William iv of the united kingdom

William IV  ©William IV was king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from He was known both as the 'Sailor King' and as 'Silly Billy'. His reign saw the passing of the Reform Act of

William was born at Buckingham Palace in London on 21 August He was the third son of George III and Queen Charlotte and as such was not expected to succeed to the throne.

At the age of 13 he began a career in the Royal Navy. He enjoyed his time at sea, seeing service in America and the West Indies and becoming admiral of the fleet in In , he was created Duke of Clarence.

From the early s until , William lived with his mistress, the actress Dorothy Jordan.

William iv of the united kingdom wikipedia

They had 10 children who took the surname Fitzclarence.

In , William's oldest brother George became prince regent (later George IV) when their father was declared insane. The death of the prince regent's only daughter in resulted in a scramble among George's brothers to marry and produce heirs.

The same year, Wil