February.

Dickens turns 18.

Charles Dickens turned 18 on 7 February 1830.

June

William IV becomes King.

On 26 June 1830, King George IV died. He was succeeded by his younger brother William IV as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover. The third son of George III, William was the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain’s House of Hanover. William reigned until his death in 1837 when he was succeeded by Queen Victoria.

August

Charles X abdicates.

French Bourbon monarch King Charles X abdicates following urban riots the previous month (now known as the 1830 July Revolution). His cousin Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, succeeds him as King Louis Philippe I

August.

Belgium revolts.

Riots break out in Brussels at the start of the Belgian Revolution (August 1830 – July 1831), a conflict that led to the southern provinces of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands breaking away to form the independent Kingdom of Belgium.

November.

Wellington falls.

The Prime Minister Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, is forced to resign. He is succeeded by the Whig politician Earl Grey.