William IV of the United Kingdom

King of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 1830 to 1837

  • Fame66.2
  • Momentum0.0
  • Historical Figures rank#141
Source-basedFalling
  • Fame66.2
  • Momentum0.0
  • Historical Figures rank#141
  • Wikipedia173.5K
Lived 1765–1837, aged 72United Kingdom
  • Wikipedia
    89 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1765–1837
    Aged 72
  • Awards
    13
    recognised works
Summary
Updated 2026-06-08

He waited sixty-four years for a crown no one expected him to wear, outlasted by scandal and ten illegitimate children, then ruled just long enough to abolish slavery and reshape Parliament before dying without an heir—handing Britain to a teenage niece named Victoria.

Biography

About

William Henry was George III's third son, a royal spare who went to sea and earned the nickname "Sailor King" during years in the Caribbean and British North America. Created Duke of Clarence in 1789, he spent two decades living openly with actress Dorothea Jordan, fathering ten children outside marriage before she left in 1811. He married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen in 1818, served as Lord High Admiral in 1827, and inherited the throne in 1830 when both elder brothers died without legitimate issue. His seven-year reign pushed through the Reform Act of 1832, abolished slavery across ne…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from William IV of the United Kingdom

William IV of the United Kingdom
saidundated
I trust in God that my life may be spared for nine months longer, after which period, in the event of my death, no Regency would take place.
As quoted in The Early Court of Queen Victoria (1912) by Clare Jerrold
Deep cuts

Era & geography

No era information yet.
Deep cuts

Legacy

No legacy summary indexed yet.
Where to find them

Platforms

By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Falling
66.2
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Historical30.2
Source confidence65.0
Completeness75.0
Global rank
Country rank
Category rank
#141
Receipts

Sources

  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence