Ruled Great Britain 26 June 1830 - 20 June 1837. King William IV ascended the throne when his older brother, George IV, died without an immediate heir. Until then, he had had a successful naval career, rising to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet. He had a 20 year relationship with a woman, not his wife, and fathered ten illegitimate children. He married later in life, but his two children by his wife died in infancy. William and his wife, Queen Adelaide, had simple tastes, and no particular interest in the arts or literature. However, he did found the Royal Library at Windsor, and those books formed the nucleus of what is now the British Library. |
