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William IV (Penguin Monarchs): A King at Sea

Hardback

Main Details

Title William IV (Penguin Monarchs): A King at Sea
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Roger Knight
SeriesPenguin Monarchs
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:112
Dimensions(mm): Height 186,Width 127
Category/GenreBritish and Irish History
ISBN/Barcode 9780141977201
ClassificationsDewey:941.075092
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint Allen Lane
Publication Date 27 August 2015
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

William IV, the 'Sailor King', reigned for just seven years. Rash and impetuous as a young man, he was sent to join the navy by his father, George III, to bring him to order, but he was overpromoted at an early age and saw his years of active service marked by a series of calamities. William IV, the 'Sailor King', reigned for just seven years. Rash and impetuous as a young man, he was sent to join the navy by his father, George III, to bring him to order, but he was overpromoted at an early age and saw his years of active service marked by a series of calamities. He was also notorious for his mounting debts and his long relationship with the actress Mrs Jordan, with whom he had ten children. Yet, as Roger Knight, one of Britain's foremost naval historians, shows in this concise and perceptive biography, William's bluff, unpolished sailor's manner made him popular with the people. Inheriting the throne amid strikes, riots and the push for parliamentary reform, he helped see the country through the great constitutional crisis of the era. Despite his many flaws, he was perhaps a better king than sailor, leaving the monarchy in a healthier state than when he found it, and enabling the smooth succession of his niece, Victoria.

Author Biography

Roger Knight was Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum until 2000, and now teaches at the Greenwich Maritime Institute at the University of Greenwich. His previous books for Allen Lane/Penguin are The Pursuit of Victory- The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson, which won the Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military History, the Mountbatten Award and the Anderson Medal of the Society for Nautical Research, and Britain Against Napoleon- The Organization of Victory, 1793-1815.