Hanoverian Tory
Hanoverian Tories were
Background
Following the
Tied up with the ongoing debate about the future of the throne, was a dispute over the end of the
Hanoverian Succession
As Anne grew increasingly weak in 1714, both Jacobites and pro-Hanoverians prepared to take measures to seize the throne if necessary by armed force. Hanoverian Tories worked with Whigs led by General James Stanhope to secure the country for George. In the event the Hanoverian Succession followed on relatively peacefully following Anne's death in August 1714, although George's coronation did provoke riots across the country which then continued into the following year. Whigs and Hanoverian Tories provided a solid bloc in Parliament to vote through the Succession. It has been suggested that many Tory figures wavered between the two factions at the Succession.[3]
Aftermath
Despite George I's distrust of the Tories, the
However, gradually the government began to be completely dominated by staunch Whigs, leading to the
Hanoverian Tories were active in the attempts to acquit former leader Robert Harley during his impeachment trial in 1715 and subsequent imprisonment in the Tower of London. He was eventually acquitted in 1717.
Notable figures
- John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, former Captain-General
- Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, Cabinet Minister
- Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th Baronet, Speaker of the House of Commons
- William Bromley, Speaker and Cabinet Minister
- Henry Lumley, General
- Charles Trelawny, General and politician
- Henry Withers, General and former MP
- Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, politician
References
Bibliography
- Jeremy Black. British Politics and Foreign Policy, 1727-44. Ashgate Publishing, 2014.
- Eveline Cruickshanks. Ideology and conspiracy: aspects of Jacobitism, 1689-1759. John Donald, 1982.
- Andreas Gestrich & Michael Schaich. The Hanoverian Succession: Dynastic Politics and Monarchical Culture. Routledge, 2016.
- Geoffrey Holmes. British Politics in the Age of Anne. A&C Black, 1987.