Editing George IV (section)

==Regency==
{{Main|Regency era}}
[[File:George IV by Sir Thomas Lawrence.jpg|thumb|Profile by Sir [[Thomas Lawrence]], {{circa|1814}}]]
[[File:Sir Thomas Lawrence - King George IV as Prince Regent in Garter Robes - MV.40448 - Pinacoteca Vaticana.jpg|thumb|Portrait in [[Order of the Garter#Robes and insignia|Garter robes]] by Lawrence, 1816]]

In late 1810, the King's mental health once again broke down, following the death of his youngest daughter, [[Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom|Princess Amelia]]. Parliament agreed to follow the precedent of 1788; without the King's consent, the Lord Chancellor affixed the Great Seal of the Realm to [[letters patent]] naming Lords Commissioners. The letters patent lacked the [[Royal Sign Manual]], but were sealed by request of resolutions passed by both Houses of Parliament. The Lords Commissioners appointed by the letters patent, in the name of the King, then signified the granting of [[Royal Assent]] to a bill that became the [[Regency Act 1811]]. Parliament restricted some of the powers of the Prince Regent (as the Prince of Wales became known). The constraints expired one year after the passage of the Act.{{Sfnp|Innes|1915|page=50}} The Prince of Wales became Prince Regent on 5 February 1811.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=16451|page=227|date=5 February 1811}}</ref>

The Regent let his ministers take full charge of government affairs, playing a far smaller role than his father. The principle that the prime minister was the person supported by a majority in the House of Commons, whether the King personally favoured him or not, became established.<ref>Bagehot, Walter (1872) ''The English constitution'', p. 247.</ref> His governments, with little help from the Regent, presided over British policy. One of the most important political conflicts facing the country concerned [[Catholic emancipation]], the movement to relieve Roman Catholics of various political disabilities. The Tories, led by Prime Minister [[Spencer Perceval]], were opposed to Catholic emancipation, while the Whigs supported it. At the beginning of the Regency, Prince George was expected to support the Whig leader, [[Lord Grenville]]. He did not, however, immediately put Grenville and the Whigs into office. Influenced by his mother, he claimed that a sudden dismissal of the Tory government would exact too great a toll on the health of the King (a steadfast supporter of the Tories), thereby eliminating any chance of a recovery.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|page=185}}

In 1812, when it appeared highly unlikely that the King would recover, the Prince Regent again failed to appoint a new Whig administration. Instead, he asked the Whigs to join the existing ministry under Perceval. The Whigs, however, refused to co-operate because of disagreements over Catholic emancipation. Grudgingly, Prince George allowed Perceval to continue as prime minister.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|pages=141–142}}

On 11 May 1812, [[Assassination of Spencer Perceval|Perceval was assassinated]] by [[John Bellingham]]. The Prince Regent was prepared to reappoint all the members of the Perceval ministry under a new leader. The House of Commons formally declared its desire for a "strong and efficient administration",{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=144}} so George then offered leadership of the government to [[Lord Wellesley]] and afterwards to [[Lord Moira]]. He doomed the attempts of both to failure, however, by forcing each to construct an all-party ministry at a time when neither party wished to share power with the other. Possibly using the failure of the two peers as a pretext, George immediately reappointed the Perceval administration, with [[Lord Liverpool]] as prime minister.{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=145}}

The Tories, unlike Whigs such as [[Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|Lord Grey]], sought to continue the vigorous prosecution of the war in Continental Europe against the powerful and aggressive Emperor of the French, [[Napoleon I]].{{Sfnp|Smith|1999|page=146}} An anti-French alliance, which included Russia, [[Prussia]], Austria, Britain and several smaller countries, defeated Napoleon in 1814. In the subsequent [[Congress of Vienna]], it was decided that the [[Electorate of Hanover]], a state that had shared a monarch with Britain since 1714, would be raised to the [[Kingdom of Hanover]]. Napoleon returned from exile in 1815, but was defeated at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] by [[the Duke of Wellington]], brother of Lord Wellesley.{{Sfnp|Parissien|2001|pages=264–281}}

During this period George took an active interest in matters of style and taste, and his associates such as the dandy [[Beau Brummell]] and the architect [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]] created the [[Regency style]], exemplified by the Regency terraces of [[Regent's Park]] and [[Regent Street]]. George took up the new idea of the seaside spa and had the [[Brighton Pavilion]] developed as a fantastical seaside palace, adapted by Nash in the "Indian Gothic" style inspired loosely by the [[Taj Mahal]], with extravagant "Indian" and "Chinese" interiors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rutherford |first=Jessica M. F. |title=The Royal Pavilion: The Palace of George IV |publisher=Brighton Borough Council |year=1995 |isbn=0-948723-21-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/royalpavilionpal00ruth/page/81 81]}}</ref>