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   Among the most politically charged tasks in George's early career was
con- 
cluding the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), a military action that was draining
the government's coffers. Immediately following the war the passage of the
Stamp Act (1765) sparked protests in America. Although the act was repealed,
tensions between the British government and the colonists continued during
the rest of the 1760s and the 1770s. During this same period financial and
mil- 
itary concerns in India also plagued the king. In the early 1780s Britain
suffered 
the loss of the thirteen American mainland colonies. This blow, however,
pre- 
ceded an era of industrial expansion and commercial success in England, and
George remained comparatively popular throughout much of the rest of the
eighteenth century. 
   George III experienced episodes of physical and mental illness throughout
his adult life, and the outbreaks occurred more frequently and with more
sever- 
ity as he aged. The Regency Bill of February 1811 finally removed the respon-
sibilities of ruling from him. During the last eight and one-half years of
his life, 
a blind George III knew few moments of lucidity. 
   Early in his reign George's need for a Protestant wife made the king and
his 
counselors look toward Germany. After considering several young ladies, it
was 
settled that George should marry the sensible seventeen-year-old Charlotte
Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818). The union took place in 1761
and 
resulted in the birth of George IV (1762-1830) and his fourteen siblings.
   George III collected books and enjoyed music. An interest in science led
him 
to encourage Sir William Herschel to construct at Windsor what was then the
world's largest telescope. 
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