How old was william pitt when he became prime minister
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
Prime Minister of Great Britain from to
This article is about William Pitt the Elder. Not to be confused with William Pitt the Younger.
"The Earl of Chatham" redirects here. For other holders of the title, see Earl of Chatham.
The Right Honourable The Earl of Chatham PC FRS | |
|---|---|
Pitt the Elder, by William Hoare | |
| In office 30 July &#;– 14 October | |
| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Rockingham |
| Succeeded by | The Duke of Grafton |
| In office 30 July &#;– 14 October | |
| Preceded by | The Duke of Newcastle |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Bristol |
| In office 27 June &#;– 6 October | |
| Preceded by | Himself |
| Succeeded by | George Grenville |
| In office 4 December &#;– 6 April | |
| Preceded by | Henry Fox |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| In office 27 June &#;– 5 October | |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Holderness |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Egremont |
| In office 4 December &#;– 6 April | |
| Preceded by | Henry Fox |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Holderness |
| In office 29 October &#;– 25 November | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Winnington |
| Succeeded by | |
| In office 18 February &#;– 4 August | |
| Constituency | |
| Born | William Pitt ()15 November Westminster, London, Great Britain |
| Died | 11 May () (aged&#;69) Hayes, Kent now BromleySouth London, Great Britain |
| Resting place | Westminster Abbey, England |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5; including Hester, John, and William |
| Parent(s) | Robert Pitt (father) Harriet Villiers (mother) |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | |
| Signature | |
| Allegiance | &#;Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Unit | King's Own Regiment of Horse |
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (15 November &#;&#; 11 May ) was a British Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from to Historians call him "Chatham" or "Pitt the Elder" to distinguish him from his son William Pitt the Younger, who also served as prime minister.
Pitt was also known as "the Great Commoner" because of his long-standing refusal to accept a title until
Pitt was a member of the British cabinet and with a brief interlude in , its informal leader from to , during the Seven Years' War (including the French and Indian War in the American colonies).
He again led the ministry, holding the official title of Lord Privy Seal, between and Much of his power came from his brilliant oratory.[1] He was out of power for most of his career and became well-known for his attacks on the government, such as those on Walpole's corruption in the s, Hanoverian subsidies in the s, peace with France in the s, and the policy toward the American colonies during the s.[2]
Pitt is best known as the wartime political leader of Britain during the Seven Years' War, especially for his single-minded devotion to victory over France, a victory that ultimately solidified Britain's dominance over world affairs.
He is also known for his popular appeal, his opposition to corruption in government, his support for the American position in the run-up to the American Revolutionary War, his advocacy of British greatness, expansionism and empire, and his antagonism toward Britain's chief enemies and rivals for colonial power, Spain and France.[3] Marie Peters argues his statesmanship was based on a clear, consistent and distinct appreciation of the value of the Empire.[4]
The British parliamentary historian P.
D. G. Thomas argued that Pitt's power was based not on his family connections, but on the extraordinary parliamentary skills by which he dominated the House of Commons. He displayed a commanding manner, brilliant rhetoric and sharp debating skills that cleverly used his broad literary and historical knowledge.[5] Scholars rank him highly among all British prime ministers.[6]
Early life
Family
Pitt was the grandson of Thomas Pitt (–), the governor of Madras, known as "Diamond" Pitt for having discovered a diamond of extraordinary size and having sold it to the Duke of Orléans for approximately £,[7] This transaction, as well as other trading deals in India, established the Pitt family fortune.
After returning home the governor was able to raise his family to a position of wealth and political influence: in he purchased the property of Boconnoc in Cornwall, which gave him control of a seat in Parliament. He made further land purchases and became one of the dominant political figures in the West Country, controlling seats such as the rotten borough of Old Sarum.
William's mother was Harriet Villiers,[9] the daughter of Edward Villiers-FitzGerald and the IrishheiressKatherine FitzGerald.[10] William's father was Robert Pitt (–), the eldest son of Governor Pitt.
He served as a ToryMember of Parliament from to
Both William's uncles Thomas and John were MPs, while his aunt Lucy married the leading Whig politician and soldier General James Stanhope. From to , Stanhope served as effective First Minister in the Stanhope–Sunderland Ministry,[11] and was a useful political contact for the Pitt family until the collapse of the South Sea Bubble, a disaster that engulfed the government.
Birth and education
William Pitt was born at Golden Square, Westminster, on 15 November [12] His older brother Thomas Pitt had been born in and they had five sisters: Harriet, Catherine, Ann, Elizabeth, and Mary. From , William was educated at Eton College along with his brother. William disliked Eton, later claiming that "a public school might suit a boy of turbulent disposition but would not do where there was any gentleness".[13] It was at school that Pitt began to suffer from gout.
Governor Pitt died in , and the family estate at Boconnoc passed to William's father. When he died the following year, Boconnoc was inherited by William's elder brother, Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc.
In January , William was entered as a gentleman commoner at Trinity College, Oxford. There is evidence that he was an extensive reader, if not a minutely accurate classical scholar.
Virgil was his favourite author. William diligently cultivated the faculty of expression by the practice of translation and re-translation. In these years he became a close friend of George Lyttelton,[14] who would later become a leading politician. In , a violent attack of gout compelled him to leave Oxford without finishing his degree.
He then chose to travel abroad, from attending Utrecht University in the Dutch Republic,[15] gaining a knowledge of Hugo Grotius and other writers on international law and diplomacy. It is not known how long Pitt studied at Utrecht;[16] but by he had returned to his brother's estate at Boconnoc.[17]
He had recovered from the violent attack of gout, but the disease proved intractable, and he continued to be subject to attacks of growing intensity at frequent intervals until his death.
Military career
On Pitt's return home it was necessary for him, as the younger son, to choose a profession and he opted for a career in the army.[19] He obtained a cornet's commission in the dragoons with the King's Own Regiment of Horse (later 1st King's Dragoon Guards).George II never forgot the jibes of "the terrible cornet of horse".[20] It was reported that the £1, cost of the commission had been supplied by Robert Walpole, the prime minister, out of Treasury funds in an attempt to secure the support of Pitt's brother Thomas in Parliament.
Alternatively, the fee may have been waived by the commanding officer of the regiment, Lord Cobham, who was related to the Pitt brothers by marriage.[21]
Pitt grew close to Cobham, whom he regarded as almost a surrogate father. He was stationed for much of his service in Northampton, on peacetime duties.
Pitt was particularly frustrated that he had not been tested in battle since Britain had not entered the War of the Polish Succession that began in owing to Walpole's isolationist policies.[22] Pitt was granted extended leave in and he toured France and Switzerland. He briefly visited Paris, but spent most of his time in the French provinces,[23] spending the winter in Lunéville in the Duchy of Lorraine.[24]
Pitt's military career was destined to be relatively short.
His elder brother Thomas was returned at the general election of for two separate seats, Okehampton and Old Sarum, and chose to sit for Okehampton, passing the vacant seat to William who, accordingly, in February , entered parliament as member for Old Sarum. He became one of a large number of serving army officers in the House of Commons.
Rise to prominence
Patriot Whigs
Further information: Cobhamites
Pitt soon joined a faction of discontented Whigs known as the Patriots who formed part of the opposition. The group commonly met at Stowe House, the country estate of Lord Cobham, who was a leader of the group.[25] Cobham had originally been a supporter of the government under Sir Robert Walpole, but a dispute over the controversial Excise Bill of had seen them join the opposition.
Pitt swiftly became one of the faction's most prominent members.
Plains of abraham
Historians call him " Chatham " or " Pitt the Elder " to distinguish him from his son William Pitt the Younger , who also served as prime minister. Pitt was also known as " the Great Commoner " because of his long-standing refusal to accept a title until Pitt was a member of the British cabinet and with a brief interlude in , its informal leader from to , during the Seven Years' War including the French and Indian War in the American colonies. He again led the ministry, holding the official title of Lord Privy Seal , between and Much of his power came from his brilliant oratory.Pitt's maiden speech in the Commons was delivered in April , in the debate on the congratulatory address to George II on the marriage of his son Frederick, Prince of Wales. He used the occasion to pay compliments, and there was nothing striking in the speech as reported, but it helped to gain him the attention of the House when he later took part on debates on more partisan subjects.
In particular, he attacked Britain's non-intervention in the ongoing European war, which he believed was in violation of the Treaty of Vienna and the terms of the Anglo-Austrian Alliance.
He became such a troublesome critic of the government that Walpole moved to punish him by arranging his dismissal from the army in , along with several of his friends and political allies.
This provoked a wave of hostility to Walpole because many saw such an act as unconstitutional—that members of Parliament were being dismissed for their freedom of speech in attacking the government, something protected by Parliamentary privilege. None of the men had their commissions reinstated, however, and the incident brought an end to Pitt's military career.[26] The loss of Pitt's commission was soon compensated.
The heir to the throne, Frederick, Prince of Wales, was involved in a long-running dispute with his father, George II, and was the patron of the opposition.[27] He appointed Pitt one of his Grooms of the Bedchamber as a reward.[28] In this new position Pitt's hostility to the government did not in any degree relax, and his oratorical gifts were substantial.
War
Spanish war
Main article: War of Jenkins' Ear
During the s Britain's relationship with Spain had slowly declined.
Repeated cases of reported Spanish mistreatment of British merchants, whom they accused of smuggling, caused public outrage, particularly the incident of Jenkins' Ear.[29] Pitt was a leading advocate of a more hard-line policy against Spain and he often castigated Walpole's government for its weakness in dealing with Madrid.
Pitt spoke out against the Convention of El Pardo that aimed to settle the dispute peacefully.[30] In the speech against the convention in the House of Commons on 8 March Pitt said:
When trade is at stake, it is your last entrenchment; you must defend it, or perish&#; Sir, Spain knows the consequence of a war in America; whoever gains, it must prove fatal to her&#; is this any longer a nation?
Is this any longer an English Parliament, if with more ships in your harbours than in all the navies of Europe; with above two millions of people in your American colonies, you will bear to hear of the expediency of receiving from Spain an insecure, unsatisfactory, dishonourable Convention?[31]
Owing to public pressure, the British government was pushed toward declaring war with Spain in Britain began with a success at Porto Bello.[32] However the war effort soon stalled, and Pitt alleged that the government was not prosecuting the war effectively—demonstrated by the fact that the British waited two years before taking further offensive action fearing that further British victories would provoke the French into declaring war.[33] When they did so, a failed attack was made on the South American port of Cartagena that left thousands of British troops dead, more than half from disease, and cost many ships.
The decision to attack during the rainy season was held as further evidence of the government's incompetence.
After this, the colonial war against Spain was almost entirely abandoned as British resources were switched toward fighting France in Europe as the War of the Austrian Succession had broken out. The Spanish had repelled a major invasion intended to conquer Central America and succeeded in maintaining their trans-Atlantic convoys while causing much disruption to British shipping and twice broke a British blockade to land troops in Italy, but the war with Spain was treated as a draw.
Many of the underlying issues remained unresolved by the later peace treaties leaving the potential for future conflicts to occur. Pitt considered the war a missed opportunity to take advantage of a power in decline, although later he became an advocate of warmer relations with the Spanish in an effort to prevent them forming an alliance with France.
Hanover
Walpole and Newcastle were now giving the war in Europe a much higher priority than the colonial conflict with Spain in the Americas. Prussia and Austria went to war in , with many other European states soon joining in.[34] There was a fear that France would launch an invasion of Hanover, which was linked to Britain through the crown of George II.
To avert this, Walpole and Newcastle decided to pay a large subsidy to both Austria and Hanover, in order for them to raise troops and defend themselves.
Pitt then launched an attack on such subsidies, playing to widespread anti-Hanoverian feelings in Britain. This boosted his popularity with the public, but earned him the lifelong hatred of the King, who was emotionally committed to Hanover, where he had spent the first thirty years of his life.
In response to Pitt's attacks, the British government decided not to pay a direct subsidy to Hanover, but instead to pass the money indirectly through Austria—a move that was considered more politically acceptable. A sizeable Anglo-German army was formed that George II led to victory at the Battle of Dettingen in , reducing the immediate threat to Hanover.[35]
Fall of Walpole
Many of Pitt's attacks on the government were directed personally at Walpole, who had now been prime minister for twenty years.
He spoke in favour of the motion in for an inquiry into the last ten years of Walpole's administration. In February , following poor election results and the disaster at Cartagena, Walpole finally was forced to succumb to the long-continued attacks of opposition, he resigned and took a peerage.
Pitt now expected a new government to be formed led by Pulteney and dominated by Tories and Patriot Whigs in which he could expect a junior position.[36] Instead, Walpole was succeeded as prime minister by Lord Wilmington, although the real power in the new government was divided among Lord Carteret and the Pelham brothers (Henry and Thomas, Duke of Newcastle).
Walpole had carefully orchestrated this new government as a continuance of his own, and continued to advise it up to his death in Pitt's hopes for a place in the government were thwarted and he remained in opposition. He was therefore unable to make any personal gain from the downfall of Walpole, to which he had personally contributed a great deal.
After the dismissal of Carteret, the administration formed by the Pelhams in included many of Pitt's former Patriot allies, but Pitt was not granted a position because of continued ill-feeling by the king and leading Whigs about his views on Hanover.
In , Pitt received a large boost to his personal fortune when the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough died leaving him a legacy of £10, as an "acknowledgment of the noble defence he had made for the support of the laws of England and to prevent the ruin of his country".[37] The inheritance was probably as much a mark of her dislike of Walpole as of her admiration of Pitt.
In government
Paymaster of the Forces
Reluctantly the king finally agreed to give Pitt a place in the government.
Pitt had changed his stance on a number of issues to become more acceptable to George, most notably the heated issue of Hanoverian subsidies. To force the matter, the Pelham brothers had to resign on the question of whether he should be admitted or not, and it was only after all other arrangements had proved impracticable, that they were reinstated with Pitt appointed as Vice-Treasurer of Ireland in February George continued to resent him however.
In May of the same year Pitt was promoted to the more important and lucrative office of paymaster-general, which gave him a place in the Privy Council, although not in the cabinet. There he had an opportunity of displaying his public spirit and integrity in a way that deeply impressed both the king and the country.
It had been the usual practise of previous paymasters to appropriate to themselves the interest of all money lying in their hands by way of advance, and also to accept a commission of 1&#;2% on all foreign subsidies. Although there was no strong public sentiment against the practice, Pitt completely refused to profit by it. All advances were lodged by him in the Bank of England until required, and all subsidies were paid over without deduction, even though it was pressed upon him, so that he did not draw a shilling from his office beyond the salary legally attaching to it.
Pitt ostentatiously made this clear to everyone, although he was in fact following what Henry Pelham had done when he had held the post between and This helped to establish Pitt's reputation with the British people for honesty and placing the interests of the nation before his own.
The administration formed in lasted without major changes until It would appear from his published correspondence that Pitt had a greater influence in shaping its policy than his comparatively subordinate position would in itself have entitled him to.
His support for measures, such as the Spanish Treaty and the continental subsidies, which he had violently denounced when in opposition was criticised by his enemies as an example of his political opportunism.
Between and , Pitt worked closely with Newcastle in formulating British military and diplomatic strategy.
He shared with Newcastle a belief that Britain should continue to fight until it could receive generous peace terms, in contrast to some such as Henry Pelham who favoured an immediate peace. Pitt was saddened when his friend and brother-in-law Thomas Grenville was killed at the naval First Battle of Cape Finisterre in ,[38] however, this victory helped secure British supremacy of the sea that gave the British a stronger negotiating position when it came to the peace talks that ended the war.
At the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in British colonial conquests were exchanged for a French withdrawal from Brussels. Many saw this as merely an armistice and awaited an imminent new war.
Dispute with Newcastle
Further information: First Newcastle Ministry
In , Henry Pelham died suddenly and was succeeded as prime minister by his brother, the Duke of Newcastle.
As Newcastle sat in the House of Lords, he required a leading politician to represent the government in the House of Commons. Pitt and Henry Fox were considered the two favourites for the position, but Newcastle instead rejected them both and turned to the less well-known figure of Sir Thomas Robinson, a career diplomat, to fill the post.
It was widely believed that Newcastle had done this because he feared the ambitions of both Pitt and Fox, and believed he would find it easier to dominate the inexperienced Robinson.[39]
Despite his disappointment there was no immediate open breach. Pitt continued at his post; and at the general election that took place during the year, he even accepted a nomination for the Duke's pocket borough of Aldborough.
He had sat for Seaford since The government won a landslide, further strengthening its majority in parliament.[41]
When parliament met, however, he made no secret of his feelings. Ignoring Robinson, Pitt made frequent and vehement attacks on Newcastle, although still continuing to serve as Paymaster under him.
From , Britain was increasingly drawn into conflict with France during this period, despite Newcastle's wish to maintain the peace.
Frederick william i He is often known as William Pitt the Elder to distinguish him from his son, William Pitt the Younger , who served as Prime Minister from — and from to his death in [1]. The major American city of Pittsburgh was named for him. Chatham, New Jersey is also named after him. Although he was only Prime Minister for two years, he was a dominant political figure throughout the eighteenth century. Many of his most significant achievements came before he occupied the highest office.The countries clashed in North America, where each had laid claim to the Ohio Country. A British expedition under General Braddock had been despatched and defeated in summer that caused a ratcheting up of tensions.[42]
Eager to prevent the war spreading to Europe, Newcastle now tried to conclude a series of treaties that would secure Britain allies through the payment of subsidies, which he hoped would discourage France from attacking Britain.
Similar subsidies had been an issue of past disagreement, and they were widely attacked by Patriot Whigs and Tories. As the government came under increasing attack, Newcastle replaced Robinson with Fox who it was acknowledged carried more political weight and again slighted Pitt.
Finally in November , Pitt was dismissed from office as paymaster, having spoken during a debate at great length against the new system of continental subsidies proposed by the government of which he was still a member.[43] Fox retained his own place, and although the two men continued to be of the same party, and afterward served again in the same government, there was henceforward a rivalry between them, which makes the celebrated opposition of their sons, William Pitt the Younger and Charles James Fox, seem like an inherited quarrel.
Pitt's relationship with the Duke slumped further in early when he alleged that Newcastle was deliberately leaving the island of Menorca ill-defended so that the French would seize it, and Newcastle could use its loss to prove that Britain was not able to fight a war against France and sue for peace.
When in June Menorca fell after a failed attempt by Admiral Byng to relieve it, Pitt's allegations fuelled the public anger against Newcastle, leading him to be attacked by a mob in Greenwich.[44] The loss of Menorca shattered public faith in Newcastle, and forced him to step down as prime minister in November
Secretary of State
In December , Pitt, who now sat for Okehampton, became Secretary of State for the Southern Department, and Leader of the House of Commons under the premiership of the Duke of Devonshire.
Upon entering this coalition, Pitt said to Devonshire: "My Lord, I am sure I can save this country, and no one else can".[45]
He had made it a condition of his joining any administration that Newcastle should be excluded from it, which proved fatal to the lengthened existence of his government. With the king unfriendly, and Newcastle, whose influence was still dominant in the Commons, estranged, it was impossible to carry on a government by the aid of public opinion alone, however emphatically that might have declared itself on his side.
The historian Basil Williams has claimed that this is the first time in British history when a "man was called to supreme power by the voice of the people" rather than by the king's appointment or, as the choice of Parliament.[46]
Pitt drew up his plans for the campaigning season of in which he hoped to reverse Britain's string of defeats during the war's opening years.
In April Pitt was dismissed from office on account of his opposition to the continental policy and the circumstances surrounding the court-martial and execution of Admiral John Byng. He was succeeded by the Duke of Devonshire who formed the Caretaker Ministry. But the power that was insufficient to keep him in office was strong enough to make any arrangement that excluded him, impracticable.
The public voice spoke in a way that was not to be mistaken. Probably no English minister ever received in so short a time so many proofs of the confidence and admiration of the public, the capital and all the chief towns voting him addresses and the freedom of their corporations (e.g., London presented him with the first ever honoraryFreedom of the City awarded in history).
Horace Walpole recorded the freedoms of various cities awarded to Pitt:
for some weeks it rained gold boxes: Chester, Worcester, Norwich, Bedford, Salisbury, Yarmouth, Tewkesbury, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Stirling, and other populous and chief towns following the example. Exeter, with singular affection, sent boxes of oak.[47]
After some weeks' negotiation, in the course of which the firmness and moderation of "The Great Commoner", as he had come to be called, contrasted favourably with the characteristic tortuosities of the crafty peer, matters were settled on such a basis that, while Newcastle was the nominal, Pitt was the virtual head of the government.
On his acceptance of office, he was chosen member for Bath.
Pitt–Newcastle ministry
Seven Years' War
Main article: Pitt–Newcastle ministry
Further information: Great Britain in the Seven Years War
A coalition with Newcastle was formed in June , and held power until October It brought together several various factions and was built around the partnership between Pitt and Newcastle, which a few months earlier had seemed impossible.
The two men used Lord Chesterfield as an intermediary and had managed to agree a division of powers that was acceptable to both.[48] For the past few months Britain had been virtually leaderless, although Devonshire had remained formally prime minister, but now Pitt and Newcastle were ready to offer stronger direction to the country's strategy.
By summer the British war effort over the previous three years had broadly been a failure. Britain's attempts to take the offensive in North America had ended in disaster, Menorca had been lost, and the Duke of Cumberland's Army of Observation was retreating across Hanover following the Battle of Hastenback. In October Cumberland was forced to conclude the Convention of Klosterzeven, which would take Hanover out of the war.[49] The French Invasion of Hanover posed a threat to Britain's ally Prussia, which was now vulnerable to attack from the west by the French as well as facing attack from Austria, Russia, Saxony and Sweden.
William pitt the younger: William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (15 November – 11 May ) was a British Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from to Historians call him "Chatham" or "Pitt the Elder" to distinguish him from his son William Pitt the Younger, who also served as prime minister.
Although it was late in the campaigning season when he had come to power, Pitt set about trying to initiate a more assertive strategy. He conspired with a number of figures to persuade the Hanoverians to revoke the Klosterzevern Convention and re-enter the war on Britain's side, which they did in late He also put into practice a scheme of Naval Descents that would make amphibious landings on the French coast.
The first of these, the Raid on Rochefort, took place in September but was not a success.[50] The centrepiece of the campaign in North America, an expedition to capture Louisbourg, was aborted due to the presence of a large French fleet and a gale that scattered the British fleet.
In Pitt began to put into practice a new strategy to win the Seven Years' War, which would involve tying down large numbers of French troops and resources in Germany, while Britain used its naval supremacy to launch expeditions to capture French forces around the globe.
Following the capture of Emden he ordered the dispatch of the first British troops to the European continent under the Duke of Marlborough, who joined Brunswick's army.[51] This was a dramatic reversal of his previous position, as he had recently been strongly opposed to any such commitment.
Pitt had been lobbied by an American merchant Thomas Cumming to launch an expedition against the French trading settlements in West Africa.
In April British forces captured the ill-defended fort of Saint-Louis in Senegal. The mission was so lucrative that Pitt sent out further expeditions to capture Gorée and Gambia later in the year.[52] He also drew up plans to attack French islands in the Caribbean the following year at the suggestion of a Jamaican sugar planter William Beckford.[53]
In North America, a second British attempt to capture Louisbourg succeeded.
However, Pitt's pleasure over this was tempered by the subsequent news of a significant British defeat at the Battle of Carillon.[54] Toward the end of the year the Forbes Expedition seized the site of Fort Duquesne and began constructing the British-controlled Fort Pitt (which later grew into the city of Pittsburgh).
This gave the British control of the Ohio Country, which had been the principal cause of the war.
In Europe, Brunswick's forces enjoyed a mixed year. Brunswick had crossed the Rhine, but faced with being cut off he had retreated and blocked any potential French move toward Hanover with his victory at the Battle of Krefeld. The year ended with something approaching a stalemate in Germany.
Pitt had continued his naval descents during , but the first had enjoyed only limited success and the second ended with near disaster at the Battle of St Cast and no further descents were planned.[55] Instead the troops and ships would be used as part of the coming expedition to the French West Indies.
The scheme of amphibious raids was the only one of Pitt's policies during the war that was broadly a failure, although it did help briefly relieve pressure on the German front by tying down French troops on coastal protection service.
Annus Mirabilis
Further information: Annus Mirabilis of
In France a new leader, the Duc de Choiseul, had recently come to power and offered a duel between their rival strategies.
Pitt intended to continue with his plan of tying down French forces in Germany while continuing the assault on France's colonies. Choiseul hoped to repel the attacks in the colonies while seeking total victory in Europe.
Pitt's war around the world was largely successful. While a British invasion of Martinique failed, they captured Guadeloupe shortly afterward.
In India, a French attempt to capture Madras was repulsed. In North America, British troops closed in on France's Canadian heartland. A British force under James Wolfe moved up the Saint Lawrence with the aim of capturing Quebec. After initially failing to penetrate the French defences at the Montmorency Falls, Wolfe later led his men to a victory to the west of the city allowing the British forces to capture Quebec.[56]
Choiseul had pinned much of his hopes on a French invasion of Britain, which he hoped would knock Britain out of the war and make it surrender the colonies it had taken from France.
Pitt had stripped the home islands of troops to send on his expeditions, leaving Britain guarded by poorly trained militia and giving an opportunity for the French if they could land in enough force. The French did build a large invasion force.
William pitt the younger biography William Pitt. The family was not aristocratic and the politicians in the family relied on connections and their own abilities to make their way in life. He left there in before graduating and took a place at the University of Utrecht. Pitt then was provided with a Cornetcy in Cobham's Regiment the King's Own Regiment of Horse in but was dismissed in for a sarcastic speech he made in parliament. Cobham was his uncle.However the French naval defeats at Lagos and Quiberon Bay forced Choiseul to abandon the invasion plans. France's other great hope, that their armies could make a breakthrough in Germany and invade Hanover, was thwarted at the Battle of Minden. Britain ended the year victorious in every theatre of operations in which it was engaged, with Pitt receiving the credit for this.[57]
–61
Britain completed the conquest of Canada in by capturing Montreal, which effectively brought the war to an end on mainland North America.
Pitt's power had now reached its peak, but was soon under threat. The domestic political situation was altered dramatically when George II died in October He was succeeded by his grandson, George III, who had once considered Pitt an ally but had become angered by Pitt's alliance with Newcastle and acceptance of the need for British intervention in Germany&#;&#; which George was strongly opposed to.[58] The new king successfully lobbied for his favourite Lord Bute to be given the post of Northern Secretary.
Bute was inclined to support a withdrawal from Germany, and to fight the war with France largely at sea and in the colonies.
Pitt's plan for an expedition to capture Belle Île was put into force in April and it was captured after a siege. This provided yet a further blow to French prestige, as it was the first part of Metropolitan France to be occupied.[59] Pitt now expected France to offer terms, although he was prepared for a longer war if necessary.
Envoys were exchanged, but neither side could reach an agreement.[60] Pitt's refusal to grant the French a share in Newfoundland proved the biggest obstacle to peace, as Pitt declared he would rather lose the use of his right arm than give the French a share there and later said he would rather give up the Tower of London than Newfoundland.
Newfoundland was at the time seen as possessing huge economic and strategic value because of the extensive fishing industry there.[61]
The war in Germany continued through with the French again attempting to overcome Brunswick and invade Hanover, but suffering a defeat at the Battle of Villinghausen.
Pitt had substantially increased the number of British troops serving with Brunswick, and he also planned further conquests in the West Indies. A strategy he hoped would compel the French to conclude a reasonable peace treaty.
Treaty of Paris
Main article: Treaty of Paris ()
To the preliminaries of the peace concluded in February he offered an indignant resistance, considering the terms quite inadequate to the successes that had been gained by the country.
When the treaty was discussed in parliament in December of the previous year, although suffering from a severe attack of gout, he was carried down to the House, and in a speech of three hours' duration, interrupted more than once by paroxysms of pain, he strongly protested against its various conditions. These conditions included the return of the sugar islands (but Britain retained Dominica); trading stations in West Africa (won by Boscawen); Pondicherry (France's Indian colony); and fishing rights in Newfoundland.
Pitt's opposition arose through two heads: France had been given the means to become once more formidable at sea, whilst Frederick of Prussia had been betrayed.
Pitt believed that the task had been left half-finished and called for a final year of war which would crush French power for good. Pitt had long-held plans for further conquests which had been uncompleted.
Newcastle, by contrast, sought peace but only if the war in Germany could be brought to an honourable and satisfactory conclusion (rather than Britain suddenly bailing out of it as Bute proposed). However the combined opposition of Newcastle and Pitt was not enough to prevent the Treaty passing comfortably in both Houses of Parliament.
However, there were strong reasons for concluding the peace: the National Debt had increased from £m.
in to £m. in , the year of the peace. The requirement to pay down this debt, and the lack of French threat in Canada, were major movers in the subsequent American War of Independence.
The physical cause which rendered this effort so painful probably accounts for the infrequency of his appearances in parliament, as well as for much that is otherwise inexplicable in his subsequent conduct. In , he spoke against the unpopular tax on cider, imposed by his brother-in-law, George Grenville, and his opposition, although unsuccessful in the House, helped to keep alive his popularity with the country, which cordially hated the excise and all connected with it.
When next year the question of general warrants was raised in connexion with the case of John Wilkes, Pitt vigorously maintained their illegality, thus defending at once the privileges of Parliament and the freedom of the press.
During he seems to have been totally incapacitated for public business. In the following year he supported with great power the proposal of the Rockingham administration for the repeal of the Stamp Act, arguing that it was unconstitutional to impose taxes upon the colonies.
He thus endorsed the contention of the colonists on the ground of principle, while the majority of those who acted with him contented themselves with resisting the disastrous taxation scheme on the ground of expediency.
The Repeal () of the Stamp Act, indeed, was only passed pari passu with another censuring the American assemblies, and declaring the authority of the British parliament over the colonies "in all cases whatsoever".
Thus the House of Commons repudiated in the most formal manner the principle Pitt laid down. His language in approval of the resistance of the colonists was unusually bold, and perhaps no one but himself could have employed it with impunity at a time when the freedom of debate was only imperfectly conceded.[63]
Pitt had not been long out of office when he was solicited to return to it, and the solicitations were more than once renewed.
Unsuccessful overtures were made to him in , and twice in , in May and June—the negotiator in May being the king's uncle, the Duke of Cumberland, who went down in person to Hayes, Pitt's seat in Kent. It is known that he had the opportunity of joining the Marquess of Rockingham's short-lived administration at any time on his own terms, and his conduct in declining an arrangement with that minister has been more generally condemned than any other step in his public life.
Leadership
The London Magazine of offered "Pitt, Pompadour, Prussia, Providence" as the reasons for Britain's success in the Seven Years' War.[64] Pitt's relation to all three was such as to entitle him to a large share in the credit of their deeds.
He inspired trust in his chosen commanders by his indifference to rules of seniority—several of "Pitt's boys", like Keppel, captor of Gorée, were in their thirties—and by his clear orders.[65] It was his discernment that selected Wolfe to lead the attack on Quebec, and gave him the opportunity of dying a victor on the heights of Abraham.
He had personally less to do with the successes in India than with the other great enterprises that shed an undying lustre on his administration; but his generous praise in parliament encouraged Robert Clive, and the forces that acted at the close of the struggle were animated by his indomitable spirit.
Pitt's particular genius was to finance an army on the continent to drain French men and resources so that Britain might concentrate on what he held to be the vital spheres: Canada and the West Indies; whilst Clive successfully defeated Siraj ud-Daulah, (the last independent Nawab of Bengal) at Plassey (), securing India.
The Continental campaign was carried on by Cumberland, defeated at Hastenbeck and forced to surrender at Convention of Klosterzeven () and thereafter by Ferdinand of Brunswick, later victor at Minden; Britain's Continental campaign had two major strands, firstly subsidising allies, particularly Frederick the Great, and second, financing an army to divert French resources from the colonial war and to also defend Hanover (which was the territory of the Kings of England at this time)
Pitt was a leading imperialist in English history.
He was the directing mind in the expansion of his country, and with him the beginning of empire is rightly associated. The Seven Years' War might well, moreover, have been another Thirty Years' War if Pitt had not furnished Frederick with an annual subsidy of £,, and in addition relieved him of the task of defending western Germany against France: this was the policy that allowed Pitt to boast of having "won Canada on the banks of the Rhine".
William pitt the elder biography of donald William Pitt the Elder, first Earl of Chatham, was an important war leader who found it harder to govern in peace time. Pitt was a pupil at Eton from until He entered Trinity College, Oxford in but rapidly moved on to study in Utrecht. His elder brother inherited the family estates and William had to seek other employment. William Pitt was elected to the family pocket borough of Old Sarum inContemporary opinion was, of course, incompetent to estimate the permanent results gained for the country by the brilliant foreign policy of Pitt. It has long been generally agreed that by several of his most costly expeditions nothing was really won but glory: the policy of diversionary attacks on places like Rochefort was memorably described as 'breaking windows with gold guineas'.
It has even been said that the only permanent acquisition that England owed directly to him was her Canadian dominion; and, strictly speaking, this is true, it being admitted that the campaign by which the Indian empire was virtually won was not planned by him, although brought to a successful issue during his ministry.
But material aggrandisement, although the only tangible, was not the only real or lasting effect of a war policy.
More could be gained by crushing a formidable rival than by conquering a province. The loss of her Canadian possessions was only one of a series of disasters suffered by France, which included the victories at sea of Boscawen at Lagos and Hawke at Quiberon Bay. Such defeats radically affected the future of Europe and the world. Deprived of her most valuable colonies both in the East and in the West, and thoroughly defeated on the continent, France's humiliation was the beginning of a new epoch in history.
The victorious policy of Pitt destroyed the military prestige which repeated experience has shown to be in France as in no other country the very life of monarchy, and thus was not the least of the influences that slowly brought about the French Revolution.
It effectually deprived France of the lead in the councils of Europe which she had hitherto arrogated to herself, and so affected the whole course of continental politics. It is such far-reaching results as these, and not the mere acquisition of a single colony, however valuable, that constitute Pitt's claim to be considered as the most powerful minister that ever guided the foreign policy of England.
Resignation
George II died on 25 October , and was succeeded by his grandson, George III.
The new king was inclined to view politics in personal terms and taught to believe that "Pitt had the blackest of hearts". The new king had counsellors of his own, led by Lord Bute. Bute soon joined the cabinet as a Northern Secretary and Pitt and he were quickly in dispute over a number of issues.
In Pitt had received information from his agents about a secret Bourbon Family Compact by which the Bourbons of France and Spain bound themselves in an offensive alliance against Britain.
Spain was concerned that Britain's victories over France had left them too powerful, and were a threat in the long term to Spain's own empire. Equally they may have believed that the British had become overstretched by fighting a global war and decided to try to seize British possessions such as Jamaica. A secret convention pledged that if Britain and France were still at war by 1 May , Spain would enter the war on the French side.[66]
Pitt urged that such a clear threat should be met by a pre-emptive strike against Spain's navy and her colonies—with emphasis on speed to prevent Spain bringing the annual Manila galleon safely to harbour.
Bute and Newcastle refused to support such a move, as did the entire cabinet except Temple, believing it would make Britain look the aggressor against Spain potentially provoking other neutral nations to declare war on Britain. Pitt believed he had no choice but to leave a cabinet in which his advice on a vital question had been rejected and presented his resignation.
Many of his cabinet colleagues secretly welcomed his departure as they believed his dominance and popularity were a threat to the Constitution.[67] Pitt's brother-in-law George Grenville was given a major role in government, angering Pitt who felt Grenville should have resigned with him. Pitt regarded Grenville's action as a betrayal and there was hostility between them for several years.
After Pitt's resignation in October , the King urged Pitt to accept a mark of royal favour. Accordingly, he obtained a pension of £ a year and his wife, Lady Hester Grenville was created Baroness Chatham in her own right—although Pitt refused to accept a title himself. Pitt assured the King that he would not go into direct opposition against the government.
His conduct after his retirement was distinguished by a moderation and disinterestedness which, as Edmund Burke remarked, "set a seal upon his character". The war with Spain, in which he had urged the cabinet to take the initiative, proved inevitable; but he scorned to use the occasion for "altercation and recrimination", and spoke in support of the government measures for carrying on the war.
Twenty years after he had received a similar windfall from the Marlborough legacy, Sir William Pynsent, Bt., a Somersetbaronet to whom he was personally quite unknown, left him his entire estate, worth about three thousand a year, in testimony of approval of his political career.[68]
Prime Minister ()
Chatham Ministry
Main article: Chatham ministry
In July Rockingham was dismissed, and Pitt was entrusted by the King with the task of forming a government entirely of his own selection.
His principle, "measures not men", appealed to the King whom he proposed to serve by "destroying all party distinctions". Pitt made appointments based not on connections but on merit, such as Charles Townshend to the Exchequer and Shelburne as Secretary of State, to order American affairs. Pitt chose for himself the office of Lord Privy Seal, which required his elevation to the House of Lords, and on 4 August he became Earl of Chatham in the county of Kent and Viscount Pitt of Burton Pynsent in the county of Somerset.[69]
Pitt's decision to accept a peerage was likely influenced by his declining health and desire for a less demanding role, but the "great commoner" lost a great deal of public support.[70] For example, in view of his probable accession to power, preparations were made in the City of London for a banquet and a general illumination to celebrate the event, but the celebration was at once countermanded when it was known that he had become Earl of Chatham.
Edmund Burke described the administration as "chequered and speckled", and spoke of it as "patriots and courtiers, King's friends and republicans; Whigs and Tories&#; indeed a very curious show, but utterly unsafe to touch and unsure to stand on".[71]
Economic policy
The problems facing the government included the observance of the Treaty of Paris by France and Spain, tension between American colonists and the mother country, and the status of the East India Company.
One of the new ministry's earliest acts was to lay an embargo upon corn, which was thought necessary in order to prevent a dearth resulting from the unprecedented bad harvest of The measure was strongly opposed, and Lord Chatham delivered his first speech in the House of Lords in support of it. It proved to be almost the only measure introduced by his government in which he personally interested himself.
Colonial policy
In , Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, enacted duties in the American colonies on tea, paper, and other goods.
The taxes were created without the consultation of Chatham and possibly against his wishes. They proved offensive to the American colonists. Chatham's attention had been directed to the growing importance of the affairs of India, and there is evidence in his correspondence that he was meditating a comprehensive scheme for transferring much of the power of the East India Company to the crown.
Yet he was incapacitated physically and mentally during nearly his entire tenure of office.[72] Chatham rarely saw any of his colleagues although they repeatedly and urgently pressed for interviews with him, and even an offer from the King to visit him in person was respectfully declined. While his gout seemed to improve, he was newly afflicted with mental alienation bordering on insanity.
Chatham's lack of leadership resulted in an incohesive set of policies.
Resignation
Chatham dismissed his allies Amherst and Shelburne from their posts, and then in October he tendered his own resignation on the grounds of poor health, leaving the leadership to Grafton, his First Lord of the Treasury.
Later life
Soon after his resignation a renewed attack of gout freed Chatham from the mental disease under which he had so long suffered.
He had been nearly two years and a half in seclusion when, in July , he again appeared in public at a royal levee. It was not, however, until that he resumed his seat in the House of Lords.
Falklands Crisis
Main article: Falklands Crisis ()
The same year when Britain and Spain became involved in the Falklands Crisis and came close to war, Pitt was a staunch advocate of taking a tough stance with Madrid and Paris (as he had been during the earlier Corsican Crisis when France had invaded Corsica) and made a number of speeches on the subject rousing public opinion.[74] The government of Lord North was pushed into taking a firmer line because of this, mobilising the navy, and forcing Spain to back down.
Some had even believed that the issue was enough to cast North from office and restore Pitt as Prime Minister—although the ultimate result was to strengthen the position of North who took credit for his firm handling of the crisis and was able to fill the cabinet with his own supporters. North would go on to dominate politics for the next decade, leading the country until