Charles Whitworth, 1st Baron Whitworth of Galway
Encyclopedia
Charles Whitworth, 1st Baron Whitworth (14 October 1675 – 23 October 1725) was a British
diplomat
.
, Staffordshire
. He entered Westminster School
as a Queen's Scholar
in 1690, and then entered Trinity College, Cambridge
in 1694. He graduated with a BA in 1699 and became a Fellow the next year.
, envoy at Berlin
. In November 1701 he was appointed as British aide to Cardinal Lamberg, the Holy Roman Emperor
's chief commissary at the Congress of Regensburg
. He also deputised at Vienna
for Stepney, when he was absent from the embassy there.
In 1704, Whitworth was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary to Russia
. His initial role was to regularise the position of the Russia Company which had mismanaged the tobacco
monopoly granted it in 1698. He succeeded in this between 1707 and 1711, but not in the wider object of obtaining a commercial treaty
. He also had to handle Russian sensibilities over the arrest for debt in 1708 of the emperor
's envoy Andrey Matveyev
, sent to London to seek British mediation in the Great Northern War
. He remained accredited in Russia until 1712, but was increasingly absent on diplomatic business elsewhere in eastern Europe. He wrote an Account of Russia as it was in the Year 1710, which (though not published until 1758) influenced British views of Russia for much of the century.
In December 1713, he was appointed as on of the commissaries to treat with the French concenring the Treaty of Navigation and Commerce concluded at Utrecht. In April 1714 he was sent to Augsburg
to observe negotiations between the emperor and France, taking place at Baden
that summer. This was followed by his appointment as British minister to the Eternal Imperial Diet at Regensburg
.
In August 1716, when he was appointed envoy at Berlin, but was seconded to The Hague
, to try to persuade the Netherlands
to conform to the British embargo on Sweden
.
Whitworth returned to Berlin in 1719, where the following year, he married the comtesse de Vaulgremont (died 1734), the daughter of a government official in French-speaking
Flanders
. He was raised to the Irish peerage
as Baron Whitworth, of Galway, in 1721. In 1722, the became Member of Parliament
for Newport, Isle of Wight
. He died childless in 1725, upon which his barony became extinct.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
.
Early life and education
Whitworth was possibly born at Blore Pike, near EccleshallEccleshall
Eccleshall is a town in Staffordshire, England. It is located seven miles north west of Stafford, and six miles west of Stone. Eccleshall is twinned with Sancerre in France.-History:...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. He entered Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
as a Queen's Scholar
Queen's Scholar
The longest-established Queen's Scholarships are the forty scholarships at Westminster School, founded in 1560 by Queen Elizabeth I. These scholars take part in the coronation in Westminster Abbey, acclaiming the new monarch by shouting "Vivat". They also have the right to observe parliament...
in 1690, and then entered Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in 1694. He graduated with a BA in 1699 and became a Fellow the next year.
Diplomatic career
Whitworth entered diplomatic service in 1700 as secretary to George StepneyGeorge Stepney
George Stepney was an English poet and diplomat.Stepney was the son of George Stepney, groom of the chamber to Charles II, and was born at Westminster...
, envoy at Berlin
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. In November 1701 he was appointed as British aide to Cardinal Lamberg, the Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
's chief commissary at the Congress of Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
. He also deputised at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
for Stepney, when he was absent from the embassy there.
In 1704, Whitworth was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary to Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
. His initial role was to regularise the position of the Russia Company which had mismanaged the tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
monopoly granted it in 1698. He succeeded in this between 1707 and 1711, but not in the wider object of obtaining a commercial treaty
Commercial treaty
A Commercial treaty is a formal agreement between states for the purpose of establishing mutual rights and regulating conditions of trade.For example, the Methuen Treaty was a commercial treaty between Portugal and England....
. He also had to handle Russian sensibilities over the arrest for debt in 1708 of the emperor
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
's envoy Andrey Matveyev
Andrey Matveyev
Count Andrey Artamonovich Matveev was a Russian statesman of the Petrine epoch best remembered as one of the first Russian ambassadors and Peter the Great's agent in London and the Hague....
, sent to London to seek British mediation in the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
. He remained accredited in Russia until 1712, but was increasingly absent on diplomatic business elsewhere in eastern Europe. He wrote an Account of Russia as it was in the Year 1710, which (though not published until 1758) influenced British views of Russia for much of the century.
In December 1713, he was appointed as on of the commissaries to treat with the French concenring the Treaty of Navigation and Commerce concluded at Utrecht. In April 1714 he was sent to Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
to observe negotiations between the emperor and France, taking place at Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
that summer. This was followed by his appointment as British minister to the Eternal Imperial Diet at Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
.
In August 1716, when he was appointed envoy at Berlin, but was seconded to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, to try to persuade the Netherlands
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
to conform to the British embargo on Sweden
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
.
Whitworth returned to Berlin in 1719, where the following year, he married the comtesse de Vaulgremont (died 1734), the daughter of a government official in French-speaking
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. He was raised to the Irish peerage
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
as Baron Whitworth, of Galway, in 1721. In 1722, the became Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)
Newport was a parliamentary borough located in Newport , which was abolished in for the 1885 general election. It was occasionally referred to by the alternative name of Medina....
. He died childless in 1725, upon which his barony became extinct.