In The Last King of America, Roberts paints a deft and nuanced portrait of the much-maligned monarch and outlines his accomplishments, which have been almost universally forgotten. After combing through hundreds of thousands of pages of never-before-published correspondence, award-winning historian Andrew Roberts has uncovered the truth: George III was in fact a wise, humane, and even enlightened monarch who was beset by talented enemies, debilitating mental illness, incompetent ministers, and disastrous luck. But this deeply unflattering characterization is rooted in the prejudiced and brilliantly persuasive opinions of eighteenth-century revolutionaries like Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson, who needed to make the king appear evil in order to achieve their own political aims. The best-known modern interpretation of him is Jonathan Groff's preening, spitting, and pompous take in Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway masterpiece.

Most Americans dismiss George III as a buffoon-a heartless and terrible monarch with few, if any, redeeming qualities. The truth is much more nuanced and fascinating-and will completely change the way readers and historians view his reign and legacy. The last king of America, George III, has been ridiculed as a complete disaster who frittered away the colonies and went mad in his old age. St Joseph's University (Brooklyn Voices Series)įrom the New York Times bestselling author of Churchill and Napoleon.

The last king of america andrew roberts