1740 and All That

This one has two different subtitles. The British edition says „Britain‘s most misunderstood King“, while the American edition is subtitled „The last King of America“. Either way, our author is a fan making his case, starting off on an indignant note by describing the version of George III that appears in Hamilton. I mean, I get it, the King George of Hamilton is a type, not a portrait (much like the version of Joseph II in Amadeus - both are supposed to be types of monarchs, with little or no communality to the specific monarchs they’re named after, and since they are minor characters, they don‘t need to be much more), but I also thought all this earnest indignation over a musical is somewhat overdone. This said, he‘s also serious about a more serious matter, refuting 20 of the 22 personal accusations against George III listed in the Declaration of Independence. As opposed to, say, Robert Caro in his LBJ biographies, he definitely doesn‘t believe in three dimensional opponents of his main character, and when he‘s not fuming over the hypocrisy of Thomas Jefferson, he‘s eviscarating Thomas Paine, gunning at Charles Fox and being utterly scornful over the „Whig Oligarchy“. Mind you, given that the Whig Party was in power for most of the century ever since Queen Anne‘s death, it‘s not that I think he‘s wrong about a couple of aristocratic Whig families having come to regard the running of the country as their personal right and fiefdom, and that a change of party in government was direly needed. (It‘s not good for ANY party to be that long in power.) But he‘s so incredibly defensive and angry at anyone critisizing his hero that much of his cast doesn‘t come across as human beings, and that is to the detriment of the book.

( On the positive side: young George's education and relationship with his parents )

( George and Charlotte: A Love Story )

( Taxation No Tyranny )

( The Madness of King George )

Lastly: there is no question our author is of the Tory persuasion, not just in the case of G3‘s various cabinets. The French Revolution was a menace from the get go, not just during the Terreur. France in general is always presented as scheming and manipulating. Fox with his unpatriotic wishes that first the American Rebels should win and then later with his sympathies for fraternité, liberté, egalité is a dirty traitor. The problem with long term British historiography is that Whigs wrote history while Tories made history. And so forth. It makes one go right away to Byron's Vision of Judgement in satiric protest.