Timeline May 1768

Events in May 1768 3

• 1768 Massacre of St George's Fields British troops kill protesters in London Soldiers fired on a crowd gathered in Southwark to protest the imprisonment of radical politician John Wilkes, killing several people. The incident inflamed public anger over government repression and became a rallying point for the Wilkes and Liberty movement. It remained a touchstone in British debates over the use of troops against civilians.
• 1768 Treaty of Versailles cedes Corsica to France Genoa transfers sovereignty of Corsica to France The Republic of Genoa signed a treaty transferring its rights over Corsica to France in exchange for debt settlement, ending centuries of Genoese rule. The transfer triggered armed resistance from Corsican patriots under Pasquale Paoli, who had been governing the island independently. France completed its conquest of the island the following year.
• 1768 – 1821 Caroline of Brunswick (1768-1821) Died 7 August 1821, aged 53 Queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom, she became a popular figure after her estranged husband's failed attempt to divorce her through a parliamentary bill in 1820. She died just weeks after being barred from his coronation.