george was known as the duke of york for many years until his grandmother, queen victoria, died peacefully at the age of 81. his father, edward, inherited the throne gaining the nickname "edward the peaceful" for his hard work maintaining stability when tensions were increasing. edward's death was greeted with great sadness across the empire, george describing him as "my best friend". by the time george became king britain was the richest, most powerful nation in the world and during his reign the empire expanded to its greatest ever extent.