Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester,
KGThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
, PC (March 1641 – 2 May 1711), was an English statesman and writer.
The second son of
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of ClarendonEdward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon was an English historian and statesman, and grandfather of two British monarchs, Mary II and Queen Anne.-Early life:...
and his wife,
Frances AylesburyFrances Hyde, Countess of Clarendon was an English peeress and mother-in-law of King James II/VII and grandmother of Queen Mary II and Queen Anne....
, Hyde was a near contemporary of King
Charles II of EnglandCharles II was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father King Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. The English Parliament did not proclaim Charles II king at this time. Instead they passed a statute making such a...
. Following the
RestorationThe English Restoration, often shortened to the Restoration, began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Commonwealth of England that followed the English Civil War...
, he sat as member of parliament, first for
Newport, CornwallNewport was a rotten borough situated in Cornwall. It is now within the town of Launceston, which was itself also a parliamentary borough at the same period.-History:...
and later for the
University of OxfordOxford University was a university constituency electing two members to the British House of Commons, from 1603 to 1950.-Boundaries, Electorate and Electoral System:...
, from 1660 to 1679. In 1661 he was sent on a complimentary embassy to
Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , popularly known as the Sun King , was King of France and of Navarre His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days, and is the longest documented reign of any European monarch.Louis began personally governing France after the death...
, while he held the court post of
Master of the Robes from 1662 to 1675.
Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester,
KGThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
, PC (March 1641 – 2 May 1711), was an English statesman and writer.
The second son of
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of ClarendonEdward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon was an English historian and statesman, and grandfather of two British monarchs, Mary II and Queen Anne.-Early life:...
and his wife,
Frances AylesburyFrances Hyde, Countess of Clarendon was an English peeress and mother-in-law of King James II/VII and grandmother of Queen Mary II and Queen Anne....
, Hyde was a near contemporary of King
Charles II of EnglandCharles II was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father King Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. The English Parliament did not proclaim Charles II king at this time. Instead they passed a statute making such a...
. Following the
RestorationThe English Restoration, often shortened to the Restoration, began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Commonwealth of England that followed the English Civil War...
, he sat as member of parliament, first for
Newport, CornwallNewport was a rotten borough situated in Cornwall. It is now within the town of Launceston, which was itself also a parliamentary borough at the same period.-History:...
and later for the
University of OxfordOxford University was a university constituency electing two members to the British House of Commons, from 1603 to 1950.-Boundaries, Electorate and Electoral System:...
, from 1660 to 1679. In 1661 he was sent on a complimentary embassy to
Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , popularly known as the Sun King , was King of France and of Navarre His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days, and is the longest documented reign of any European monarch.Louis began personally governing France after the death...
, while he held the court post of
Master of the Robes from 1662 to 1675. In 1665 he married Lady Henrietta Boyle (died 1687), daughter of Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington and Cork. When his father was impeached in 1667, Laurence joined his elder brother,
Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of ClarendonHenry Hyde 2nd Earl of Clarendon PC , was the eldest son of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and his wife, Frances. He was thus a brother of Lady Anne Hyde, and maternal uncle to both Queen Mary II and Queen Anne.After his father was banished, Henry opposed the court party...
, in defending him in parliament, but the fall of Clarendon did not injuriously affect the fortunes of his sons. They were united with the royal family through the marriage of their sister,
AnneLady Anne Hyde was the first wife of James, Duke of York , and the mother of two monarchs, Mary II of England and Scotland and Anne of Great Britain.-Early years:...
, with the future King
James IIJames II & VII was King of England and Ireland as James II, and Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, making her Duchess of York. In 1676, Laurence Hyde was sent as ambassador to
PolandThe Nihil novi act adopted by the Polish Diet in 1505 transferred all legislative power from the king to the Diet. This event marked the beginning of the period known as "Nobles' Democracy" or "Nobles' Commonwealth" when the state was ruled by the "free and equal" Polish nobility...
; he then travelled to
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
, whence he proceeded to Nijmwegen to take part in the peace congress as one of the English representatives. Having returned to England, he entered the new parliament, which met early in 1679, as member for
Wootton BassettWootton Bassett was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1447 until 1832, when the rotten borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
; in November 1679 he was appointed
First Lord of the TreasuryThe First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is usually—but not always—also the Prime Minister. Currently, the office is held by Gordon Brown...
, and for a few years he was the principal adviser of Charles II. He was created
Earl of RochesterThe title Earl of Rochester was created twice in the Peerage of England.The title was created first for Henry Wilmot, but it became extinct at the death of the third Earl, there being no male heirs remaining...
,
Viscount Hyde of Kenilworth, and
Baron Wotton Basset on 29 November 1682. Compelled to join in arranging the treaty of 1681, by which Louis XIV agreed to pay a subsidy to Charles, he was simultaneously imploring
WilliamWilliam III was a sovereign Prince of Orange by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland, and as William II over Scotland...
,
Prince of OrangePrince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, now in southern France.It is carried by members of the House of Orange-Nassau, as heirs to the crown of the Netherlands, and is also seen carried by the pretenders by members of the House of Hohenzollern...
, to save Europe from the ambitions of the French monarch. The conflict between his wishes and his interests may have soured his temper; he made himself so unpleasant to his colleagues that in August 1684, he was moved from the treasury to the more dignified, but less influential, post of
Lord President of the CouncilThe Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President has the responsibility of presiding over meetings of the Privy Council...
, a process which his enemy
HalifaxGeorge Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax PC was an English statesman, writer, and politician.-Family and early life, 1633-1667:...
described as being "kicked upstairs." Although appointed
Lord Lieutenant of IrelandThe Lord Lieutenant of Ireland , also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great...
, Rochester did not take up this position; he was still President of the Council when James II became king in February 1685, and he was at once appointed to the important office of Lord Treasurer. But in spite of their family relationship and their long friendship, James and his treasurer did not agree. The king wished to surround himself with
Roman CatholicCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole...
advisers; the Earl, on the other hand, looked with alarm on his master's leanings to that form of faith. In January 1687 he was removed from his office of treasurer, and compensated with a pension of £4000 a year and a gift of Irish lands.
After the revolution of 1688 Rochester appeared as a leader of the
ToriesToryism is a traditionalist political philosophy, which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is most prominent in Great Britain, but also features in some parts of The Commonwealth — particularly in Canada...
, and he opposed the election of William and
MaryMary II reigned as Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1689 until her death. Mary, a Protestant, came to the thrones following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of her Roman Catholic father, James II and VII...
as king and queen, raising his voice for the establishment of a regency on behalf of the exiled James. But he soon reconciled himself to the new order, perhaps because he could not retain his pension unless he took the oaths of allegiance. After this he was quickly in the royal favour and again a member of the
Privy CouncilHer Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. Its members are largely senior politicians, who were or are members of either the House of Commons or House of Lords of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The Privy Council, the...
. He advised the queen in ecclesiastical matters, and returned to his former position as the leader of the
High ChurchThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
party. From December 1700 until February 1703 he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, although he did not spend much time in that country, and the concluding years of his public life were mainly passed in championing the interests of the Church. In 1710 he was again made Lord President of the Council. On his death, he was succeeded by his only son, Henry (1672–1758), who in 1724 inherited the earldom of Clarendon. When Henry died without issue on 10 December 1758, all his titles became extinct.
Laurence Hyde had some learning and a share of his father's literary genius. The main employment of his old age was the preparation for the press of his father's
History of the Rebellion, to which he wrote a preface. Like most of the men of his time, he drank deeply, and he was of an arrogant disposition and had a violent temper. In
John DrydenJohn Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.-Early life:Dryden was born in the village rectory of Aldwincle...
's satire,
Absalom and AchitophelAbsalom and Achitophel is a landmark poetic political satire by John Dryden. The poem exists in two parts. The first part, of 1681, is undoubtedly by Dryden...
, he is " Hushai," the friend of
DavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Bible. He is depicted as a righteous king, although not without fault, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet .The biblical chronology sets his life c.1037–970 BCE, his reign over Judah c.1007–1000 BCE,...
in distress.