A historian explores the scandalous dysfunctional Georgians
Dr Amy Boyington (@history_with_amy) shares the most scandalous details from the Georgian period, including the Kings who lived the most salacious lifestyles.
Image: Dr Amy Boyington brings history to life for her 1.8 million social media followers
Dr Amy Boyington is a historian, author and broadcaster with over 1.8 million followers on social media. Through her publications, broadcasting work and social media platforms (@history_with_amy) she is committed to bringing history to life in an engaging and exciting way.
Her debut book Hidden Patrons: Woman & Architecture in Georgian Britain (Bloomsbury, 2023) has received rave reviews. She is now working on her second book Decadence & Display (Yale University Press) which explores the exciting world of the Georgian country house dining room!
In this guest article, she explores the sordid Georgian period ahead of the premiere of Mayhem! The Scandalous Lives of the Georgian Kings in which she appears as an expert contributor. Mayhem! starts Monday, 3rd February at 9pm on Sky HISTORY.
The Georgian era (1714-1830) is one of Britain’s most colourful and scandal-filled periods, dominated by four successive King Georges whose personal lives were as raucous, salacious and bonkers as any modern-day soap opera. Georgian monarchs excelled at combining family dysfunction with sexual scandal, so much so that the Hanoverian dynasty could give the Tudors a run for their money any day!
The German Hanoverians arrived in Britain through a rather convoluted succession crisis. When Queen Anne, the last of the Stuarts, died in 1714 with no surviving children (despite 17 pregnancies!), Parliament had to look further afield to find a Protestant heir. They bypassed over 50 Catholics with stronger claims to settle on George, Elector of Hanover – Queen Anne’s second cousin and, crucially, a Protestant.
At the age of 54, George I arrived in Britain barely speaking a word of English, preferring his native tongue. George was a gruff, shy, boorish man, who indulged in the company of his long-time mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg (nicknamed ‘The Maypole’ for her tall, thin frame). His former wife, Sophia Dorothea, the mother of his two children, was conspicuously absent. In 1694, George had sensationally divorced his hated wife for her alleged infidelity and had her imprisoned in a German backwater for the rest of her life (32 years in total!). Sophia Dorothea’s lover, a handsome Swedish Count, mysteriously disappeared, presumed murdered by George’s henchmen.
This drama set the tone for George’s relationship with his son, the future George II, who remained loyal to his ill-treated mother. They loathed each other with impressive intensity. This personal animosity exploded at a court christening where the Prince of Wales allegedly shook his fist in his father’s face, leading to his banishment from court. The Prince and his wife, Caroline of Ansbach, established a rival court, creating a social split in London society between the King’s supporters and his son’s.
George II succeeded to the throne in 1727 and while genuinely devoted to his wife Caroline (who famously tolerated his mistresses), he developed an explosive hatred for his eldest son Frederick. Frederick had been left behind in Hanover as a child and didn’t see his parents for 14 years. When he finally arrived in Britain, he seemed determined to be as troublesome as possible. He deliberately did everything his father hated, including staging popular public entertainments and cultivating opposition politicians. The animosity reached such levels that when Frederick’s teenage wife, Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, went into labour at Hampton Court Palace, he bundled her into a carriage in the middle of the night and drove her to St. James’s Palace, just to prevent his parents from being present at the birth. George II retaliated by banishing his son from his Court, so Frederick established a rival Court at his residence in Leicester House.
Relations between the generations never repaired and when Frederick died unexpectedly at the age of 44, his father declared, ‘I lost my eldest son, but am glad of it’. Frederick’s eldest son, George, became the heir apparent and was created Prince of Wales three weeks later. When his grandfather died in 1760, he succeeded to the throne as George III, aged just 22. The following year he married the 17-year-old Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, with whom he went on to have a long and loving marriage – producing 15 children in total! Despite George III’s achievements he is perhaps best known for his mental-health issues, often being dubbed ‘The Mad King’. He suffered from both physical and psychological symptoms, including fever, vomiting, stomach aches, swelling of the legs and feet, as well as periods of mania during which he talked uncontrollably for hours. Poor King George was subjected to barbaric forms of treatment, including the use of straightjackets, forced ice baths, and isolation from his family.
Throughout his reign however, although he had an affectionate relationship with his wife and daughters, he had a tempestuous relationship with his eldest son, the future George IV. Raised in a strict environment, with strong moral codes, George, Prince of Wales, rebelled at every opportunity. In fact, he was perhaps the most scandalous George of them all. Enormously fat, extravagant, and debauched, he secretly and illegally married his mistress, the Catholic widow, Maria Fitzherbert, while racking up astronomical debts. Parliament eventually agreed to pay these debts if he would properly marry his first cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick. Their marriage was a disaster from the start – upon meeting her, he immediately demanded a brandy, and she declared he was nothing like his portrait and much too fat. At their wedding, he was drunk and had to be held up throughout the ceremony!
The Georgian kings were dysfunctional, wild and outrageous, but this era wasn’t just about royal scandal. It was a time of remarkable change and innovation. Advancements in science and technology sparked the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. The Arts flourished under the Georgians, with music, art and architecture reaching new levels of refinement and beauty. The age became synonymous with Neo-Classical architecture, with country houses, civic buildings and uniform terraces and squares popping up throughout Britain. Fashions became more and more elaborate, with both men and women wearing gorgeous fabrics, polished heels, towering wigs and make-up. It was an age when society became increasingly refined yet remained delightfully bawdy!
The Georgian era ended with William IV’s (George III’s younger son) accession in 1830, but its influence persists in British architecture, literature, and social customs. The period represents a fascinating transition between the medieval and modern worlds, marked by both elegant refinement and shocking excess. The Georgian monarchs, despite (or perhaps because of) their foibles, scandals, and messy family relationships, presided over an era that shaped much of what we consider quintessentially British today.
To find out more about the fascinating architecture of the Georgian period check out Dr Amy Boyington’s book: Hidden Patrons.
Mayhem! The Scandalous Lives of the Georgian Kings starts Monday, 3rd February at 9pm on Sky HISTORY.
