King George IV was coronated on this date in 1821. It’s funny how we think of his father, King George II, as having been the ruler during the Seven Years War and Revolution and his story just stopping there. Peace however came in 1783 and he lived under thirty-seven. Granted, much of his rule during that time was interrupted by his bouts of mental illness and his family’s assuming control. Still, George III was on the throne throughout the French Revolution, War of 1812, and Napoleonic Wars. Think about it.

His son and successor George IV by all accounts a dreadful ruler and human. His reign lasted throughout the 1820s. It wasn’t until pivoting to this era 5-6 years ago that I grasped the extent of material culture remaining from the period. Coins, books, ceremonial tokens and other ephemera fill in the blanks more than I realized. We don’t give the people of the past as much credit as they deserve. The image we see immediately below was printed on July 19, 1823, two hundred years ago today on the second anniversary of the coronation. And below that is an edict barring the new king’s estranged wife from the ceremony.