Who was the king of Great Britain during the American Revolution?

George III was king of Great Britain during the American Revolution.

George III became king on October 25, 1760, and ruled throughout the Revolutionary War. The conflict began with fighting at Lexington and Concord in April 1775 and ended diplomatically when Britain recognized American independence in the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

The king was the formal head of the British state, but ministers and Parliament directed much of the government’s policy. George III nevertheless became closely associated with the decision to resist colonial independence. In August 1775, he issued the Proclamation of Rebellion, declaring the American uprising to be open rebellion and ordering efforts to suppress it.

George III was also king of Ireland. The Acts of Union in 1800 created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, after which he was styled king of the United Kingdom. A common mix-up is George IV: he was George III’s son and successor, becoming king only in 1820, after the American Revolution.