William IV, born in 1765, was the third son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. As the younger brother to George IV, it was initially unlikely that William would ascend to the throne. Growing up, he had a relatively informal education compared to his elder brothers, and in his youth, he joined the Royal Navy, embarking on a naval career that instilled in him discipline and gave him broad experiences. This naval background earned him the epithet "Sailor King."

By the time he ascended to the throne in 1830 following the death of his elder brother, George IV, William was in his mid-sixties. His reign, while short, was marked by significant social and political change. One of the most pivotal events of his reign was the passage of the Reform Act of 1832. This act addressed widespread demands for electoral reform, extending the franchise and redrawing electoral boundaries to be more representative of the population distribution. While initially resistant, William eventually agreed to the creation of enough new peers to ensure the bill's passage through the House of Lords, which had been blocking it.

William's relationship with the governing class and Parliament was sometimes strained, especially when it came to the issue of reform. However, he had a much warmer relationship with the public than his predecessor. His relatively simple tastes and demeanor, shaped by his naval career, made him more relatable to ordinary people, and he was generally well-regarded by them.

In terms of foreign relations, William IV's reign didn't see any major wars, and it was largely a period of peace for Britain. The emphasis was more on colonial administration and trade. William didn't have particularly strong or idiosyncratic commercial or political philosophies, but he was generally supportive of the prevailing mercantile and imperial ethos of his time.

William's personal life was marked by long-standing liaisons before his kingship. For many years, he lived with his mistress, the actress Dorothea Jordan, with whom he had ten children. However, these children were illegitimate and hence barred from the succession. In 1818, he married Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, and while the couple had a harmonious relationship, their children either died young or were stillborn, leaving William without a legitimate heir. This paved the way for his niece, Victoria, to ascend the throne after him.

William IV passed away in 1837 at the age of 71. The English people felt a genuine sense of loss at his death, given his affable nature and the substantial reforms that had taken place during his reign. However, there was also anticipation and intrigue about the new era on the horizon under the young Queen Victoria.

Culturally, William IV's era was a transitional period. The Georgian era was giving way to the Victorian age. It was a time of rapid industrialization, leading to significant shifts in society. Urbanization increased as towns expanded, and there was a burgeoning middle class. The literary world saw the likes of Sir Walter Scott, while in the arts, Romanticism was the dominant movement. The society of the time was marked by both excitement about the possibilities of the industrial age and anxieties about the rapid changes it brought. The push for the Reform Act and other social changes was indicative of a society grappling with its transformation and seeking a political structure that mirrored its evolving nature.