenCharlotte https://t.co/9M6v65SAHE
— Collider (@Collider) May 11, 2023
But in recent years, it has become popular among historians to attribute his “madness” to porphyria, a physical, genetic blood ailment. Aches and pains as well as blue urine are some of its symptoms.
The Madness of George III, an extensive play by Alan Bennett that was later made into a movie with Nigel Hawthorne playing the lead character, was based on this hypothesis. However, a recent study at St. George’s University of London found that George III had a mental condition.
Drs. Peter Garrard and Vassiliki Rentoumi have been analyzing George III’s language use using the evidence of thousands of handwritten letters. They had found that his sentences were substantially longer when he was ill than when he was healthy.
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It wasn’t unusual for a sentence to have eight verbs and 400 words. In addition to frequently repeating himself when ill, George III’s vocabulary became much more intricate, imaginative, and colourful.
The manic phase of psychiatric diseases like bipolar disorder is characterized by specific characteristics still present in the writing and speech of sufferers today.
On a spectrum of mood disorders, mania, or unhealthy euphoria, is at one extreme and melancholy, or depression, is at the other. George’s manic state would also align with witnesses’ accounts of his ailment.
They described him as having an “incessant loquacity” and a propensity to chatter until his mouth began to foam. He occasionally experienced convulsions, so his pages were forced to sit on him to keep him secure on the floor.
Even one of the main pillars of the porphyria case, the blue urine, has been called into question by the experts. According to the king’s medical records, gentian-based medication was provided to him. Although the urine from this plant may become blue, it is still used today as a mild tonic.
So perhaps the most well-known sign of the king’s “madness” wasn’t the actual cause. It might have just been his medication. I spoke with St. George’s scholars for Fit To Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History, a new documentary series.
Instead of only looking at our kings and queens as untouchable symbols of luxury and power, I reexamine them as unique members of the human race in this series. They experienced many of the same biological and psychological flaws as the rest of us but somewhat worse outcomes.
Due to his frequent illness, George III withdrew from public life to heal privately in isolated Kew Palace, close to Richmond. Every time he fled to Kew, there would be a crisis over who would make decisions while he was gone.
George III had a bad relationship with his son, the Prince of Wales, who wanted to be named regent and rule as king in everything but name. However, the administration was determined to bar him from entering because the future George IV was closely linked to the political opposition.
Surprisingly, even though the crisis led to much conflict, it was handled quickly. This was partially because the monarch recovered (despite the strange and occasionally harsh treatments provided by the royal doctors) and partially because he was a constitutional king by this point in British history.
The Stuart line of the dynasty had failed in 1714, and Parliament had encouraged the Hanoverians to come over from Germany to succeed to the throne. As a result, Parliament had the upper hand over them, and the monarchy’s authority shrank.
George III was a devoted and hardworking king who earned the respect of his politicians despite his illness. When his illness prevented him from participating in politics, they realized how much they relied on his ability to diffuse conflict.
Although it seems counterintuitive to say so, royal health difficulties can benefit the monarchy, not least because they foster empathy and adoration for the suffering person.
Garrard also emphasizes how our previous explanations or diagnoses for patients mirror our current views on illness and wellness. The Porphyria controversy gained popularity partly because it dispelled the taboo associated with mental health problems among the Royal Family.
However, because porphyria is a hereditary condition, George IV and other members of the Royal Family also became candidates for diagnosis, as noted by Garrard. This created a new set of issues. Even through the ongoing research effort, Garrard is already sure of one thing.
However, it undoubtedly did not prevent George III from being a prosperous king. It was becoming more crucial for a king in a rich, industrializing Britain to reign rather than rule, offering background stability rather than assertive leadership.
George III provided continuity during his 60-year reign, and I think his brief illness episodes unfairly affect how we perceive him.
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