[40], But material aggrandisement, though the only tangible, was not the only real or lasting effect of a war policy. 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. As he realized the gravity of the American situation, Chatham re-entered the fray, declaring that 'he would be in earnest for the public' and 'a scarecrow of violence to the gentler warblers of the grove'. He was well fitted to secure the sympathy and admiration of his countrymen, for his virtues and his failings were alike English. 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 April 1757 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. As was natural, the new king had counsellors of his own, the chief of whom, Lord Bute, was at once admitted to the cabinet as a Secretary of State. Pitt was particularly frustrated that, owing to Walpole's isolationist policies, Britain had not entered the War of the Polish Succession which began in 1733, and he had not been able to test himself in battle. He is credited with "the birth of the British Empire", which made him very popular with the general public, who dubbed him "The Great Commoner" [2]. Prime minister. 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. Pitt was a member of the British cabinet and its informal leader from 1756 to 1761 (with a brief interlude in 1757), during the Seven Years' War (including the French and Indian War in the American colonies). File : William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham by William Hoare.jpg As they had . [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. His popularity declined when he accepted a peerage. His 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a comprehensive scheme for transferring much of the power of the East India Company to the crown, when he was withdrawn from public business in a manner that has always been regarded as somewhat mysterious. 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. The war in Germany continued through 1761 with the French again attempting to overcome Brunswick and invade Hanover, but suffering a defeat at the Battle of Villinghausen. Pitt was personally saddened when his friend and brother-in-law Thomas Grenville was killed at the naval First Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1747. 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. In December 1756, 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. Pitt, William, 1st earl of Chatham (1708-78), known as Pitt the Elder. You can change your cookie settings at any time. William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC (15 November 1708 - 11 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who led the government of Great Britain twice in the middle of the 18th century. The latter he acquired by purchasing the burgage tenures of the rural area called Old Sarum, in Salisbury, a district which had representation in Parliament, but no residents in need of representation. He inspired trust in his chosen commanders by his indifference to rules of seniorityseveral of "Pitt's boys", like Keppel, captor of Gore, were in their thirtiesand by his clear orders. The Death of the Earl of Chatham - Wikipedia 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.[40]. Chatham died on 11 May 1778, aged 69. The imposition of the import duty on tea and other commodities was the project of Charles Townshend, and was carried into effect in 1767 without consultation with Lord Chatham, if not in opposition to his wishes. Pitt is credited with the birth of the British Empire. A sum was voted for a public monument which was erected over a new grave in Westminster Abbey. Pitt's conduct on the change of administration was open to grave censure. The times change, and he is not blamed for changing with the times. The first of these, the Raid on Rochefort, took place in September but was not a success. He was often inconsistent, he was generally intractable and overbearing, and he was always pompous and affected to a degree which, Macaulay has remarked, seems scarcely compatible with true greatness. diss., The College of William and Mary, 1974, and fully documented the conclusions drawn from the research. Britain completed the conquest of Canada in 1760 by capturing Montreal, which effectively brought the war to an end on mainland North America. This is the most satisfactory, as it is the most obvious, explanation of his utter indifference in presence of one of the most momentous problems that ever pressed for solution on an English statesman. [17], He had recovered from the 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. The commercial prosperity that was produced by his war policy was in a great part delusive, as prosperity so produced must always be, though it had permanent effects of the highest moment in the rise of such centres of industry as Glasgow. Pitt now launched an attack on such subsidies, playing to widespread anti-Hanoverian feelings in Britain. After war had broken out, he warned that America could not be conquered. [40], 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 (1757), securing India. He was the first minister whose main strength lay in the support of the nation at large as distinct from its representatives in the Commons, where his personal following was always small. He briefly visited Paris but spent most of his time in the French provinces,[23] spending the winter in Lunville in the Duchy of Lorraine.[24]. It has been insinuated both by contemporary and by later critics that being disappointed at his loss of popularity, and convinced of the impossibility of co-operating with his colleagues, he exaggerated his malady as a pretext for the inaction that was forced upon him by circumstances. William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC (November 15, 1708 May 1, 1778) was a British Whig statesman who achieved his greatest fame as Secretary of State during the Seven Years' War that was fought between France and Great Britain, (known as the French and Indian War in North America), and who was later Prime Minister of Great Britain. He was the first to discern that public opinion, though generally slow to form and slow to act, is in the end the paramount power in the state; and he was the first to use it not in an emergency merely, but throughout a whole political career. Pitt married Lady Hester Grenville (b. November 8, 1720 - April 3, 1803), daughter of the 1st Countess Temple, on October 16, 1754. in Leonard, This page was last edited on 28 May 2023, at 17:54. A sizeable Anglo-German army was formed which George II himself led to victory at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, reducing the immediate threat to Hanover. Another year had scarcely passed when Pitt was again in power. 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.[18]. [35], Many of Pitt's attacks on the government were directed personally at Walpole who had now been Prime Minister for twenty years. There have been at least two Royal Navy ships that bore the name HMS Pitt. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish him from his son William Pitt the Younger, who was also a prime minister. 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. [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). He scarcely ever saw any of his colleagues though they repeatedly and urgently pressed for interviews with him, and even an offer from the king to visit him in person was declined, though in the language of profound and almost abject respect which always marked his communications with the court. Pitt spoke out against the Convention of El Pardo which aimed to settle the dispute peacefully. Henry Fox, who had just before been appointed Secretary of State, retained his place, and though the two men continued to be of the same party, and afterwards served again in the same government, there was henceforward a rivalry between them, which makes the celebrated opposition of their illustrious sons seem like an inherited quarrel. The heroism of Wolfe would have been irrepressible, Clive would have proved himself "a heaven-born general," and Frederick the Great would have written his name in history as one of the most skillful strategists the world has known, whoever had held the seals of office in England. More may be gained by crushing a formidable rival than by conquering a province. His brave efforts to present his case, passionate, deeply pondered, for the concession of fundamental libertiesno taxation without consent, independent judges, trial by jury, along with the recognition of the American Continental Congressfoundered on the arrogance and complacency of his peers. [58] The new king successfully lobbied for his favourite Lord Bute to be given the post of Northern Secretary. But his military career was destined to be short. [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. A coalition with Newcastle was formed in June 1757, and continued in power until 1761. In North America, a second British attempt to capture Louisbourg succeeded. The measure was strongly opposed, and Lord Chatham delivered his first speech in the House of Lords in support of it. [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. In India, a French attempt to capture Madras was repulsed.
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