Rex Factor

In the second part of the George III podcast we review his reign in the traditional fashion. However, reviewing George III is no easy task, for his epic reign contains some of the most glorious highs and disastrous lows of any reign. From the disastrous loss of America Britain moves to the defeat of Napoleon via its two greatest military heroes, Nelson and Wellington. George’s interference in politics causes ministerial instability and he is anything but a friend of reform, yet he is a decent an...

We were very excited to be named the Radio Times podcast of the week for their Jubilee Special edition - and in celebrating Elizabeth II’s incredible 60 years on the throne it’s a great chance to have a look back at the many monarchs who preceded her. If you’re new to Rex Factor, what we do is spend one episode looking at each monarch of England (and, from 1603, Britain), spending one half of the review going through the main events of their reign while in the second half we r...

It’s a slight change in format this episode as we split George III in half (so to speak) - this episode will focus on the events and background to his reign while the next will see us review him in the usual fashion and decide whether he has the Rex Factor. So why does “Mad King George” need two episodes? Besides the madness, George’s reign encompasses the end of the Seven Years War, the American Revolution, the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, the political rivalry betwe...

It’s a case of history repeating itself when George II comes to the throne in 1727 - like his father, he has Robert Walpole as his ‘prime minister’, is at odds with his eldest son, has a Jacobite rebellion to deal with, gets involved in the wars and diplomacy of continental Europe and is keen to get back to Hanover as much as possible. Where George II does differ, however, is in his strong and happy marriage to Caroline of Ansbach and the military triumph enjoyed under his rule, with...

A lack of Protestant Stuarts in 1714 meant the start of a new dynasty with George I and the Hanoverians. Poor George wasn’t the happiest of monarchs - he was perfectly happy in Hanover and went back as often as he could, while his British subjects weren’t too enamoured with him as a dull German who didn’t speak much English. Nevertheless, George’s was an interesting reign, seeing the defeat of Jacobite rebellions from the Old Pretender, the rise of Robert Walpole (particularly ...

The tumultuous Stuart dynasty comes to an end in this episode with Queen Anne, but otherwise it’s an era of new beginnings. John Churchill (Duke of Marlborough) leads England to military glory against Louis XIV, particularly at Blenheim, while at home the Act of Union with Scotland sees the creation of Great Britain. In many ways a glorious reign, and yet Anne’s reputation has never been very good. Has she been unfairly sullied by her once best friend, Sarah Churchill, or is history right ...

With the removal of James II in 1688 in the Glorious Revolution came the unusual position of joint rulers: the husband and wife team of William III and Mary II. William held executive power and spent most of his time fighting wars against his arch nemesis, Louis XIV of France (the Sun King), as well as stopping James II clawing his way back to England. As well as the wars, this was a period of significant constitutional and economic development that would be vital in forming the modern British state. ...

The monarchy was left in a pretty good state by Charles II in 1685, but the trickiest part of his reign had been to prevent Parliament excluding his Catholic brother, James, from the throne, so how would Parliament react to its first Catholic ruler since Mary I? James’s life and reign proved to be somewhat turbulent and to a large degree the difficulties were of his own making. Would he be able to persuade his anti-Catholic Parliament to grant religious toleration to Catholics? Would he be want ...

After the republican interlude of the Commonwealth, Charles II leads the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. After an adventurous youth alongside his father in the Civil War and a thrilling escape from Cromwell’s clutches in 1651, Charles was intent on having a good time and taking things easy. However, increasing tensions around foreign policy and religion (specifically the Catholicism of Charles’s brother, James) saw the country once more in fear of civil strife. Will Charles II succeed...

The execution of Charles I in 1649 created something of a dilemma for England, needing to find a completely new way to govern itself. Various parliamentary outfits were tried, but throughout it all one man dominated until in 1653 he officially became the Lord Protector for the Commonwealth and Free State of England. This man was from the lower gentry, at one time a farmer, and little known until the Civil War when he became a renowned cavalry leader. He would become perhaps England’s most powerf...