George IV (1762-1830), king of Great Britain and Ireland (1820-30), and king of Hannover (1820-30).

George was born in London on August 12, 1762, the eldest son of King George III. As Prince of Wales, he became notorious for his profligacy and extravagance. Despite his father's strongly anti-Catholic views, he secretly married a Roman Catholic, Mrs. Maria Anne Fitzherbert, in 1785; less than two years later, to obtain money for his debts, he allowed Parliament to declare the marriage illegal, which in fact it was by the terms of acts governing royal marriages and succession. In 1795, again to liquidate his debts, he married his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, but they became estranged after the birth of their daughter, Princess Charlotte, in 1796. His misconduct alienated the British people; when he tried to divorce Caroline, charging her with adultery, she was so enthusiastically supported by the London crowds that her trial had to be abandoned. His cleverness and gracious manners, however, gave him the name of “first gentleman of Europe.” George became prince regent in 1811, when his father became mentally unable to discharge his duties, and succeeded to the throne in 1820. The outstanding event of his reign was the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act, which the king opposed. George IV died at Windsor Palace on June 26, 1830, and was succeeded by his brother William IV.