Francis Bertie, 1st Viscount Bertie of Thame
Encyclopedia
Francis Leveson Bertie, 1st Viscount Bertie of Thame ( "barty of tame") GCB
GCMG GCVO
PC
(17 August 1844 – 26 September 1919) was a British diplomat.
, Bertie was educated at Eton College
and entered the Foreign Office in 1863. From 1874 to 1880 he served as Private Secretary to Robert Bourke
, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, and in 1878 attended the Congress of Berlin
. He served as acting senior clerk in the Eastern department from 1882 to 1885, and then later as senior clerk and assistant under-secretary in that department. In 1902 he was rewarded for his services by being made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
.
In 1903, Bertie was appointed Privy Council
lor and made Ambassador to Italy, and then in 1905 became Ambassador to France
, a post previously held by his father-in-law, Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley
. Bertie would hold the Paris embassy for the next thirteen years. Bertie, having spent most of his career in the Foreign Office, initially had some trouble adjusting to the role of ambassador, where he had far less control over the development of policy. But in his time at Paris Bertie was able to play a substantial role in strengthening the Entente Cordiale
between France and Britain into a genuine alliance, encouraging strong British backing for France during the Moroccan Crises of 1905 and 1911. During these years, he was also showered with honors, being made GCVO
in 1903, GCMG in 1904, and GCB
in 1908, as well as receiving the French Legion of Honor.
Bertie was still ambassador in Paris when the First World War broke out in 1914. Although he was raised to the peerage as Baron Bertie of Thame in 1915, during the war he was frequently bypassed by special missions directly from the British government, particularly the military mission of Lord Esher
, with whom he also came into personal conflict. When Bertie fell ill in April 1918, he was replaced by the Secretary of State for War
, Lord Derby
, and returned to England. On his retirement, Bertie was raised to a viscountcy. Bertie never fully recovered from his illness, dying in London
on 26 September 1919.
Francis Leveson Bertie married in 1874 Lady Feodorowna Cecilia Wellesley (1838-1920), daughter of Henry Wellesley
and grandniece of the Duke of Wellington
. This marriage produced the only child Vere Frederick Bertie (1878-1954).
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
GCMG GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
PC
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
(17 August 1844 – 26 September 1919) was a British diplomat.
Biography
The second son of Montagu Bertie, 6th Earl of AbingdonMontagu Bertie, 6th Earl of Abingdon
Montagu Bertie, 6th Earl of Abingdon was a British peer and politician. He was styled Lord Norreys from birth until acceding in 1854.-Background:...
, Bertie was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and entered the Foreign Office in 1863. From 1874 to 1880 he served as Private Secretary to Robert Bourke
Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara
Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara GCIE, PC was a British Conservative politician and colonial administrator...
, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, and in 1878 attended the Congress of Berlin
Congress of Berlin
The Congress of Berlin was a meeting of the European Great Powers' and the Ottoman Empire's leading statesmen in Berlin in 1878. In the wake of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, the meeting's aim was to reorganize the countries of the Balkans...
. He served as acting senior clerk in the Eastern department from 1882 to 1885, and then later as senior clerk and assistant under-secretary in that department. In 1902 he was rewarded for his services by being made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
.
In 1903, Bertie was appointed Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
lor and made Ambassador to Italy, and then in 1905 became Ambassador to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, a post previously held by his father-in-law, Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley
Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley
Henry Richard Charles Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley KG GCB PC , known as The Lord Cowley between 1847 and 1857, was a British diplomat...
. Bertie would hold the Paris embassy for the next thirteen years. Bertie, having spent most of his career in the Foreign Office, initially had some trouble adjusting to the role of ambassador, where he had far less control over the development of policy. But in his time at Paris Bertie was able to play a substantial role in strengthening the Entente Cordiale
Entente Cordiale
The Entente Cordiale was a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the French Republic. Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial expansion addressed by the agreement, the signing of the Entente Cordiale marked the end of almost a millennium of intermittent...
between France and Britain into a genuine alliance, encouraging strong British backing for France during the Moroccan Crises of 1905 and 1911. During these years, he was also showered with honors, being made GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in 1903, GCMG in 1904, and GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1908, as well as receiving the French Legion of Honor.
Bertie was still ambassador in Paris when the First World War broke out in 1914. Although he was raised to the peerage as Baron Bertie of Thame in 1915, during the war he was frequently bypassed by special missions directly from the British government, particularly the military mission of Lord Esher
Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher
Reginald Baliol Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, GCVO, KCB, PC, DL was a historian and Liberal politician in the United Kingdom.Brett was the son of William Baliol Brett, 1st Viscount Esher and Eugénie Mayer...
, with whom he also came into personal conflict. When Bertie fell ill in April 1918, he was replaced by the Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
, Lord Derby
Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby
Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, TD, PC, KGStJ, JP , known as Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, diplomat and racehorse owner. He was twice Secretary of State for War and also served as British Ambassador to...
, and returned to England. On his retirement, Bertie was raised to a viscountcy. Bertie never fully recovered from his illness, dying in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 26 September 1919.
Francis Leveson Bertie married in 1874 Lady Feodorowna Cecilia Wellesley (1838-1920), daughter of Henry Wellesley
Henry Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley
Henry Richard Charles Wellesley, 1st Earl Cowley KG GCB PC , known as The Lord Cowley between 1847 and 1857, was a British diplomat...
and grandniece of the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
. This marriage produced the only child Vere Frederick Bertie (1878-1954).
Primary sources
- Francis Bertie, The Diary of Lord Bertie of Thame, 1914-1918, edited by Lady Algernon Gordon Lennox, D.B.E., with a foreword by Viscount Grey of Fallodon, New York, George H. Doran company [1924].
Secondary sources
- Keith Hamilton, Bertie of Thame: Edwardian Ambassador, Woodbridge, Suffolk [England]: Royal Historical Society; Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 1990. ISBN 086193217X
- "Bertie, Francis Leveson, first Viscount Bertie of Thame," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2004-2007).
- Zara S. Steiner, The Foreign Office and Foreign Policy 1898-1914 (Cambridge, 1969)
External links
- Detailed biography from the Dictionary of National BiographyDictionary of National BiographyThe Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
- Genealogical survey at thePeerage.com