Categotry Archives: Mr. Al
Ah Maria: Where to Begin
We begin a whole new series of history posts by Mr. Al today. For those who don’t know yet, Mr Al is my husband. I talked him into doing a series about the wives of Henry VIII, and then about the life of George IV. Somewhere along the way he became interested in the mother of Marie Antoinette, Maria Theresa. Welcome, Mr. Al, and thank you for letting me twist your arm yet again. In the autumn of the year […]
History – Where to Go Next
As those of you who have followed the Tudor Follies and the By George! series know, Mr. Al has been a regular here in the restaurant for a long time. He has a way of looking at history that actually makes it interesting, even to those of us who are not entirely devoted to it. There’s no way I’m going to let something that good slip away. So even though we will not see any more post about George IV, […]
By George! It’s the Bitter End
Alas. This week’s installment of By Geroge!, Mr. Al’s discussion of the life and times of George IV, brings this series to an end. Thank you for well over a year fo entertaining history, Mr. Al. There will be other series in the future. Drop by next week to discuss it. Among all the paraphernalia acquired over a lifetime of profligate spending were packets of love letters. Big packets of love letters. And among the letters were found “quantities of […]
By George! The King is Dead. Time to Party!
AUTHORS NOTE: I know I said this would be the last George blog, but I lied. My summing up will have to wait until next week because I haven’t dealt with His Majesties funeral or anything! My bad. 🙁 Said The Times of his Majesties passing: “There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow creatures than the deceased King. What eye has wept for him? What heart has heaved one throb of unmercenary sorrow?…For the Leviathan of the […]
By George! I’ll Give This to You, and That to You, and…
While there may have been some who viewed the George IV’s imminent demise with sorrow, this outlook was not shared by many of those who knew him best. Which certainly says something. His brothers were beside themselves at the prospect of better days. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the government spend real money on them for a change? The people the King counted as real friends were pretty much gone. Fox had died long ago, the Earl of Moira, […]
By George! They’re on His “Manbits”
The year 1829 closed with little of His Majesty’s situation changed. This was as he preferred it. He still dodged official business. Indeed, he would go so far as to ask parliament to appoint someone to act and sign papers in his name. Parliament told him that the only way they could legally do so would be with reports from His Majesty’s doctors that he was beyond help. Such reports would have to made public. You know, like the situation […]
By George! How to Rule from Bed
The year of 1829 marked both a high and low for his Majesty. While his health continued to deteriorate, his relations with his Ministers improved. At least after the contentious Catholic Relief Act was finally passed. But the improvement was quite gradual, and not all Ministers were treated equally. At Ascot he had “a whole party of Canningites in his house (box) and not one Minister. He gave a bad reception to all the friends of government who went to […]
By George! Wellington It Is.
When last we saw His Majesty, he had exiled himself to his bed chamber. The physical reasons were the usual, gout and rheumatism. Various other ailments. This lasted all through January and well into February of 1828. And, as usual, the physical ailments were a wonderful excuse to avoid political problems, of which he had a basket full. Harriette Wilson made a re-appearance at this point. She had published her memoirs in Holland in four small volumes in 1825. These […]
By George! It’s One Man After Another
In the few short years after finally becoming king, and not merely regent, George IV had a devil of a time finding good people to fill the post of Prime Minister. The death of Canning meant, of course, that his Majesty needed to find yet another Prime Minister. Such a bother, particularly since his Majesties priorities were not necessarily those of the government. This was something that all concerned were deeply, painfully aware of. As the Duke of Wellington had […]
By George! He’s Incensed!
.George IV’s taste in women wasn’t the only place in which he displayed dubious judgment. . Mr Canning was well pleased with the services he was able to render on behalf of His Majesty. The King had been deeply upset over the loss of Lord Liverpool; Canning’s willingness to accommodate the Crown on a number of issues important to the King personally went a long way in easing His Majesties mind. One letter from Canning to the King illustrates this […]
By George! Heavy Weighs the Crown in Turbulent Times
In the later years of his life, George IV may have partied a little less hardy, but he still had an interest in some of his old pursuits. It was very unfortunate that His Majesty seemed to be losing his grip when he did, although it must be said that he never lost it as completely as did his father. Demand for reforms had been growing since the days of his Regency. Catholic emancipation was on the front burner, in […]
By George! It Runs In the Family
Over the last several months we have watched King George IV grow from childhood to adult through Mr. Al’s eyes. What a sorry site. An interesting aspect of the King’s insistance on a highly regimented home life was that he himself was bored silly by it He complained often of his boredom. He confided to close friends that he feared the boredom of his domestic arrangements were driving Lady Conyngham to distraction, if not out of his house altogether. In […]
By George! The King Drifts Along
Having lost one handler and gone on to another, King George IV lived… much as he had before. Things certainly did not improve after Canning took office. The King took great pleasure in slighting Canning at every opportunity. Not to be wondered at, really, since Canning was opposed to nearly everything His Majesty wanted to do. The King’s foreign policy was, in essence, simple. The crowned heads of Europe should be united in their opposition to anything and everything democratic. […]
By George! Who Leads the King Now?
Last week George IV went off to Scotland at Lord Castlereagh’s suggestion for a royal vacation. When George returned, the man was dead. It would seem that Castlereagh’s suicide was not entirely a surprise. Before the King left for Scotland he had had several talks with Lord Liverpool about Castlereagh’s behavior. In one conversation he stated that “either I am mad or Lord Castlereagh is mad.” The Duke of Wellington expressed concern, Castlereagh’s brother, Lord Stewart, “had never seen a […]
By George! How to Visit Scotland
George IV became king when he was already older, and set in his ways. The difference from his Regency? Not much. . . If His Majesties problems with his Cabinet were annoying, at least they were predictable. There was something equally predictable regarding His Majesty, although he would never admit it. He easily grew bored with his girlfriends. Yes, Lady Conyngham was on her way out and she was most distraught over the situation. This made little difference to the […]
