Figure timeline
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded his elder brother George IV, becoming the last king and penultimate monarch of the United Kingdom's House of Hanover.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
politics · King of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1837 · monarch · politician · naval officer · also William IV, William Henry, William Henry Hanover, William Hanover, King of Great Britain William Henry, Duke of Clarence William Henry
Born 21 August 1765 · Died 20 June 1837 · Q130822
24 published statements · 0 followers
See & hear
13 photos
Media from Wikimedia Commons, hotlinked at the source under its own licence — see each file for author and terms.
Live now
Pulling headlines from trusted outlets — this usually takes a few seconds
Checking the wires…
Feed scan
These are live links, not archived citations — they only join the timeline once a collect run verifies and archives them.
Live pulse
Most recent outstanding titles, awards, and quotes
Public attention spiked: 16,404 Wikipedia readers in one day, 4× the usual 4,148, with 2 article edits. Editors noted: Reverted edit by ~2026-34783-01 (talk) to last version by Zackmann08
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Died 1837-06-20.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Opis: z nekrologu zamieszczonego w tygodniku „Spectator” po śmierci Wilhelma IV.”
The ministry was facing increasing unpopularity and Lord Grey retired; the home secretary, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, replaced him
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
When he became the last British sovereign to choose a prime minister contrary to the will of Parliament
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
William signed a new constitution for Hanover, which empowered the middle class, gave limited power to the lower classes, and expanded the role of the parliament
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Austrian chancellor Klemens von Metternich introduced laws that curbed fledgling liberal movements in Germany
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Grey's ministry urged William to dissolve Parliament, which would lead to a new general election
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Awarded Knight of the Order of the Elephant (1830).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1830–1837).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: King of Hanover (1830–1837).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
When, as Lord High Admiral, he put to sea with a squadron of ships, leaving no word of where they were going, and remained away for ten days
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
William, then 61 years old, became heir presumptive
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Was appointed Britain's Lord High Admiral, the first since 1709
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: Lord High Admiral (1827–1828).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
George III died and the Prince Regent became George IV
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
George III was left with twelve children but no legitimate grandchildren
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (1815).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Came nearest to involvement in actual fighting, when he visited the British troops fighting in the Low Countries
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Was appointed to the honorary position of Admiral of the Fleet
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Awarded Knight of the Garter (1801).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
His arms altered with the royal arms, however the marks of difference remained the same
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born 1765-08-21.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Connections
Family we also track