1n 1820, George IV accused his wife, Caroline, of adultery with a
lowborn foreigner, instigating a Bill of Pains and Penalties to divorce
and degrade her. The proceeding generated intense public debate,
mobilizing people along class lines. The middle class defended Caroline
while the aristocracy backed George. Both sides used print media to
argue for their chosen royal. This book examines pamphlets, caricatures,
and newspapers to highlight the gendered discourse prevalent in such
media. Kingites and Queenites alike used the scandal to express their
views on gender relations. Carolinites used bourgeois gender ideals to
defend the Queen while spreading their beliefs nationally. Strikingly,
loyalists used the same middle-class language to neutralize Caroline's
threat to the political and social orders. Despite trying to defend
patriarchy, Kingites ended up advocating bourgeois gender ideas.
Ultimately, the gendered debate revealed the changing social context of
the period, witnessing the emergence of Victorian ideologies.