ABSTRACT
In the first thirty years of George III's reign, caricature blossomed into a potent weapon of British political satire, revealing much about the increasing public concern over constitutional issues. Public enthusiasm greeted the youthful George III in late 1760 when he ascended to the throne, as was suggested in the print Long Live his most Excellent Britannic Majesty King George the Third, or Down with the Devil, Pope, French King and Pretender. In late 1788 George III suffered a bout of mental instability, probably a result of porphyria, a genetically-transmitted blood disorder. From the start, George III made it clear that he was determined to restore the constitutional balance by asserting himself against the leaders of the Parliamentary oligarchy. Although Britain's forces had been extremely successful, George III was determined to negotiate a peace rather than carry on the conflict in an effort to force further concessions from France.
