William IV of the United Kingdom

From 1791 onwards, William IV lived with his mistress, Dorothea Bland, an Irish stage actress better known by her stage name, Mrs. Jordan. The couple remained together for 20 years and had ten illegitimate children; five sons and five daughters, and all were given the surname ‘FitzClarence’.

In 1818, William married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Coburg and Meinengein, the daughter of George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. The couple had two daughters, both of which died in early childhood and Adelaide suffered several miscarriages.

William IV died on June 20, 1837, in Windsor Castle, Berkshire, leaving behind no legitimate children. He was buried on July 8, 1837, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.

William was born on August 21, 1765, in Buckingham House, London, to George III, the King of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and his wife, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenberg-Strelitz.

He was the third son of the royal couple and was baptised in the Great Council Chamber of St James's Palace in September 1765. With several siblings which consisted of two elder brothers, he was not expected to inherit the Crown.

After receiving most of his early education from private tutors, at the age of 13, he joined the crew of the Prince George as a midshipman.

In 1785, he was appointed a Lieutenant and the following year, became the Captain of HMS Pegasus. In 1788, he was given command of the frigate HMS Andromeda and was later promoted to Rear-Admiral in command of HMS Valiant.

In 1789, William became the Duke of Clarence and St. Andrews and Earl of Munster. Being the third son of the King, he was not expected to figure in the succession and therefore had no legitimacy issues.

In 1790, he retired from active service and subsequently lived with an Irish actress, Dorothea Bland and had ten illegitimate children. All the children were given the surname ‘FitzClarence’. The couple lived together for 20 years, from 1791 to 1811.

With the death of Princess Charlotte in 1817, daughter of Prince Regent’s only child and second-in-line to the throne, a succession crisis arose in the royal family. Subsequently, the parliament offered William an incentive of paying his large debts if he agreed to marry and produce a legitimate heir to the throne.

After several rebuffs, William married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Coburg and Meiningen, daughter of George I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. In 1830, upon the death of his elder brother, George IV, William ascended the throne, becoming the King of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as well as the King of Hanover.

William IV was a good natured king and was received with enthusiasm by all ranks of society. When he ascended the throne, parliamentary reform crisis was in motion. In 1831, upon acquiring majority in the House of Commons, the Whig party leader, Lord Grey, pushed a Reform Bill in the Commons but was defeated in the House of Lords.

The most significant reform passed under William’s reign was that of the modernizing of British electoral system by the revolutionary ‘Reform Act of 1832’. The 1832 Reform Act extended the voting franchise to middle class land owners and became the basis for further Acts which eventually emancipated all adult subjects.