How many rules did George 4. George IV: biography

The winter of 1795 was frosty. On a foggy February day, James Harris, Lord Malmesbury, envoy of His Majesty, the most gracious King of England George III at the Brunswick court and one of the most brilliant diplomats of his time, was leaving London. The ship moved slowly down the Thames. Lord Malmesbury quite sincerely thought that his real mission, to be honest, was a lost cause. Is it fair to reward him for the endless series of considerable services he has rendered to the English crown by sending him to enter into a marriage, because of which he will have to quarrel with the whole world, excluding, of course, the king himself... But the king, alas, is mad!

For several years now, things have been going very badly in England. From the time in 1788, King George III, until then a very brave, wise, thrifty, serious and moral man, began to show the first signs of mental illness. He suffered from hallucinations, demanded to be dressed only in white, spent the whole day at the harpsichord, playing Handel until his fingers went numb. Naturally, the august patient was carefully and very energetically treated for black melancholy using all the means available to the most enlightened doctors at that time. The means were simple and harsh even for monarchs; he was locked up, tied hand and foot, beaten and deprived of food. All these measures pleased only one person: the most tender son of this unfortunate father, George, Prince of Wales, who saw in everything that was happening signs of his father’s imminent death, and therefore his ascension to the throne.

This prince was a strange man! To put it more precisely, he was a vile man... Burdened with huge debts, a fat and cynical libertine, a gambler and a rowdy, loving only himself and the crown, which he passionately dreamed of. They say he had no heart at all. In order to amuse his drinking companions, he, like a monkey, imitated the gestures of his unfortunate father, characteristic of him during periods of madness.

Even his love was selfish. The passion that he felt ten years earlier for one of the most beautiful women in London - Maria Fitz-Herbert - did not bring happiness to the poor woman. Using blackmail, playing on the most sensitive strings of her heart, he convinced her to secretly enter into a morganatic marriage with him. Hiding his marriage from everyone, he was jealous and intolerant of Maria. The mystery was explained very simply: Mary was a Catholic. The prince knew very well that he would not be forgiven for marrying a “papist.” This dual situation little by little undermined the strength of the unfortunate woman.

Against all odds, King George III managed to emerge from the dark period of his life, at least enough to fully appreciate the indecent life that his son led and the astronomical debts that he shamelessly accumulated over the years. He became indignant. The only thing that escaped the father’s attention was the secret marriage of his dissolute son. And then one fine day, George III offered his "Georgie" a deal: either he would marry a princess worthy of his rank, and then his debts would be paid, or he would be handed over to his creditors, people powerful enough and ready to escort the Prince of Wales to debtor's prison in Fleet Street and left him there to rot on the damp straw. Parliament added its urgent requests to the demands of the king: he would settle the matter with all debt obligations of “Georgie” if the notorious “Georgie” would put an end to his debauchery and get married. And since it was parliament that determined when it was possible and when it was not possible to get into the royal treasury, it was clearly not worth quarreling with it. And “Georgie” capitulated.

His relative, Caroline of Brunswick, was offered to him as a candidate. He immediately agreed, without even wanting to look at her portrait. This marriage was just an unpleasant obligation among others of the same kind. She, like any unpleasant matter, had to be done with as quickly as possible in order to return with relief and joy to her constant companions in the world of pleasure: Lord Moire, Orlando Bridgeman, and most importantly - to her heartfelt friend, the incomparable Brummel, the recognized trendsetter of London fashion.

That is why, on the way to the North Sea, the envoy of Malmesbury did not experience any joy: the success of the matchmaking, which he had to do, was not desirable for anyone except the unfortunate king and parliament. Whatever the princess turns out to be, it is unlikely that the prince, who is so disinclined to marry, will like her. On the other hand, one could bet that a decent girl would hardly be satisfied with such a groom.

However, the princess, whom Malmesbury met in Brunswick, an ancient town, the capital of the duchy, located between the plains of Luneburg and the Harz mountains, unexpectedly turned out to be accommodating. Brought up in the harsh rules of the small German court, Caroline, who had just turned twenty-seven years old, was overcome by severe melancholy. Her parents did not get along very well with each other, and intrigue flourished around this unfriendly family. Caroline suffered and wasted away in the suffocating atmosphere. She was not very beautiful, but smart, a little strange and wayward girl. Her parents did not overdo it with her education and upbringing. Maybe that’s why she was very loved by the common people, the princess’s communication with whom was sometimes too familiar, which was not very popular with those around her.

This strange cross between a tomboy and an age-old woman made Lord Malmesbury despondent. The mission entrusted to him by the king began to oppress him even more. The girl turned out to be the complete opposite of what would suit “Georgie.” What was required here was a cold, indifferent woman, whose behavior resembled a nun, and whose appearance resembled a statue. In essence, she was needed only to wear the crown. And everything turned out completely wrong. Caroline did not possess any of the above-mentioned virtues, and even innocently rejoiced at the very idea of ​​​​turning into the Princess of Wales.

“After life here,” she once said to the envoy, who was gently trying to hint to her that fate was unlikely to smile on her in St. James, “ah, after such a life, even hell will seem like paradise to me!”

– But Your Highness will need to constantly be very restrained and circumspect. It will be impossible to express your own opinion about anything, at least for at least six months after the wedding. You will have to constantly listen to yourself so that, God forbid, some inappropriate word does not come out!

- So how? Mr. Malmesbury, I don’t quite understand you? Say nothing, pronounce every word with caution? Am I being offered to become the Princess of Wales or a secret agent?

- Let's say that Your Highness will have to be the most reserved of all the princesses. Your Highness will understand what I mean when he meets his future husband.

But how, in fact, can one explain to an unhappy girl that the person destined for her has made a firm and unconditional decision: not to do anything, even by accident, to please her? Malmesbury made every possible and impossible effort to try to best prepare Caroline for what awaited her. He painted as faithful a portrait of George as diplomacy allowed... But he did not dare to admit to the future Princess of Wales what he had learned from the last mail that arrived from England: one of Caroline’s court ladies would be the skillful intriguer Lady Jersey, the prince’s current mistress.

This woman managed to quickly take the place of Maria Fitz-Herbert in “Georgie’s” heart. She really wanted to achieve enough influence over the royal son so that, when the time came, she would be the sole mistress of both the prince himself and... all of England. To ensure that it was this way and not otherwise, she began to push her lover to a decent marriage and achieved her goal. "Georgie" agreed to marry Caroline of Brunswick. Maria received an unequivocal letter from him. The treacherous lover did not want to see her anymore. Maria FitzHerbert left for the continent.

Well, that matter was settled. Lady Jersey became even more determined to take full control of the life of the new family and relegate the prince's legal wife to the background. However, maybe she won’t want to get involved in government affairs. This had to be found out. Now it is clear why Lord Malmesbury was so upset when carrying out his more than delicate mission.

Everything happened even worse than he could have imagined.

First of all, Lady Jersey, who arrived in Dover before the princess, took a number of measures, and it turned out that Caroline's cortege, expected at the royal palace, arrived very late. The bride almost stayed overnight next to the locked doors. The prince’s very elegant and sophisticated mistress realized that there was nothing more gratifying for her than Caroline’s modest and slightly archaic appearance. The clever intriguer took particular pleasure in offering the prince’s bewildered bride an outfit that suited her as little as possible. When the unfortunate woman crossed the threshold of the hall in St. James's Palace, where the entire English court was waiting for her, she was faced with malicious smiles and poisonous remarks.

“Georgie” seemed to be quite nice. He greeted his bride, helped her rise from her deep curtsey, and kissed her. Lord Malmesbury, who accompanied the princess, finally allowed himself to relax: everything, contrary to his expectations, did not go so badly...

But the next minute he almost choked with horror: “Georgie” first subjected his bride to a humiliating examination, then, suddenly turning away from her, turned to the messenger:

-Give me some cognac, Malmesbury! I am thirsty!

– But... Your Highness... Maybe I should give Your Highness a glass of water?

-Are you crazy? I need cognac!

He drank a fair amount of strong drink in one gulp, then, without even looking in the direction of the bride, he left, throwing over his shoulder:

- Good night, gentlemen! I'm going to the queen!

- God! – exclaimed the stunned Caroline. – Tell me, is he always so... unpleasant?

– N-no, Your Highness, of course not! - Malmesbury hurried. “The prince is now terribly concerned... about the ill health of the queen, his mother... There is no need to be angry with him for this!”

- In any case, he seems too fat to me! – the girl declared decisively. – He doesn’t look at all like all the portraits that were sent to me! He's absolutely terrible!

Upset almost to the point of tears, the overly sensitive Malmesbury, not without nostalgia, recalled the embassy dear to his heart in St. Petersburg. It would be nice to return there before the wedding... Russians, of course, have hardly been touched by civilization, but they are just angels compared to the English royal family...

The wedding, which took place three days later in St James's Chapel, was even more scandalous. Caroline, in a magnificent wedding dress, hung with diamonds, appeared in all her splendor, showing how serious and important this solemn moment was for her. “Georgie” appeared before the altar with a frozen, drugged look, and his gait left much to be desired, for he was clearly unsteady.

Driving away from his personal residence in Carlton House, he told his friend, Lord Muara, who accompanied him in the carriage:

– I can’t help it, Muara! I will never love any woman as much as I love this FitzHerbert! And now I've lost her!

– Don’t be so upset, Your Highness! Maria FitzHerbert returned to England. She is hiding in her Brighton house, but... you can see her whenever you want...

- You think?

– Yes, I am absolutely sure of this!

"Georgie" doused the good news with a substantial amount of whiskey. Just in case, there was always a bottle in one of the travel bags in the carriage. Therefore, at the time of the religious ceremony, his face acquired that absent-minded expression, which each of those gathered noted to themselves with great surprise. Poor Caroline watched with tears in her eyes as this tipsy fat man next to her first knelt down and then stood up, like a statue that hadn’t fully come to life. With difficulty, and only after he had been thoroughly shaken, he uttered the words traditional for the ritual. In her gaze, horror was mixed with deep sadness.

The wedding night proved that life for this family would be hell. Not only did “Georgie” show up to the newlywed drunk, but the newlywed herself felt like she had one foot in the next world. A helpful court lady, Lady Jersey, gave her some kind of potion, supposedly to give her courage, but in fact it took away her last strength. By morning, the Prince of Wales continued to feel the same disgust towards his young wife, and she still felt the same horror towards him. And from now on, the princess’s life turned into a true nightmare.

“Georgie” did not change his habits. He continued to gather friends for dinners that were even more orgy-like than usual, and forced his wife to attend these gatherings. She had to watch with feigned indifference how her husband drank from the same glass with Lady Jersey, what liberties her husband allowed himself with this court lady, how willingly he gave his mistress jewelry that belonged to his wife. Lady Jersey did not hesitate to open letters that came to the princess or written by the princess, especially those that she addressed to her relatives, and take them to her lover, who openly mocked them in the company of drinking companions.

Soon the princess forgot about the wise advice of the experienced Lord Malmesbury to keep quiet. There are still limits to patience! And Caroline had a rather evil tongue, and she did not fail to take advantage of it, finding with rare dexterity and enviable consistency the expressions that most infuriated her husband. She also began to treat Lady Jersey exactly as the arrogant upstart deserved. Caroline took particular pleasure in scolding Maria FitzHerbert about her husband's mistresses and laughing at them with her. Meanwhile, she called Maria herself nothing more than “a fat, fair-haired aunt over forty”... Family life was worse than ever!

No matter how incredible the intimate relationship between the spouses may seem, the Princess of Wales turned out to be pregnant. She had high hopes for the birth of the child, thinking that his presence might force his father to move on to a more moderate, or even quite respectable, life. Unfortunately, "Georgie" had a completely different opinion on this matter. And when on January 7, 1796, Caroline gave birth to a girl named Charlotte, the loving husband decided that all his responsibilities towards his wife were fulfilled. Prince George slowly recovered from a serious illness, which was due equally to his own intemperance and turbulent heredity. He was very afraid that he would not survive the next attack - so much so that he even drew up a will in which he officially recognized his marriage to Maria Fitz-Herbert.

“I leave all my property to my dear Mary FitzHerbert, my beloved wife. Even though the laws of my country do not allow her to officially bear my name, she has become my wife before God and will always be in my own eyes the only legal wife.

I also ask that you bury me as modestly as possible. I wish that the portrait of my beloved wife Maria FitzHerbert rests on my chest even after my death. I have carried it - close to my heart - throughout my life. I also ask my beloved Mary that my coffin may subsequently be laid to rest next to hers.

Approaching the end of this mortal existence, I see no other duty for myself than to send my last “forgiveness” to the one who, throughout the long time our union lasted, was my only joy. Therefore, I say this last “forgiveness” to my Mary, my wife, my soul, my whole life...”

This heartbreaking farewell letter was rewritten in triplicate. George kept the original, sent one copy to the king in a sealed envelope with the inscription “open after my death,” and gave the other to Lord Muara. Then, having calmed down that everything had been settled with his death, and firmly deciding to stay on this sinful earth for some time, he wrote to Caroline. He announced to his wife that in the future he intended to view their union as nothing other than “a calm and pleasant acquaintance in which... everyone remains in their own interests.” All this meant a complete break in all relationships.

The princess answered her husband with great dignity that she had conveyed his letter to the king - “as her sovereign and her father.” “Georgie” ordered Caroline to leave Carlton House and move to the estate in Blackheath, given to her by the sovereign.

She was also ordered to leave her daughter with her father. This caused great grief for the mother, who adored the girl. Caroline generally loved children extremely much, perhaps even too much. This tendency later turned against her. But we can say with complete confidence that separation from Charlotte caused serious trauma to the poor woman. She retained the right to see her daughter only at certain moments.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales pursued Mary FitzHerbert with pleas to start living together again. He repeated so persistently that he could not do without her that in the end Mary turned to Rome with a request to clarify to her whether her marriage was considered legal? It seemed to her very doubtful that she could settle down with a man who was married to another woman and, moreover, had a child with that other woman. She chose one of her friends, a priest, as her messenger. He went to see dad and, upon returning, completely reassured Maria: their marriage with “Georgie” was recognized as legal. She can rightfully consider herself his wife. Georg was even going to publish the marriage certificate he once issued. Eventually Maria relented.

But if “Georgie” was lucky in finding family happiness with his first wife, then the same cannot be said about his affairs in general. The king was highly disapproving of his break with Caroline, and the population of England took the news even worse. The Princess of Wales was greeted everywhere by crowds of people with honors and thunderous applause. Prince George and Maria could not take a step without running into another insult, hissing and whistling, crossing all boundaries of decency.

Naturally (at least for such a character as the prince was distinguished), “Georgie’s” anger on this occasion fell first on Caroline. He not only forbade her to see her daughter, but also gave the order that the girl be raised in hatred and contempt for her mother. But here he was defeated. Growing up, Charlotte hated her father more and more, who not only deprived her of her mother, but also dared to live openly with another woman.

The people, who performed the role of the Greek chorus in all the royal tragedies, were very supportive of the girl’s tender feelings for her mother. When Charlotte and her governess got out of the carriage, passers-by shouted to her:

– Love your mother well, baby!

And, on the contrary, if a prince appeared from the carriage, the same passers-by shouted after him:

- Georg! Where is your wife?

One can imagine what the attitude of the Prince of Wales was towards the woman because of whom he acquired such unpopularity. Maria Fitz-Herbert shared his fate with him. In addition to the fact that she dared to live with George, the people blamed her for the fact that she was a Catholic. And at a time when all of England was thinking about how to better prepare for the fight against the most formidable of its enemies - Emperor Napoleon, “Georgie” dreamed of only two things: how to quickly get rid of his elderly father, who had renewed nervous attacks , and how to send your wife to hell...

And unfortunate Caroline, whose daughter was practically taken away, spread her unspent maternal love to other children. In the end, she adopted a boy from a simple family, and evil tongues in St. James did not fail to speak at all crossroads that in fact this was none other than the illegitimate son of the princess.

Caroline was constantly being spied on, and it was unbearable. Always distinguished by her original character, Caroline now went somewhat overboard, falling into eccentricity. Her toilets became simply stunning. Georg was constantly on guard, trying to use his wife's new habits as a weapon against herself. He paid the princess's servants to supply him with the latest gossip. Caroline's indifference to social conventions, her talkativeness, her favorite pastimes, her excessive love for children - all this was reported to Georg. All this was accumulated and distorted. In the end, having lost all shame, the Prince of Wales gave the order to start spying on the princess’s personal life. A special commission was created, the representatives of which, not without bashfulness, announced that the matter entrusted to them was “a matter of a delicate nature.”

Caroline, of course, fiercely defended herself, and, as many people think, the investigation turned out exclusively in her favor. But the royal family found itself in an even more humiliating position after him. Prince George's popularity among the people was rapidly declining.

Meanwhile, George III's mental illness intensified sharply. The old king in flowing white robes, looking more than ever like King Lear, tirelessly wandered the deserted halls of St. James's Palace or played the harpsichord until he was completely exhausted.

In 1810, taking advantage of the current situation, George assumed the title of regent to the king of England. Carolina was losing its main defender. From now on there was no one to resist George's hatred of his wife.

It seemed that the Prince of Wales was completely taken over by delusions of grandeur. He was intoxicated by the new title of regent. His selfishness grew almost into madness. A person who gained power became a spawn of the devil. And the very first victim, contrary to all expectations, was the woman of his life - Maria Fitz-Herbert. The one he swore to adore more than the Lord in heaven himself. Maria, naturally, was getting old. She was approaching sixty, her blond hair had turned silver, but she retained her grace, her comeliness and her charm. Probably too restrained and too familiar for a man who for some time now, as if off the chain, rushed from one adventure to another, without a break, changing a noble lady for an actress, a public wench for a duchess...

Dear “Georgie” came up with a great idea: if he finally breaks up with his “papist” wife, this may perhaps increase his popularity. Driven by exorbitant ambition, completely blinded by the splendor of the new title, he sincerely believed that only Mary’s belonging to the hated religion closed the hearts of his people to him.

And so on the evening of January 11, 1811, when, to celebrate his appointment as regent, he held a grand ball and dinner at St. James's Palace, a scandal broke out. The prince carefully hid the exact date of this event from Mary. And when the poor woman nevertheless appeared at the table and innocently asked where she should sit, where her place was, the regent answered dryly:

“You understand perfectly well, madam, that there is no place for you here!”

Maria turned pale, but controlled herself. This means that everything has come to an end... However, she had been expecting this for a long time... Curtsying deeply, she was content to answer:

- Oh yes, my lord! I am entitled only to what you wish to assign for me. In that case, let me leave, because this is exactly what you want!

She went out and left Carlton House that same evening, never to return there. The next day she crossed over to the continent with a girl named Minnie Seymour, whom she, following Caroline's example, adopted. Never again in his life did “Georgie” see his “adored wife.”

While all these events were taking place, Princess Caroline, well aware that the madness of the old king placed her in a very dangerous position, lived as a recluse at her home in Blackheath. She tried to be completely forgotten. But alas! Whether she was present at court or absent there, "Georgie" was true to his hatred of her. It became an obsession. He forgot that Napoleon reigned on the other side of the Pas-de-Calais and that his omnipotence posed an ever-increasing danger to England. But what is Napoleon compared to a hated woman?

This explains the exclamation that escaped George one day during the report of Minister Wellington.

- To hell with your plans! The only thing I would like is to finally get rid of the damned Princess of Wales!

Naturally, the minister considered himself to have nothing to do with such a matter. Wellington never forgave his sovereign, whom, however, he despised quite strongly even without it. There was another person at court with whom the regent was at odds: his own daughter Charlotte. For many years, Georg tried to make her hate Caroline, but was not at all successful in this vile matter.

The young princess (then fifteen years old) not only adored her mother, but also did everything in her power to break through her father’s authority. That is why she flatly refused to marry the Prince of Orange, whom George chose as her groom.

“I will never marry this prince!” – the girl said decisively. – And I ask you not to insist on this!

- Don't you like the prince?

- Of course not. In order to disgust me, he only had to like you. And besides, if I became his wife, I would have to leave for the Netherlands. This doesn't suit me at all either.

- Why, please tell me?

The young princess looked straight into her father's eyes with her beautiful black eyes and answered coldly:

– You know perfectly well why! I don't want to be completely torn away from my mother. Deep down in your soul, this is exactly what you want: to separate me from the woman who gave birth to me and whom I love very much!

- But we’ll see about this! I can make you obey, Charlotte!

In the hope of subjugating his daughter, Georg put her under house arrest for eighteen months, which, of course, did not bring him the desired results. Charlotte was passionately in love with her cousin Leopold, the youngest son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who at that time was fighting Napoleon in the ranks of the English army. The girl constantly corresponded with her lover, and their letters were extremely tender. Charlotte didn’t even tell her mother about this, fearing that she would inadvertently make her precious secret public.

The fall of Napoleon in 1814 strengthened England's position and finally opened to it the ports of Europe, which had remained forbidden fruit for so long. Caroline, tired of living within four walls, limiting herself to walks in the garden of her estate, felt a passionate desire to travel and asked permission to leave the island. Permission, as one would expect, was happily given very soon.

In August 1814, she left London with a dozen courtiers in her retinue and with young Willie Austin, whom she had once adopted. First of all, to Germany, to Braunschweig! After all, Caroline hasn’t seen her native land for so long!

She was joyfully greeted by her father, Duke Wilhelm Frederick, who had recently been restored to the throne after the turmoil associated with the Napoleonic wars. Magnificent festivities then thundered in the domains that belonged to Henry the Lion, and throughout Europe: the terrible Corsican was banished to the island of Elba, and finally all those over whom he had ruled for so long breathed freely. Caroline enjoyed taking part in all the holidays, which reminded her of the happy times of her youth. But the joy of spiritual liberation that Caroline experienced was expressed in such forms and with such excessiveness that it caused the people around her to become confused. They even feared that she had gone crazy. But no, Caroline was not mad at all. Freedom, like too strong wine after a long period of abstinence, hit her head, and her head began to spin a little.

Duke Wilhelm Friedrich died a short time later, giving way to his eldest son on the throne. The Brunswick court was distinguished by rather stern views, and Caroline’s defiant toilets, always too lush and painted in flashy colors, at first only caused a smile among the courtiers, but very soon these smiles gave way to indignation, which could lead to a scandal. And she tirelessly invented all sorts of impromptu holidays, gave balls, organized concerts, confusing and confusing her compatriots and, no less, the English from her retinue. Often, late at night, the princess ordered to wake up her courtiers, immediately invite musicians and ordered everyone to dance until the morning. Whether they wanted it or not, the chamberlains and court ladies were forced to get out of bed and, half asleep, dance, feigning irrepressible merriment.

Sometimes Caroline suddenly got the idea to dress up her retinue. So, one day, having discovered that the men were wearing modest, gloomy, in her opinion, hats, she ordered for them absolutely incredible headdresses with huge multi-colored feathers. The unfortunates had to wear it, to their own despair... but to the great joy of the local residents.

Caroline started a trip to all the newly restored German courts. It was a kind of marathon, during which her retinue gradually dwindled: exhausted from riding on horseback, followed by balls, which in turn gave way to unexpected moves in different directions, the court princesses gradually evaporated, disappearing one after another. When only three or four people remained from her retinue, Caroline decided that she had had enough of Germany and it was time to go to Switzerland to visit the Empress Marie-Louise. The wife of the exiled Napoleon was there in the company of the one-eyed, but nevertheless very attractive hussar general Nipperg. It seemed that she lived happily and did not suffer at all from her straw widowhood. But when meeting with the Princess of Wales, who, according to rumors, was wandering around Europe with an ever-decreasing retinue, Marie Louise pretended to be a saint and did not like Caroline at all, who called her “hypocritical and terribly stupid”!

However, Geneva itself also turned out to be a city absolutely unsuitable for Carolina. This Protestant Mecca was too harsh and boring in her eyes. She went to Italy.

The Austrians were in charge in Milan at that time. General Pinault was assigned to receive the Princess of Wales. Tom did not want to take on the burden of caring for this eccentric woman. He simply forced her into a magnificent villa on the lake and provided as a courier a certain Pergami, a former officer in the Italian army, a handsome loafer who had no profession, but endowed with extraordinary charm and a pair of amazing black eyes.

Pergami belonged to a huge community of worthless, morally degenerate people. The princess was instantly attracted to him and immediately brought his entire family into her circle. It turned out to be some kind of courtyard, as strange as it was unexpected. Pergami's sister, a certain Countess Oldi, became her lady-in-waiting. With her was a girl, Pergami's daughter. The child was only six years old, the child turned out to be absolutely charming, and Caroline, true to her enthusiastic love for children, immediately became passionately attached to her new “daughter.”

The retinue included the Pergami brothers and his mother, whom Caroline accepted with her usual gullibility and innocence. The princess imagined that if she showed kindness and generosity to people, they would certainly respond with sincere affection... However, it was among them that George, regent to the Queen of England, whose hostility constantly haunted Caroline, sought and found spies for himself.

This whole ridiculous carnival court of mummers of the Princess of Wales went with her to Naples. Caroline liked it here. The storms that shook all of Europe did not at all affect the cheerfulness of the Neapolitans. Various festivities continued to be the greatest and best part of their pastime. The family of Murat, who withstood squalls and storms at the cost of refusing any relations with the disgraced Napoleon, joyfully hosted the strange Princess of Wales, who, as she herself admitted, always dreamed of living “no worse than the Queen of Sheba.”

The royal couple, a little in need of money, borrowed a decent amount from the “Queen of Sheba”, and in gratitude gave her a carriage, which was distinguished - even for Naples - by very dubious taste. It was something like a giant gilded shell, decorated with mother-of-pearl and equipped with blue silk seat cushions embroidered with silver.

Caroline was absolutely delighted. She could often be seen in this carriage on the streets of Naples. Dressed up even more magnificently and loudly than usual and low-cut to the last limits of decency, she felt irresistible. Opposite her in the “shell” sat a boy dressed as cupid: in flesh-colored tights, dotted with sparkles sparkling in the sun. On either side of the incredible carriage, which looked more like a carnival chariot than a carriage befitting a Princess of Wales, pranced two traveling footmen in the liveries of the English court. The poor woman made up for the lack of joy in her former life with this clownish splendor.

But his stay in Naples was short-lived. Napoleon interfered again! The emperor, having left the island of Elba, reigned again on the throne. The Murats had to hint to the Princess of Wales that it would be better for her to leave the city, where it was becoming dangerous. However, this suited her quite well. She was already beginning to get tired of the fits of laughter that invariably attacked those around her when she appeared. Caroline happily left Naples for her delightful villa near Milan.

But what to do next? Go to England? Settle here forever? In fact, she was already imbued with tenderness for this fairy-tale country, the nature of which always concealed a magical charm, and Pergami felt best here. But she really wanted to see her daughter...

Meanwhile, dissatisfaction with the regent was growing in England. He was openly reproached for illegally depriving his daughter of her freedom. To silence everyone, George finally agreed for Charlotte to marry Leopold of Saxe-Coburg.

The Princess of Wales, in her balmy and colorful exile, learned almost simultaneously of Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo and of her daughter's engagement. She was very happy, especially since thanks to this engagement she received new proof of daughterly love. Charlotte, agreeing to marry a man whom she had loved for a long time with all her heart, nevertheless set a condition for him: that Leopold promise her to always “protect and love” her mother. And Leopold, of course, promised.

– I have the best daughter you can imagine in this world! - Caroline said to her “court lady” with a sigh. - How much I would give to even just go and kiss her!

- How? Is Your Highness going to England? - Countess Aldi asked excitedly, very worried that her good genius might slip away from her family.

“No,” the princess sighed even more heavily. “I would give my life to be next to her on her wedding day, but the regent still won’t allow me.” There will be a huge scandal again... Only this time she, my Charlotte, will suffer from it... Now she is happy and no longer needs me!

Having calmed down for her daughter’s future, Caroline, seized by a new attack of her mania for a wandering life, now decided to take a long trip to the East. Still surrounded by her “army”, whose leader had just been awarded the rank of chamberlain and - quite unexpectedly - the rank of knight of the Order of Malta, she boarded the English frigate Clorinda and headed towards Tunisia. From there she moved to Athens, then to Constantinople, where she absolutely stunned the English envoy Stratford Canning with her extravagance. She made so much noise there that the envoy quietly asked the Princess of Wales to continue her journey as soon as possible, without stopping for a long time on the Ottoman shores. The request, of course, was expressed with truly diplomatic delicacy. But the motley company had to leave.

This time the destination of the trip was the Holy Land. In Jerusalem, the princess, overcome with mystical fervor, decided to found a knightly order, the Order of Saint Caroline. For a Protestant, the intention is unheard of. But she completed the job by crowning Pergami with the title of Grand Master and appointing young Willie Austin “Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.”

Rumors about all the madness, about the mind-blowing extremes in the behavior of the princess, of course, reached England. This was an additional justification for the anger that was constantly dormant in “Georgie’s” heart. His wife, because she remained his wife, whether he wanted it or not, literally exposed him to ridicule. And he could not help but see premeditated revenge in her actions. And in fact, wherever Caroline found herself, she did not hesitate to act very riskily. In Basel, where she went a short time later to bolster her health, which had been undermined by her travels to the sultry East, one summer evening she was seen in an open carriage, with her head covered... with half a pumpkin! She claimed that this was the only headdress that could save her from the scorching sun... If only the regent had dared, he would have willingly sent hired killers in Caroline's footsteps in order to finally free himself completely from this woman who was boring him, who was turning his title and his name into objects of public ridicule.

But soon this tragic farce ended on its own. One fine day the princess's madness stopped. She not only calmed down and began to behave with the dignity befitting her position, but fell into prostration. The comedy was played out. Her scenario suggested that Caroline indeed acted with a certain intent: to discredit her husband, casting a shadow on her own reputation. Now the drama began. In November 1817, Caroline's daughter died during childbirth at Richmond Castle. The newborn girl also could not be saved. By then, Charlotte had been married for less than a year.

Her husband's grief cannot be described in words. Throughout his life, Leopold cherished the memory of the charming princess whom he loved so much. Even when, many years later, he became the king of Belgium and the husband of the meek Louise of Orleans, he yearned for his first wife. The mother's grief was no less. To those who tried to express their condolences to her, she replied:

“If my heart wasn’t already broken, it would be breaking now.”

It was a confession. A confession of the double life she led, a confession of swallowed insults and humiliations, a confession that for many years she hid the suffering she endured behind a carnival mask. And no more songs or joyful laughter were heard in the house of the woman, who had now become only a grieving mother.

She suffered so much that no one dared to tell her about the new insult inflicted on the unfortunate husband by her husband: Caroline’s name, her mother’s name, was crossed out from the official notice of the sudden death of Princess Charlotte!..

However, while all of England, together with Prince Leopold, mourned the young Princess Charlotte, the regent was preoccupied with completely different matters. The thought of how to get rid of his wife as quickly as possible did not leave him. Neither national grief nor political events could distract him from this obsession. In an effort to implement it, he instructed his ambassador in Milan to collect as much evidence as possible of his legal wife’s infidelity in order to begin the divorce procedure. George placed at the disposal of the diplomat, who had such a noble goal, the sum of thirty thousand pounds sterling!

Everything was organized in the best possible way: the embassy immediately began to look for informants among the princess’s inner circle. Naturally, the Pergami family should have been in the forefront of such voluntary informants. And so it happened. Streams of dirty kitchen gossip and vile slander flowed from Caroline's house. All information was carefully placed in a green bag. These were usually used for trials. When information favorable to Caroline came across and the evidence collected showed that the princess was not guilty of the “crimes” she was accused of, the report was put aside... as far as possible from the notorious green bag!

Two years after the death of Princess Charlotte, the old King George III, in 1820, gave his crazy and so absorbed in music soul to the Creator. From regent "Georgie" became King George IV of England.

- Now I'm the queen! - Caroline said to the English consul in Livorno, who brought her the news. - It's time for me to return to London...

“I don’t know,” muttered the consul, clearly confused by such an energetic statement. “I don’t know whether the return of... Your Majesty (he had difficulty pronouncing these simple words) is quite appropriate...”

– Are you saying that it is undesirable for my husband? But, my dear consul, this is not news to me! Damn it, I know perfectly well that my husband doesn’t want to see me! But this place now belongs to me by right!

“But... But the king has already ordered that Your Majesty’s name be deleted from the text of the prayers usually said during services held in honor of the royal family, madam,” the consul sighed, “I beg Your Majesty to think!” Only God knows what extremes the king might go to if he finds out...

- Enough about this, sir! – Caroline did not let him finish, looking down at the consul. - All your arguments are ridiculous. Even if they cut off my head later, I will return to London! I am the Queen of England!

But intention alone, even such a decisive one, was not enough. An entry permit was required. Naturally, George IV immediately gave the order not to issue permission to the Queen of England under any pretext. The consul tried to get around the obstacle by issuing the notorious document in the name of “Queen Caroline”, and not “Caroline, Queen of England”.

Thus, everything was settled, and Caroline could begin packing for the trip. She was leaving, leaving the Pergami family in Italy. She passed through France on her way to Calais, but was overtaken in Dijon by an envoy from George IV. The news that his wife had left for London plunged the king into despondency, as always, richly seasoned with anger. He was ready for any agreement, as long as she did not come. The man who overtook the queen in Burgundy offered her a pension of £75,000 on behalf of the king in exchange for renouncing her rights to the throne. This proposal was accepted exactly as one would expect.

– What will the people of England say if their queen allows herself to be bought like a public whore? – the queen was indignant. - Tell your master that I intend to return home!

In Calais, of course, there was no warship on which, in accordance with protocol, the queen would have to travel. But Caroline never paid attention to such trifles. Without hesitation she boarded a regular mail ship called the Prince Leopold. She was especially pleased to board a ship whose name was reminiscent of her beloved daughter and the man who had once vowed to “love and protect” her.

In London, meanwhile, bets were made on whether the Queen's journey would end successfully. Georg forbade the preparation of any kind of residence for her. But when everyone learned what had happened at Dover when the ship docked, Caroline was hastily taken to Brandenburg House.

Indeed, as soon as she set foot on English soil, she was treated like a real empress. Troops lined up at the port, paying her due honors. The crowd unharnessed the horses from the carriage, and the people themselves took their queen to her mansion. When Caroline arrived in London, she was greeted with genuine delight. The meeting turned into a real triumph for the queen. The echoes of the joyful cries of the crowd reached the ears of the king, who locked himself in his palace.

For the first time in so many years, truly happy, Caroline began to settle into her new home. She did not even try to encroach on the locked doors of St. James, although this was quite possible. All she wanted was to be solemnly accepted as Queen of England and to be crowned at the same time as George. She felt her strength growing thanks to the love that so suddenly fell upon her...

However, pretty soon she experienced disappointment. Her son-in-law, Prince Leopold, not wanting to quarrel with his very restless father-in-law, did not show any affection for the one he had once sworn to love and protect. Moreover, Leopold advised his mother-in-law to renounce her claims, accept the pension offered by the king and return to the continent. There she can live as she pleases. She flatly refused.

– I am a queen and will remain a queen!

The coronation became the same obsession for her as the desire to free himself from his wife was for George. Unsatisfied with the assurances of his protocol specialists, who argued that the queen did not have to be crowned at the same time as the king, he thought that the best guarantee of his wife's absence from Westminster would be to get rid of her altogether. He remembered the existence of the notorious green bag, where information about the queen’s infidelity was accumulated, and ordered it to be transferred to the House of Lords. A special committee was created there to investigate Caroline's treason.

On June 4, 1820, the above-mentioned committee decided that “documents showing acts of Her Majesty, unworthy either of the rank or position of the Queen of England, and of a highly indecent nature, are sufficient to initiate a formal inquiry, the necessity of which the House of Lords most regretfully regrets.” " The next day, Lord Liverpool, well prepared, like his other brethren, proposed for consideration of the House a draft law, the purpose of which was “to deprive Her Majesty Caroline Amalie Elizabeth of all titles, rights, privileges and benefits due to the Queen, and to initiate proceedings for divorce His Majesty (meaning, naturally, George IV) and the aforementioned Caroline-Amalia-Elizabeth.”

It was a nice little scandal! The announcement of the start of the trial and the accusation of adultery that George dared to bring against his wife led to a real rebellion. Still locked up in the palace, the king heard the shouts of the excited crowd:

- Slanderer and libertine!

And Caroline at this time received words of approval, sympathy and consolation from her people. It was pathetic to look at her. She was then fifty-three years old and looked like a shabby old woman. Unbearable stomach pains completely tormented her; she calmed them down with huge doses of magnesium, which had no effect on the cause of the disease. She drove through London, sitting in the back of an old carriage (she was practically deprived of her livelihood), dressed all in black, with her hair dyed black, which only emphasized the unhealthy complexion of her face. She continued to use blush too generously, but it looked a little scary. Despite everything, she remained faithful to the huge hats decorated with feathers that she had always loved so much. Lord Brougham could often be seen near her, who became her protector and therefore gained great popularity.

Finally, in a strange atmosphere that suggested that it was His Royal Majesty rather than the unworthy wife of the king who were about to be tried, this vile trial began. The queen appeared, dressed in black, but adorned, as always, with a huge feathered hat. She addressed a sad but mocking smile to the nobleman who met her at the entrance to the hall.

“Well, tell me, Sir Thomas,” she asked, “why is the king pursuing me?” Is it really just because I married a man, knowing for sure that his first wife was alive and well?

The old nobleman shuddered. If the queen's lawyers managed to unearth the famous protocol, which confirmed the fact of George's marriage to Mary FitzHerbert - and those close to the throne knew very well that such a paper existed - this idiotic process could well end in complete and irrevocable dishonor for the English crown.

Without waiting for an answer, Caroline walked into the hall. She curtsied deeply in front of the empty throne, then in front of the peers of England, and quickly walked to the seat assigned to her. She was received like a queen: a whole regiment of guards paid tribute to her, and the national anthem was played with fanfares. The streets along which she rode were full of people who greeted her with cheers and applause.

She really needed this support - if only in order to endure everything that lay ahead of her. After all, never before has a trial been so scandalous, so disgusting in essence and so undignified in form. Before the important gentlemen in wigs and ermine robes, the lords who represented the entire English nobility here at the trial, the life of a traveling woman was turned inside out, revealing the most intimate moments. The contents of the famous green bag were presented to those gathered in the most unsightly form. A vile collection of rumors and gossip, reports of spies who listened at the door and peered through the keyholes. The witnesses who were called to the confrontation were quite consistent with these dirty pieces of paper: people, mostly royally removed from her circle by Caroline, but who turned out to be even more greedy for profit than she had ever imagined. The servants who stole and proved their immorality were not forgotten, they were simply thrown out the door. Now they were the most zealous accusers.

The Queen stoically endured all these streams of dirt poured onto her head. Amazement and sadness prevailed in her over anger. And yet she left the hall with dignity when one of her former lackeys was called as a witness - an Italian, an incredibly dirty type, whose testimony turned out to be the most scandalous of all that the judges had ever heard. This bastard even dared to claim that the queen showed him special favors. Allegedly, he did not want to tell any details, but then he laid out such details and in such quantity that it almost shook the icy calm of the queen’s defenders.

However, all of them, especially Lord Brougham, listened to the testimony without showing the slightest emotion. They seemed to look down on everything that was happening, deeply despising this host of nonentities who filled the ancient and noble hall of the House of Lords with streams of filth. But the interrogation of witnesses by the defense turned into a real “beating of babies.” Lord Brougham's direct, precise, merciless questions destroyed them, right before our eyes they shriveled and fell like balloons when the burner is extinguished and the hot air no longer fills them. In the end, the confused scoundrels began to repeat that they very poorly remember how everything really happened, that their evidence was not so accurate because too much time had passed. The scoundrel footman was arrested right at the exit from the hall: the infuriated Bruheim, after exposing him in a shameless lie and completely crushing him in his speech, demanded the immediate arrest of the false witness for insulting Her Majesty. However, this was the best that could await him. The crowds besieging the palace threatened all witnesses with violence, most of whom, in truth, were natives of Italy, which means that at least the pride of the nation did not suffer from their testimony.

In London, crowded demonstrations took place one after another. The sailors of the Royal Navy, who took to the streets in thousands, greeted their sovereign. Ships on the Thames were decorated with colorful flags in her honor. It is easy to imagine what feelings the king experienced, absolutely helpless, despite the strong police, in the face of such a storm of popular anger. He was very afraid that the notorious protocol about his secret marriage with Maria Fitz-Herbert would come to light. Then an angry mob could rush into St. James, drag him out of the palace and hang him from the nearest tree. And yet the king stood his ground. Hatred for Caroline turned out to be stronger than fear.

And fear... Now it was the turn of the House of Lords to feel fear. When Lord Brougham declared:

“Now, my Lords, no matter how great the regrets I feel, I am required to separate the duty of a patriot from the duty of a defender and show courage in facing the consequences of our trial, which may cause unrest in my country ...

...The lords felt the wind of the coming rebellion breaking into the strict walls of the court. The meeting was closed. Its results were hastily reported to the king.

But Georg did not want to listen to anything. He had to achieve at any cost a draft law that would deprive the queen of her rank. The lords - fearing the royal wrath - voted for such a project, but the advantage turned out to be insignificant: “for” - 108 votes, “against” - 99. This was clearly not enough. In order for the law to be passed, it still had to pass through the House of Commons, which was entirely on the side of the queen.

No longer knowing which saint to pray to in order to avert the storm, and being unable to condemn a woman whom the voice of the people completely justified and, expressing ardent sympathy, recognized as absolutely innocent, the House of Lords made a Solomonic decision. The hearing was postponed for six months. It was like calling the case dead. George was defeated on his own territory, and Caroline, leaving the hall where the case was heard for the last time, crushed him with just one phrase:

“And now I must tell you and swear to this for the salvation of my soul: I have never committed adultery with anyone other than the husband of Mrs. FitzHerbert!”

London rejoiced.

Completely defeated, George IV tried to forget about his wife for a while, thinking only about the coronation scheduled for July 19, 1821. He did this poorly, and he imagined, not without anxiety, how the ceremony would go, because he knew: the queen would certainly want to at least just be present there in the rank that rightfully belongs to her.

At that time, Caroline was suffering from a severe attack. She felt like she was doomed. The process caused her much more suffering than she could have imagined. She endured everything with a pride that aroused everyone's admiration, but her days were numbered. The last joy she hoped to experience on this earth before being reunited with her daughter was to be her presence in Westminster Abbey on the day of her coronation.

To avoid this, George first of all simply forbade the queen to appear there. For greater confidence, he ordered the production of special invitation cards, without which the guards were not supposed to let anyone into the temple. The distribution of such tickets was strictly controlled. The Queen did not receive any invitation.

One fine June day, the king seemed to have a glimmer of hope for a successful outcome, but everything turned out to be an unfortunate mistake. Here is how it was. The king presided over the meeting of the Council of Ministers. Suddenly one of the chamberlains entered, looking extremely agitated.

- Sire! - he exclaimed. – Your Majesty’s sworn enemy has just died!

Georg's face broke into a smile.

- Ah! - he cried. - Why did the queen die?

- Queen?! But, Your Majesty, I was talking about Bonaparte!

Napoleon, indeed, had just died on the island of St. Helena. But how terribly disappointed the king was! His hatred for Caroline was incomparable to his hatred for the emperor: this man, who for many years made all of England tremble, was a thousand times preferable to his own wife!

On the day of her coronation, the queen ordered her carriage to be harnessed by six horses and arrived at the abbey almost simultaneously with the motorcade of George IV. The troops who stood on both sides of the passage respectfully greeted Caroline.

When the carriage stopped in front of the main portal, Lord Hood hurried to the empress and offered her his hand to help her get out of the carriage. But at the same moment the gatekeepers approached and, bowing low to the Queen and expressing respect for her with all their appearance, nevertheless demanded to see an invitation card to the ceremony signed by the Duke of Wellington.

– Does the queen also need an invitation? – she asked.

- I'm very sorry, Your Majesty... But - yes... This is necessary.

Caroline turned pale. She felt unwell, the hand that was resting on Lord Hood’s hand clenched convulsively. It seemed like she was about to faint. The noble noble handed her his own ticket.

- Here is my invitation, madam... But Your Majesty will have to go to the church alone.

Caroline looked at the pathetic piece of cardboard. The singing of the choir and the sounds of the organ could be heard... Here, outside the church, the atmosphere was even more solemn, here the blessing of the Lord was felt to an even greater extent than where the kneeling scoundrel awaited confirmation... Caroline knew that she would not have long to wait for the time when she will appear before the Lord himself. And she lightly pushed the cardboard away. All is vanity of vanities.

- No, Lord Hood! I thank you, but... but I will never allow myself to storm the doors of the house of the Lord! And most importantly, I don’t want a scandal...

She walked up to her carriage with great dignity and climbed the steps. Came home. And then she lay down, never to get up again. She lived another five weeks in terrible suffering, surrounded by a few trusted friends. On August 7, a hurricane broke out over London, so terrible that all the windows of the room where Caroline was thrashing in agony suddenly opened. As if waiting in the wings, she breathed her last at the exact moment the storm burst into her bedroom.

One could hope that the greatness of his wife’s death would finally push George to act in simple politeness. But no! The fat crown bearer managed even here to show rare baseness. He tried to hide the funeral cortege, whose destination was the bank of the Thames, from human eyes. Here the queen's remains were to be loaded onto a ship and delivered to her homeland, Brunswick. The king gave orders that the sad escort, which included thirteen carriages, cavalry units, pages and the king of arms of England, was to follow a circuitous route that skirted far around the center of the city.

But in this sad ceremony, the last word remained with the population of the English capital. Throughout the night, barricades were erected along the route prescribed by George. Knowing their king well, Londoners vigilantly guarded these structures. At dawn, mad with anger, the king sent troops, ordering the cavalry to attack them. But the people held firm. And when the hearse with the letters “C.R.” appeared (Carolina Regina) and the coat of arms of England, people knelt along the entire path through the center of London required by law for the late queen. The bells of all the churches rang and cannon shots sounded.

A silver plate was attached to the coffin, on which were engraved the following words: "Carolina, the insulted Queen of England."

The squadron's guns took up the baton as the ship slowly descended the Thames, passing large ships with flags at half-mast as a sign of mourning. At the end of the journey, Caroline’s ashes awaited her native land, which the unfortunate woman left for the sake of nothing but suffering. Such recognition by the people of England was worth much more than an insignificant ceremony in Westminster Abbey.

Nine years later, in 1830, George IV died. But his funeral was devoid of the tragic grandeur that distinguished Caroline's funeral ceremony. Londoners just weren't rejoicing. Many satirical books were distributed among the crowd, which told about the unworthy life and scandalous love affairs of the late monarch. They also composed an epitaph for him, which fully revealed the “tenderness” that his subjects showed towards the king.

GEORGE IV(George IV) (17621830), full name George Augustus Frederick, King of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as King of Hanover, the most prominent personality of all the kings of the Hanoverian dynasty. Eldest son of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Sterlitz, born 12 August 1762 in London. He became close to Charles James Fox and other radical Whigs, forming an opposition to his father's Tory cabinet. In 1785, Prince George secretly married Catholic Maria Fitzherbert. The Act of Succession (1689) provided that a direct heir who married a Catholic would be deprived of the right to the throne. This did not concern the prince: according to the Royal Marriages Act (1772), his marriage was considered illegal because it did not receive the king’s blessing.

In 1795, George married Princess Caroline, daughter of the Duke of Brunswick and sister of George III Augusta. George agreed to this dynastic marriage in exchange for another concession from Parliament - another payment of his debts. This loveless marriage resulted in 25 years of bitter public feuding, which lasted despite the fact that the couple separated after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte, in 1796.

The prince's ties with the Whigs weakened somewhat after Fox's death in 1806. Having become regent in 1811 due to his father's incurable mental illness, George finally broke with the Whigs and approved the Tory cabinet proposed by his father. This decision found support in the circles of the English aristocracy, disillusioned with the Whigs due to their inability to win the war with France. In addition, the Whigs defended the idea of ​​emancipation of Catholics, which did not enjoy the sympathy of either the prince or the Protestant Church.

George IV's accession to the throne in 1820 led to a crisis in his relationship with his wife. In 1806, George tried to take away their daughter from Caroline due to the birth of an illegitimate child from the queen. In 1813, George, as regent, again undertook a public discussion of the question of whether he had the right to limit the mother’s contacts with their common daughter. In 1814 Caroline left England and settled in Italy, but returned when George became king. Wanting to get a divorce, George forced his ministers to introduce a bill of offenses and punishments to parliament, on the basis of which it would be possible to dissolve the marriage and deprive Caroline of her title and royal rights. There was little doubt about her extramarital affairs, but the bill did not receive support in the House of Lords and was withdrawn.

In these conflicts in the royal family, the people always took the side of the “offended” wife, which significantly reduced George’s authority. Relying on public support, Caroline tried to take part in the coronation in Westminster Abbey in 1821, but she was not allowed there. Her death in August 1821 resolved the protracted conflict.

George IV, as a constitutional monarch, did not show sufficient firmness in pursuing his own political line and in appointing ministers and did not maintain continuity with his father's methods of government. Under George IV, priority was given to the principle that the king recognize as prime minister the politician representing the majority in the House of Commons. Against his wishes, the king was forced to recognize George Canning first as Foreign Secretary, then as Prime Minister. He showed similar inconsistency when he conceded on the issue of Catholic emancipation.

The best sides of Georg's nature manifested themselves in philanthropy. He patronized the artist Sir Thomas Lawrence and the architect John Nash, built an exquisite pavilion in Brighton, reconstructed Windsor Castle, and significantly expanded the royal collection of works of art. The last years of Georg's life were marked by a decline in his physical strength and mental abilities. George IV died at Windsor on June 26, 1830.

Of all the monarchs of the Hanoverian dynasty, George IV was perhaps the least likable and unpopular due to his drunkenness, debauchery and extravagance. and Sophia raised their children with extreme severity. They were forbidden to sit in the presence of adults, read entertaining books, they were taught to work, fed modestly and put to bed early. It is not surprising that, barely out of adolescence, Georg went into all serious troubles. He spent several tens of thousands of pounds on each of his new mistresses. Stories about his adventures, once in the newspapers, caused a scandal, which was hushed up only thanks to the intervention of his father.

In 1783, George finally got rid of parental care, receiving his own residence, Carlton House, and 50 thousand pounds a year for expenses. George spent it on expensive wines, gourmet delicacies, thoroughbred horses, pretty women, and a collection of paintings and Chinese porcelain. He even secretly married one of his mistresses, Mary Ann Fitzherbert, in 1785, but their marriage had no legal force, since it was performed without the consent of the king. The allocated money was constantly not enough for Georg, and he could not get out of debt, which his father had to pay for. Finally, Cora got tired of it, and he refused to pay another debt for his son if he did not marry.

As often happened in royal families, the bride and groom met for the first time shortly before the wedding. Caroline was too simple, overweight and not very clean. By this time Georg had become noticeably plump and bloated. In a word, neither of the spouses aroused a drop of sympathy in the other. Georg showed up to the wedding ceremony pretty drunk, and slept through his first wedding night. This marriage is generally considered one of the most scandalous in history. Georg openly changed his mistresses, and Caroline seemed to keep up. But thanks to the marriage, George managed to get parliament to increase the funds allocated to him annually by 65 thousand pounds a year. They say that during the entire marriage the couple were intimate only once. But this was enough for Caroline to become pregnant and give birth to a daughter, Charlotte. Wilhelm openly left his wife in 1796.

(1762-08-12 )
London, UK Death: June 26(1830-06-26 ) (67 years old)
Windsor Castle, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Burial place: Windsor castle Genus: Brunswick line Birth name: Georg August Frederick Father: George III Mother: Charlotte Mecklenburg-Strelitz Spouse: Caroline of Brunswick Children: Charlotte Augusta Autograph: Monogram: Awards:

There is a historical anecdote that George IV was crowned with a crown that he rented from the jeweler Randall (since he could not buy it back due to huge debts).

The early death of his only legitimate daughter effectively left George without heirs. Since all of his many brothers (except for the Duke of Cumberland, married since 1815, who, however, did not yet have children) were bachelors or in civil marriages, and all his sisters were childless, this threatened the existence of the dynasty. In 1817-1818, several British princes hastily acquired wives thanks to the monarch's promise of significant financial incentives to those who would continue the dynasty. A daughter born from one of these marriages, Princess Victoria of Kent, inherited the British crown after the death of George and her other uncle, William IV, in 1837.

Titles, ranks and awards

• 12 August – 19 August: HRH The Duke of Cornwall (His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall)
• 19 August – 29 January: HRH The Prince of Wales (His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales)
• 5 February – 29 January: HRH the Prince Regent (His Royal Highness The Prince Regent)
• 1 October – 29 January: HRH The Crown Prince of Hanover (His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Hanover)
• 29 January – 26 June: His Majesty the King (His Majesty The King)

• (KG) Order of the Garter (26 December 1765)
• (PC) Privy Councilor (29 August 1783)
• (KT) Order of the Thistle (5 November 1811)
• (KP) Order of St. Patrick (5 November 1811)
• (GCB) Order of the Bath 2 January (1815)
• (GCH) Royal Guelph Order (12 August 1815)

• Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 13, 1813)
• Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (September 16, 1813)
• Order of St. Anne, 1st class
• Order of the Holy Spirit (20 April 1814)
• Order of St. Michael (20 April 1814)
• Order of the Golden Fleece (1814)
• Order of the Black Eagle (9 June 1814)
• Order of the Red Eagle, 1st class (9 June 1814)
• Order of the Golden Fleece (July 1814)
• Order of Carlos III
• Order of Santiago
• Order of the Elephant (15 July 1815)
• Order of Saint Januarius (1816)
• Order of Saint Ferdinand and Merit, Grand Cross (1816)
• Triple Order (1816)
• Order of the Tower and Sword, Grand Cross (1816)
• Military William Order, Grand Cross (27 November 1818)
• Order of Saint Hubert
• Order of Pedro I (27 November 1818)
• Order of the Southern Cross, Grand Cross (27 November 1818)

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Notes

Literature

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Excerpt characterizing George IV

Soon after his admission into the brotherhood of Masons, Pierre, with a complete manual written for himself about what he was supposed to do on his estates, left for the Kyiv province, where most of his peasants were located.
Arriving in Kyiv, Pierre called all the managers to the main office and explained to them his intentions and desires. He told them that measures would be immediately taken to completely free the peasants from serfdom, that until then the peasants should not be burdened with work, that women and children should not be sent to work, that the peasants should be given assistance, that punishments should be used admonishing, not corporal, that hospitals, shelters and schools should be established on every estate. Some managers (there were also semi-literate economists) listened in fear, assuming the meaning of the speech was that the young count was dissatisfied with their management and withholding money; others, after the first fear, found Pierre’s lisp and new, unheard words funny; Still others simply found pleasure in listening to the master speak; the fourth, the smartest, including the chief manager, understood from this speech how to deal with the master in order to achieve their goals.
The general manager expressed great sympathy with Pierre's intentions; but he noticed that in addition to these transformations it was necessary to generally take care of matters that were in a bad state.
Despite the enormous wealth of Count Bezukhy, since Pierre received it and received, as they said, 500 thousand an annual income, he felt much less rich than when he received his 10 thousand from the late count. In general terms, he had a vague sense of the next budget. About 80 thousand were paid to the Council for all estates; It cost about 30 thousand to maintain a house near Moscow, a Moscow house and princesses; about 15 thousand went into retirement, the same amount went to charitable institutions; 150 thousand were sent to the countess for living expenses; interest was paid for debts of about 70 thousand; the construction of the begun church cost about 10 thousand during these two years; the rest, about 100 thousand, was spent - he himself did not know how, and almost every year he was forced to borrow. In addition, every year the chief manager wrote either about fires, or about crop failures, or about the need to rebuild factories and factories. And so, the first task that presented itself to Pierre was the one for which he least of all had the ability and inclination - getting busy with business.
Pierre worked with the chief manager every day. But he felt that his studies were not making any progress. He felt that his activities took place independently of the case, that they did not touch the case and did not force him to move. On the one hand, the chief manager presented matters in the worst possible light, showing Pierre the need to pay debts and undertake new work with the help of serfs, to which Pierre did not agree; on the other hand, Pierre demanded that the matter of liberation be started, to which the manager argued that it was necessary to first pay the debt of the Guardian Council, and therefore the impossibility of quick execution.
The manager did not say that this was completely impossible; To achieve this goal, he proposed the sale of forests in the Kostroma province, the sale of grassroots lands and Crimean estates. But all these operations in the speeches of the manager were associated with such complexity of processes, the lifting of prohibitions, demands, permits, etc., that Pierre was at a loss and only told him:
- Yes, yes, do that.
Pierre did not have that practical tenacity that would give him the opportunity to directly get down to business, and therefore he did not like him and only tried to pretend to the manager that he was busy with business. The manager tried to pretend to the count that he considered these activities very useful for the owner and shy for himself.
There were acquaintances in the big city; strangers hastened to get acquainted and cordially welcomed the newly arrived rich man, the largest owner of the province. The temptations regarding Pierre's main weakness, the one that he admitted during his reception to the lodge, were also so strong that Pierre could not refrain from them. Again, whole days, weeks, months of Pierre’s life passed just as anxiously and busyly between evenings, dinners, breakfasts, balls, not giving him time to come to his senses, as in St. Petersburg. Instead of the new life that Pierre hoped to lead, he lived the same old life, only in a different environment.
Of the three purposes of Freemasonry, Pierre was aware that he did not fulfill the one that prescribed every Freemason to be a model of moral life, and of the seven virtues, he completely lacked two in himself: good morals and love of death. He consoled himself with the fact that he was fulfilling another purpose - the correction of the human race and had other virtues, love for one's neighbor and especially generosity.
In the spring of 1807, Pierre decided to go back to St. Petersburg. On the way back, he intended to go around all his estates and personally verify what was done from what was prescribed to them and in what situation the people were now, which God had entrusted to him, and which he sought to benefit.
The chief manager, who considered all the ideas of the young count almost madness, a disadvantage for himself, for him, for the peasants, made concessions. Continuing to make the task of liberation seem impossible, he ordered the construction of large school buildings, hospitals and shelters on all estates; For the master's arrival, he prepared meetings everywhere, not pompously solemn ones, which, he knew, Pierre would not like, but just the kind of religious thanksgiving, with images and bread and salt, just the kind that, as he understood the master, should have an effect on the count and deceive him .
The southern spring, the calm, quick journey in the Viennese carriage and the solitude of the road had a joyful effect on Pierre. There were estates that he had not yet visited - one more picturesque than the other; The people everywhere seemed prosperous and touchingly grateful for the benefits done to them. Everywhere there were meetings that, although they embarrassed Pierre, deep down in his soul evoked a joyful feeling. In one place, the peasants offered him bread and salt and an image of Peter and Paul, and asked permission in honor of his angel Peter and Paul, as a sign of love and gratitude for the good deeds he had done, to erect a new chapel in the church at their own expense. Elsewhere, women with infants met him, thanking him for saving him from hard work. At the third estate he was met by a priest with a cross, surrounded by children, whom, by the grace of the count, he taught literacy and religion. In all the estates, Pierre saw with his own eyes, according to the same plan, the stone buildings of hospitals, schools, and almshouses, which were to be opened soon, erected and erected. Everywhere Pierre saw reports from managers about corvée work, reduced compared to the previous one, and heard for this the touching thanksgiving of deputations of peasants in blue caftans.
Pierre just didn’t know that where they brought him bread and salt and built the chapel of Peter and Paul, there was a trading village and a fair on Peter’s Day, that the chapel had already been built a long time ago by the rich peasants of the village, those who came to him, and that nine-tenths The peasants of this village were in the greatest ruin. He did not know that due to the fact that, on his orders, they stopped sending children of women with babies to corvee labor, these same children carried out the most difficult work in their half. He did not know that the priest who met him with the cross was burdening the peasants with his extortions, and that the disciples gathered to him with tears were given to him, and were bought off by their parents for a lot of money. He did not know that the stone buildings, according to the plan, were erected by their own workers and increased the corvee of the peasants, reduced only on paper. He did not know that where the manager indicated to him in the book that the quitrent was reduced by one third at his will, the corvée duty was added by half. And therefore Pierre was delighted with his journey through the estates, and completely returned to the philanthropic mood in which he left St. Petersburg, and wrote enthusiastic letters to his mentor brother, as he called the great master.

George IV (1762-1830), the king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1820 to 1830, was one of the most detested British monarchs. He was also a man of exquisite taste who profoundly influenced the culture of his age.

Regency England, roughly the first 3 decades of the 19th century, takes its name from George's title of prince regent, which he held from 1811 to 1820. It was a period of great elegance in art, architecture, and the style of aristocratic life, and also one of unrestrained indulgence and moral laxity. The prince regent set the example in both respects.

The future George IV was born on Aug. 12, 1762. His father, George III, an extremely moral and pious man, loved his eldest child as a son, but hated him as his heir. For both reasons the young prince was kept under a very tight rein and carefully insulated from the outside world. In 1783, when the prince came of age, he violently reacted against these restraints and entered society with a great splash. George was tall and handsome, with a tendency toward portliness, which in maturity was to become gross obesity. He entered into the pleasures of life with gusto, and Mrs. Fitzherbert soon appeared as the first of a succession of mistresses. He began to indulge his passion for building, and the Royal Pavilion at Brighton was begun in 1784. By 1787 the prince was already hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt and had to be bailed out by Parliament, the first of many such occasions.

The prince"s escapades strained relations with his father, and political differences increased the tension between them. The prince became the intimate friend of George III"s bitterest political enemies, the Whigs, led by Charles James Fox. Fox was a man of immense personal charm, and Whig society was the most glittering group of the day. The Whigs fought the prince"s battles for money in Parliament; he entered fully into their political schemes. Together they waited in 1788 in ill-disguised anticipation that the King"s insanity would prove permanent and that the prince would become regent.

George III, however, recovered. The prince had not been able to grasp power, and his reputation had suffered. It suffered still further from a secret, and illegal, marriage to the Catholic Mrs. Fitzherbert, which soon became common knowledge. In 1795, at his father's encouragement, the prince decided to regularize his position and increase his income by making a legitimate marriage. The choice of Princess Caroline of Brunswick could not have been more unfortunate; she was coarse, vulgar, and wildly eccentric . It was an arranged marriage, and the prince detested her from first sight. The marriage was barely consummated when the couple separated. Princess Charlotte, their only child, died in 1817. Caroline's notorious affairs in England and abroad only served to underline. George's own sexual irregularities, and their interminable bickering until her death in 1821 surrounded by the monarchy with scandal.

Patron of the Arts

Without Caroline, George's reputation might well have been higher. He was warm-hearted and generous, and devoted to his often motherly mistresses. He was also a man of superb taste. England is in his debt for some of its most famous and beautiful architectural treasures. Regent Street and Regent's Park owe their beauty to him, and he rebuilt Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. The beautiful classical portico of the National Gallery came from Carlton House, his residence as heir to the throne.

George made a magnificent collection of 17th-century Dutch paintings, and, as king, he persuaded his government to spend a fortune for a collection that formed the nucleus of the National Gallery. He filled his palaces with the finest examples of 18th-century French and contemporary English furniture. No British monarch, except possibly Charles I, ever added so much to the nation's cultural heritage. But George's tastes were expensive, and at a time when most of his subjects were experiencing extreme privation during the wars with France and their aftermath , his extravagance caused bitter resentment.

Regent and King

In 1811 his father became permanently insane, and George was declared prince regent. The Whigs, however, did not come to power with him, for the prince's relations with the Whigs had become increasingly strained since Fox's death in 1806. In 1812 George did make an attempt to bring some of the Whigs into a coalition ministry, but they would not accept a compromise. George had never been a Whig by conviction, and thereafter he lived comfortably with his father's Tory ministers and advisers. He, however, was never the strong political influence George III had been in his prime. The blunt Duke of Wellington, his last prime minister, called George and his brothers "the damnedest millstones about the neck of any Government that can be imagined."

In 1820, when he came to the throne on his father's death, George IV persuaded a reluctant government to undertake a divorce from his detested queen. This caused a national outcry, less because the Queen was loved than because George was hated, and the action had to be dropped. On the occasion the King exerted his prerogatives, as when he chose George Canning over Wellington for prime minister in 1827, but in general George followed the advice of his ministers. He enjoyed his public role, and though old, overweight, and corseted, he played it with great dignity and a real sense of drama until he died, unlamented, on June 26, 1830.

Further Reading on George IV

Roger Fulford, George the Fourth (1935; rev. ed. 1949), is a fine modern biography. See also J. H. Plumb's delightful The First Four Georges(1956). R. J. White, Life in Regency England (1963), is recommended for general historical background.

Additional Biography Sources

Foord-Kelcey, Jim., Mrs. Fitzherbert and sons, Sussex, England: Book Guild, 1991.

Hibbert, Christopher, George IV, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976.

Hibbert, Christopher George IV: Prince of Wales, 1762-181, New York, Harper & Row 1974, 1972.

Hibbert, Christopher George IV, regent and king, 1811-1830, New York: Harper & Row, 1975 1973.

Palmer, Alan Warwick, The life and times of George IV, London: Cardinal, 1975, 1972.

Richardson, Joanna, The disastrous marriage: a study of George IV and Caroline of Brunswick, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1975, 1960.