A Royal Disappointment: The Private Scandals of George IV, 1785–1820

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2007
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Haverford College. Department of History
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Thesis
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The History Department Senior Thesis Prize
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eng
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Open Access
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Abstract
The scandals of George IV demonstrate how events of the private sphere can become politicized and cast doubt on a leader’s moral qualifications. At a time when the political authority of the crown was waning, an expanding print media put pressure on royalty to embody emerging values of filial care and financial constraint. This thesis uses pamphlet literature and caricatures to examine how the exposure of George’s vices created a broader realm of civic participation. It examines his illicit marriage to a lowborn Catholic, the burden of his lavish expenses, his disrespect for his father, George III, and his neglectful relationship with his daughter, Princess Charlotte. Each of these reveal how the expansion of the political nation inspired claims for royal accountability and exposed leaders to popular standards of morality.
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