James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Earl Stanhope PC
Portrait by Godfrey Kneller, c. 1705–1710
First Lord of the Treasury
In office 12 April 1717 – 21 March 1718
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	Robert Walpole
Succeeded by	The Earl of Sunderland
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 15 April 1717 – 20 March 1718
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	Robert Walpole
Succeeded by	John Aislabie
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
In office 12 December 1716 – 12 April 1717
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	The Viscount Townshend
Succeeded by	The Earl of Sunderland
In office 16 March 1718 – 4 February 1721
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	The Earl of Sunderland
Succeeded by	The Lord Carteret
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
In office 27 September 1714 – 22 June 1716
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	The Viscount Bolingbroke
Succeeded by	Paul Methuen
Personal details
Born	c. 1673 Paris, Kingdom of France
Died	(1721-02-05)5 February 1721 London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
Nationality	English
Political party	Whig
Spouse	Lucy Pitt (1692–1723)
Children	7
Parents	Alexander Stanhope Katherine Burghill
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	Trinity College, Oxford

James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope (around 1673 – 5 February 1721) was an important British Army officer, politician, and diplomat. He was a leading figure in the government between 1717 and 1721. He was also the last Chancellor of the Exchequer (like a finance minister) to be a member of the House of Lords (the upper house of the British Parliament).

Born in Paris, France, James Stanhope was the son of a well-known diplomat. He chose a career in the military. He fought in different places like Flanders (modern-day Belgium and Netherlands) and Italy. However, he is most famous for his service in Portugal and Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession. He became the first British Governor of Minorca, an island he captured from Spain in 1708.

In 1710, he led the British part of the Allied Army that took control of Madrid, the capital of Spain. This happened after a big victory at the Battle of Zaragoza. Later, as his army was leaving Madrid and heading towards Barcelona, his rearguard (the soldiers protecting the back of the army) was surrounded. They were forced to surrender at the Battle of Brihuega.

After being released, Stanhope returned to Britain and started a career in politics. He joined the Whig party. He strongly supported the House of Hanover (the new royal family). Because of this, King George I gave him an important job in 1714. As the Secretary of State for the Southern Department, he helped create an important alliance between Britain and France. After 1717, he became the main leader in the government. He led Britain to success in a new war with Spain and stopped a rebellion in 1719. Sadly, his government faced problems because of the collapse of the South Sea Bubble (a financial crisis). He died while still in office. Some people even suggest he was Britain's first Prime Minister, rather than Robert Walpole.

Early Life and Learning

James Stanhope was born in Paris in 1673. He was the oldest of seven children. His father, Alexander Stanhope, was an English Ambassador. His mother was Katherine Burghill.

He went to school at Eton College and then studied at Trinity College, Oxford. In 1690, he went with his father to Spain. His time there helped him a lot in his later military and political life.

After Spain, he traveled to Italy and Flanders. He volunteered to fight against France in these places. In 1695, he officially joined the English army. By 1701, Stanhope became a member of the British House of Commons (the main part of the British Parliament). However, he continued his military career and spent time in Spain and Portugal during the early years of the War of the Spanish Succession.

Fighting in Spain

Cadiz Expedition

At the start of the war, Stanhope was in Ireland helping to recruit soldiers. He really wanted to fight. He was allowed to join the Duke of Ormonde's expedition to Cadiz in Spain. The plan to capture Cadiz failed. However, on the way back, the expedition had a victory at the Battle of Vigo Bay.

Service in Portugal

In 1703, Stanhope served with the Duke of Marlborough's army in the Low Countries. His regiment was then moved to Lisbon, Portugal. Portugal had joined the war on the Allied side, so a large British army was sent to help them. Stanhope was in Lisbon recovering from a fever when his regiment, part of a Portuguese army, surrendered the town of Portalegre.

Capturing Barcelona

Stanhope fought to help Archduke Charles of Austria become the King of Spain.

In 1705, he fought in Spain under Earl of Peterborough. He was especially important during the Siege of Barcelona. In 1706, he became the English minister in Spain. His job was both military and diplomatic. In 1708, after some disagreements with Peterborough, Stanhope was made the commander of all British forces in Spain.

Taking Minorca

Stanhope decided to attack. He successfully captured Port Mahon on the island of Minorca. During this battle, his younger brother, Philip Stanhope, who was a naval officer, was killed.

Marching to Madrid

After visiting England, Stanhope returned to Spain for the 1710 military campaign. The Allied forces won important battles at Almenar and Saragossa in July and August. These victories allowed Archduke Charles (the Allied candidate for the Spanish throne) to enter Madrid in September. Because of these successes, Stanhope was chosen as the Whig candidate for the Westminster election in 1710.

A Major Defeat

Unlike many areas, Westminster had a large number of voters. Its closeness to the King's court and Parliament meant its election results often influenced others. Stanhope's military victories were used to promote him. However, his Tory opponent, Thomas Crosse, easily won the election. The Tories won the general election that December by a large margin. By this time, Stanhope was a prisoner in Spain.

The Allied forces found Madrid almost empty because the local people did not support them. They were also cut off when Portuguese forces could not cross into Spain. In November, the Allies left Madrid for Catalonia in two separate groups. One group of 5,000 soldiers was led by Stanhope. The second group of 12,000 was led by the Austrian general Starhemberg.

Stanhope's group was surprised and forced to surrender by a French army at Brihuega on 9 December 1710. The next day, the French army also defeated Starhemberg's forces at Villaviciosa. These defeats were a huge setback for the Allies in Spain. Even though Allied forces continued to operate from Catalonia, Britain's commitment to the war was weakening under the new Tory government. Stanhope's replacement as British commander in Spain, the Duke of Argyll, did not launch any new attacks.

A very important event was the death of Emperor Joseph I in April 1711. This meant that Archduke Charles became Emperor Charles VI. This caused Britain to leave the war. A union of Spain and Austria would have been as dangerous to the European balance of power as a union with France. Philip V remained on the Spanish throne, but Spain lost many of its traditional lands. Later, Stanhope admitted to Queen Anne that he believed the Spanish campaign was flawed. He thought it would be difficult even with more troops, because most Spanish people preferred Philip over Charles.

Most of the prisoners taken at Brihuega were quickly exchanged. However, Stanhope remained a prisoner in Spain. He only returned to England in August 1712. He traveled through Paris, where he met the Tory politician Henry St. John, who was negotiating a peace treaty with France.

Political Career (1712–1721)

Once back in Britain, James Stanhope stopped his military career and focused entirely on politics. He soon became a Member of Parliament for another area, Wendover. He became one of the leaders of the Whig opposition in the House of Commons. They opposed the Tory government led by Robert Harley. Stanhope especially disagreed with the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht, which meant Britain made peace with France alone and left its allies. He was a strong supporter of the House of Hanover.

When George I became king after Queen Anne died in 1714, he replaced the Tory government with a mostly Whig one. Several important Tories were either put in prison or had to leave the country because people thought they supported the Jacobite claimant, James Francis Edward Stuart.

Becoming Secretary of State

In September 1714, Stanhope was appointed Secretary of State for the Southern Department. Along with Robert Walpole, he led the House of Commons. In early 1715, the new government became stronger after winning a big election victory.

He was mainly responsible for the actions that helped crush the Jacobite rising of 1715. He also helped pass the Septennial Act in 1716. This law said that general elections should happen every seven years. In July 1716, he went with King George I when the King returned to Hanover.

Stanhope acted as King George I's foreign minister. He almost succeeded in making an alliance treaty with France in 1716. In 1717, there was a big split in the Whig Party. Stanhope and Sunderland formed one group, while Walpole and Townshend opposed them. Walpole led his supporters into opposition. This happened at the same time as a disagreement within the royal family between King George I and his son, George, Prince of Wales. This Whig Split divided the powerful Whig party for three years.

Leading the Government

A 1718 painting of James Stanhope by Johan van Diest.

In 1717, because of changes in the government, Stanhope was made First Lord of the Treasury. He was the last Chancellor of the Exchequer to be a member of the House of Lords. A year later, he returned to his previous job as Secretary for the Southern Department. On 3 July 1717, he was given the titles Baron Stanhope of Elvaston and Viscount Stanhope of Mahon. Then, on 14 April 1718, he became Earl Stanhope. He was almost like a Prime Minister, and some people consider him the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, even though Sir Robert Walpole is usually given that title.

At home, his government faced a setback when the impeachment (a formal accusation of wrongdoing) of Robert Harley, the former first minister, ended with him being found not guilty in July 1717.

War of the Quadruple Alliance

Stanhope believed Britain's main foreign policy goals were to control the growing power of Spain, Austria, or Russia. He was very active in forming the Quadruple Alliance in 1718. This was an agreement between Britain, France, Austria, and the United Provinces. He also helped bring peace to Sweden, which was being threatened by Russia and Denmark. He had difficult talks with Spain, which wanted Gibraltar back. He was only willing to give it back if Spain gave Britain Cuba and Florida. In the end, the talks failed, which led to the later Thirteenth Siege of Gibraltar.

In the War of the Quadruple Alliance that followed, British forces helped stop Spain from expanding in Italy. Spain sent troops to Scotland to support the Jacobites, hoping to put them back on the throne. This expedition was defeated at the Battle of Glen Shiel. In response, the British sent a force that briefly captured Vigo in October 1719. After these setbacks, Spain agreed to the Treaty of The Hague the next year.

At home, he tried to pass the Peerage Bill in 1719. This bill aimed to limit the number of members in the House of Lords. This was a controversial move, as it was seen as an attack on his former Whig friends led by Walpole. His efforts to allow more religious freedom were defeated by Walpole's supporters.

The South Sea Bubble

Soon after the financial crisis known as the South Sea Bubble collapsed, Stanhope was defending his government in the House of Lords on 4 February 1721. He became very ill with a severe headache. After seeming to get a little better the next day, he died from a stroke that evening. The King was very sad and shocked to lose "so able and faithful a minister." On the King's orders, Stanhope was given a full military funeral through London on 17 February. He was later privately buried at Chevening. His oldest son, Philip (1714–1786), who was a talented mathematician, took over his title.

His Legacy

Historian Basil Williams said that Stanhope "was not especially good at domestic politics." He also mentioned that Stanhope's "eagerness and lack of experience sometimes led him to make mistakes when dealing with internal issues." However, Williams also argued that: Stanhope was excellent in foreign policy. He understood European situations and what was important for England. He was also tactful and honest when dealing with other countries. This made him very influential, and few foreign ministers have been as successful. This success was even more impressive because his main goal was peace. The long period of peace that allowed Walpole to build up Britain's wealth was mostly thanks to Stanhope's achievements in foreign policy.

Family Life

On 24 February 1713, James Stanhope married Lucy Pitt (1692–1723). She was the younger daughter of Thomas Pitt, the first governor of Madras (in India). She was also the aunt of William Pitt the Elder, who would later become a very important Prime Minister. Even though Stanhope was very busy with his work, their marriage was happy. They had seven children, including two sets of twins:

• Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl Stanhope (1714–1786)
• Lady Lucy Stanhope (15 August 1714 – 15 May 1785)
• Lt-Col Hon. George Stanhope (28 December 1717 – 24 January 1754)
• Lady Gertrude Stanhope (born 1718), died young
• Lady Jane Stanhope (born 30 October 1719)
• Hon. James Stanhope (19 August 1721 – 21 April 1730)
• Lady Catherine Stanhope (born 19 August 1721), died young

His sister Mary was one of Queen Anne's six Maids of Honour from 1702 to 1707. She married Charles, 1st Viscount Fane in 1707.

Images for kids

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  Chevening, the Seat of the Rt. Honble. James Stanhope Earl Stanhope, Visct Stanhope of Mahone & Baron of Elvaston, Principal Secretary of State, and one of his Majesties most Honble. Privy Councel. An engraving of Stanhope's Chevening by Johannes Kip (Amsterdam 1652/53-1722) after Thomas Badeslade (d.1742), published by John Harris in his History of Kent, London, 1719.

See also

• Kingdom of Great Britain