¼ Rupee William IIII King – William IV (1765-1837 CE) was the third son of George III and Charlotte, King and Queen of England. He was preceded by his elder brother George IV. As a third son, he was not expected to ever inherit the crown. Joining the Royal Navy at the age of thirteen, he fought in the American War of Independence and served in the West Indies. He left the Royal Navy in 1790 and was appointed as the duke of Clarence and St. Andrews and Earl of Munster.
His elder brother George was crowned in 1820 CE, but it had become apparent by then that he and his younger brother Frederick were both old, ill and lacked any legitimate children. When his brother Frederick died, William became the heir presumptive. King George IV died three years later and William was crowned the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover at the age of sixty-four. His short reign (r. 1830-1837 CE) was nonetheless eventful; it saw the abolition of slavery in the colonies, the restriction of child labour and the passing of the historic Reform Act of 1832 CE which empowered the middle class and restricted the power of the monarch.
During William IV’s reign, the East India Company emerged as the paramount political authority in India. At the same time, the British Parliament established further control over the operations of the Company through the Charter Act of 1833 CE, by which the Company was turned into purely an administrative institution. The Governor-General of Bengal Lord William Bentinck became the Governor-General of India.
The first uniform coinage in British India was also issued from 1835 CE. Coins in the name of William IV were issued from 1835 CE to 1840 CE, while coins jointly mentioning William IV and his successor Victoria were issued as late as 1848 CE, eleven years after the former’s death. William IV died aged seventy-one without any legitimate offspring and the throne passed to his niece Victoria.
The specifications of this coin:
- Weight: 2.92 gm
- Diameter: 20 mm
- Shape: Round
- Orientation: Medal Alignment
- Edge: Reeded Edge
- Metal: Silver
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