Leeds Royal Armouries pays tribute to King George III with events

Royal Armouries Interpreters Andy Hodges as the Prince Regent, Chris Bailey as George III and Tristan Langlois as the Earl of Chatham. Picture by James Hardisty.

Although he may have gone down in history as “mad”, an event in Yorkshire showed there was much more to King George III.

As part of its showcases on monarchs, the Royal Armouries in Leeds has this weekend hosted activities to educate visitors about the middle of his reign in 1804.

It included a musket drill from a 33rd regiment re-enactment group, action-packed combat demonstrations, an outdoor sword and pistol duel, a lesson from the Georgian sword master, while a surgeon also demonstrated grisly operating techniques from the period.

-> Seven of the best pictures from the Royal Armouries' Elizabethan weekend in LeedsTalks about the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo were held, and visitors got the chance to handle weapons from the time of the latter campaign.

Royal Armouries interpreter Sam Love inspects his members of the 33rd Regiment of Foot. Picture by James Hardisty.

Mark Jackson, events and informal learning manager said: “King George III has gone down in history as the ‘Mad King’, but he truly laid the groundwork for a worldwide British Empire and reigned through some of the biggest conflicts in Britain’s history, including the Seven Years War, the American Wars of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars, objects from which are showcased throughout our vast collection.”

The museum will be open until 5pm today.