William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Grenville
|
|
|---|---|
Grenville by John Hoppner, c. 1800
|
|
| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 11 February 1806 – 25 March 1807 |
|
| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | William Pitt the Younger |
| Succeeded by | The Duke of Portland |
| Foreign Secretary | |
| In office 8 June 1791 – 20 February 1801 |
|
| Prime Minister | William Pitt the Younger |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Camarthen |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Hawkesbury |
| Home Secretary | |
| In office 5 June 1789 – 8 June 1791 |
|
| Prime Minister | William Pitt the Younger |
| Preceded by | The Lord Sydney |
| Succeeded by | Henry Dundas |
| Speaker of the House of Commons | |
| In office 5 January 1789 – 5 June 1789 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles Wolfran Cornwall |
| Succeeded by | Henry Addington |
| Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire |
|
| In office 1784–1790 |
|
| Preceded by | The Earl Verney |
| Succeeded by | James Grenville |
| Member of Parliament for Buckingham |
|
| In office 1782–1784 |
|
| Preceded by | Richard Aldworth-Neville |
| Succeeded by | Charles Edmund Nugent |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Wyndham Grenville
25 October 1759 Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 12 January 1834 (aged 74) Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Resting place | St Peter Churchyard, Burnham, Buckinghamshire |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse |
Anne Pitt
(m. 1792) |
| Parents |
|
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Signature |  |
William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville (born October 25, 1759 – died January 12, 1834), known as Lord Grenville from 1790, was an important British politician. He served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807. One of his biggest achievements as prime minister was helping to end the slave trade in 1807.
Contents
Early Life and Family
William Wyndham Grenville was born into a very political family. His father, George Grenville, was also a Prime Minister. His mother was Elizabeth Wyndham. He had two older brothers, Thomas Grenville and George.
He was also related to the famous Pitt family. His aunt, Hester, married William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. This made William Grenville the first cousin of William Pitt the Younger, who also became a Prime Minister.
William Grenville went to school at Eton College, a famous boarding school. He then studied at Christ Church, Oxford University and later at Lincoln's Inn, which is a place where lawyers are trained.
His Political Journey
Grenville started his political career in February 1782. He became a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area of Buckingham. He quickly became a close friend and helper to his cousin, Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger.
- In 1782, he worked as a secretary in Ireland.
- From 1784 to 1789, he was a Paymaster of the Forces, handling money for the army.
- In 1789, he briefly became the Speaker of the House of Commons. This person is in charge of debates in Parliament.
- Later in 1789, he joined the government as the Home Secretary, dealing with matters inside the country.
- In 1790, he was given the title of Baron Grenville. This meant he became a "peer" and could sit in the House of Lords, which is the upper house of the British Parliament. He became the leader of the House of Lords.
Foreign Secretary During Wartime
In 1791, Lord Grenville became the Foreign Secretary. This job meant he was in charge of Britain's relationships with other countries. This was a very important time because of the French Revolutionary Wars. These were big wars between France and many other European countries.
Grenville believed that winning the war meant fighting strongly on land in Europe. He worked hard to create and keep alliances (partnerships) with other countries like Russia and Austria. He hoped that with British money, these allies would do most of the fighting on the ground against France.
In 1801, Grenville left his job with Pitt. This happened because King George III refused to allow Catholic emancipation. This meant Catholics were not allowed to hold certain public offices. Grenville supported allowing Catholics more rights.
A Big Achievement: Ending the Slave Trade
After Pitt died in 1806, Lord Grenville became the head of a new government called the "Ministry of All the Talents." This was a group of politicians from different parties working together. Grenville was the First Lord of the Treasury, which is like being the Prime Minister.
This government had one very important success: it passed a law to end the slave trade in 1807. This meant it became illegal for British ships to carry enslaved people from Africa to other parts of the world. This was a huge step towards ending slavery completely.
However, this government did not last long. It failed to make peace with France and could not get the King to agree to Catholic emancipation. Because of this, the government was dismissed in March 1807.
Later Political Life
After his time as Prime Minister, Grenville continued to be involved in politics. He often disagreed with the government in power. He slowly became closer to the Tories, another political group, but he never joined the government again.
In 1823, his political career ended when he suffered a stroke.
Lord Grenville also served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1810 until he passed away. This is a ceremonial head position at the university.
His Home: Dropmore House
Dropmore House was a beautiful home built for Lord Grenville in the 1790s. He loved the spot because it had amazing views of his old school, Eton College, and Windsor Castle.
He was very interested in trees. On his first day at Dropmore, he planted two cedar trees. He planted thousands more trees, and by the time he died, his "pinetum" (a collection of pine and other cone-bearing trees) had the largest collection of conifer species in Britain.
Personal Life
Lord Grenville married Anne Pitt in 1792. They did not have any children. He passed away in January 1834 at the age of 74. Because he had no children, his title of Baron Grenville ended when he died. Lady Grenville lived until June 1863.
Ministry of All the Talents (1806-1807)
This was the government led by Lord Grenville. Here are some of the key people in it:
- Lord Grenville – First Lord of the Treasury (Prime Minister) and Leader of the House of Lords
- Charles James Fox – Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons
- The Lord Erskine – Lord Chancellor (head of the justice system)
- The Earl Fitzwilliam – Lord President of the Council
- The Viscount Sidmouth – Lord Privy Seal
- The Earl Spencer – Home Secretary
- William Windham – Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
- Viscount Howick – First Lord of the Admiralty (head of the navy)
- Lord Henry Petty – Chancellor of the Exchequer (in charge of money)
- The Earl of Moira – Master-General of the Ordnance (in charge of military supplies)
- The Lord Ellenborough – Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench (a top judge)
Honours and Titles
Lord Grenville received several important honours during his life:
- In 1790, he was given a Hereditary Peerage, which meant he became 1st Baron Grenville. This allowed him to sit in the House of Lords.
- He was a member of the Privy Council of Ireland (from 1782) and the Privy Council of Great Britain (from 1783). Being a Privy Councillor means you advise the King or Queen.
- He was the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1809 until his death.
- He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1818. This is a very old and respected group for scientists.
Images for kids
-
Lord Grenville's signature
See also
In Spanish: William Wyndham Grenville para niños
