List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to the Ottoman Empire
Encyclopedia
The first ambassador from England
to the Ottoman Empire
or Porte was appointed in 1583 under the reign of Elizabeth I.
From 1919 onwards, see: List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Turkey
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
or Porte was appointed in 1583 under the reign of Elizabeth I.
- 1583-1588: William HarborneWilliam HarborneWilliam Harborne of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk was a diplomat, businessman, and English Ambassador to the Ottoman empire, appointed by Queen Elizabeth I of England.-Establishment of the English Embassy in Constantinople:...
, merchant - 1588-1596: Sir Edward BartonEdward Barton (English diplomat)Sir Edward Barton was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, appointed by Queen Elizabeth I of England.Barton went to Constantinople in 1578, in the pay of the Levant Company, as secretary to the founder of the English embassy in the city, William Harborne and in 1588 succeeded Harborne as ambassador....
- 1597-1606: Henry LelloHenry LelloSir Henry Lello was an English diplomat, warden of the Fleet Prison, and Keeper of the Palace of Westminster.Lello went to Constantinople as an attache to the English Embassy to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire and in 1598 was appointed ambassador....
- 1606-1611: Sir Thomas GloverSir Thomas GloverSir Thomas Glover was English Ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople from 1606 - 1611.Glover was born to a Protestant family, his great uncle had been burnt at the stake for his beliefs during the reign of Queen Mary, while during the reign of Elizabeth I his father...
- 1611-1620: Sir Paul PindarPaul PindarSir Paul Pindar was a merchant and, from 1611 to 1620, was Ambassador of King James I of England to the Ottoman Empire.Born in Wellingborough and educated at Wellingborough School Pindar entered trade as the apprentice to an Italian merchant in London...
- 1621-1628: Sir Thomas RoeThomas RoeSir Thomas Roe was an English diplomat of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Roe was an accomplished scholar and a patron of learning.-Life:...
- 1627-1641: Sir Peter WychePeter WychePeter Wyche is the name of:* Sir Peter Wyche , English merchant and ambassador to the Ottoman Empire* Sir Peter Wyche , English diplomat and translator...
- 1641-1646: Sir Sackville CroweSackville CroweSir Sackville Crowe, 1st Baronet, was an English nobleman and politician.He was born in Brasted Kent, in around 1611, and later married one of the daughters of the Earl of Rutland; he had one son, also named Sackville, born around 1636 and who died in 1706...
- 1647-1661: Sir Thomas BendishThomas BendishSir Thomas Bendish, 2nd Baronet , served as the English ambassador to the Ottoman sultanate in the mid-17th century.Son of Sir Thomas, 1st Baronet of Steeple Bumpstead in the county of Essex, Bendish the younger enrolled in Middle Temple in 1626, after earlier studying at St John's College, Cambridge...
- 1660-1667: Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of WinchilseaHeneage Finch, 3rd Earl of WinchilseaSir Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea of Eastwell, Kent, was the 3rd Earl of Winchilsea.Finch was the son of Thomas Finch, 2nd Earl of Winchilsea, and the grandson of Elizabeth Finch, 1st Countess of Winchilsea. His first cousin was Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham. He married four...
- 1668-1672: Sir Daniel Harvey
- 1672-1681: Sir John FinchJohn Finch (Ambassador)Sir John Finch was ambassador of England to the Ottoman Empire.One of the Finches of Burley-on-the-Hill, John Finch was the younger brother of Lord Chancellor Sir Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham; their half-sister was the philosopher Lady Anne Conway of Ragley Hall. Anne and John Finch were...
- 1681-1687: James Brydges, 8th Baron ChandosJames Brydges, 8th Baron ChandosJames Brydges, 8th Baron Chandos was English Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.A graduate of St John's College, Oxford Brydges became 3rd Baronet, of Wilton, Herefordshire in 1651 and 8th Baron Chandos of Sudeley in 1686 following the death of his relative William Brydges.Lord Chandos had...
- 1687-1691: Sir William TrumbullWilliam TrumbullSir William Trumbull was an English statesman who held high office as a member of the First Whig Junto.-Biography:...
- 1691: Sir William HusseyWilliam Hussey (English diplomat)Sir William Hussey was English ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.Hussey was the son of Thomas Hussey and his wife Rhoda Chapman, daughter of Thomas Chapman, of London...
- 1691: Sir William HarbordWilliam Harbord (politician)William Harbord , of Grafton Park, was an English politician and diplomat.-Life:Harbord was the second son of Sir Charles Harbord of Charing Cross, who had been surveyor-general to Charles I...
appointed but died en route to Constantinople - 1692-1701: William Paget, 6th Baron PagetWilliam Paget, 6th Baron PagetWilliam Paget, 6th Baron Paget was an English peer and Ambassador.Paget was English ambassador to Vienna between 1689 and 1692 and Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople between 1692 and 1702, during which time he was central to the negotiation of the Treaty of Carlowitz between the...
- 1698 James Rushout appointed but died before he could travel to Constantinople
- 1700-1717: Sir Robert SuttonRobert Sutton (diplomat)Sir Robert Sutton KB was an English diplomat and then politician.-Early life:He was the elder son of Robert Sutton of Averham, Nottinghamshire, and his wife, Katherine, the daughter of the Revd William Sherborne of Pembridge, Herefordshire...
- 1716-1718: Edward Wortley Montagu husband of writer Lady Mary Wortley MontaguLady Mary Wortley MontaguThe Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was an English aristocrat and writer. Montagu is today chiefly remembered for her letters, particularly her letters from Turkey, as wife to the British ambassador, which have been described by Billie Melman as “the very first example of a secular work by a woman about...
- 1718-1730 Abraham StanyanAbraham StanyanAbraham Stanyan was an English politician and diplomat.After becoming a student in the Middle Temple, he served as secretary to Sir William Trumbull as Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and later to the Earl of Manchester as Ambassador to the Venice in 1697–1698 and then in France in 1699–1700. ...
- 1729-1736: George Henry Hay, 8th Earl of Kinnoull
- 1737-1746: Everard FawkenerEverard FawkenerSir Everard Fawkener was an English merchant and diplomat.Fawkener was born into a family of silk merchants. His father, William was a leading member of the Levant Company. Everard was sent out to Aleppo in 1716 and remained there until 1725...
(departed 1742) - 1742-1747: Stanhope AspinwallStanhope AspinwallStanhope Aspinwall was a British diplomat. He was born to Richard Aspinwall and his wife Elizabeth Stanhope, the great granddaughter of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield, the granddaughter of Arthur Stanhope and daughter of Charles Stanhope.Stanhope Aspinwall was educated at Westminster...
In charge of affairs - 1747-1762: Sir James PorterJames Porter (English diplomat)-Career:Porter was a business associate of Lord Carteret, and in 1741 joined the staff of the English embassy to Austria, in Vienna, and then became British ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul...
- 1761-1764: Henry GrenvilleHenry GrenvilleHenry Grenville was a British diplomat and politician.Grenville was the son of Richart Grenville born into a family of politicians, one of his elder brothers was Earl Temple, another a government minister, another was Lord of Trade and Cofferer of the Household, while another brother George...
- July-November 1765: Robert Colebrooke
- 1765-1775: John MurrayJohn Murray (British diplomat)John Murray was a British diplomat.From 1754 he was British resident in Venice and from 1765-1775 was British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople.Leaving Turkey in 1775 he died during a stop-over in Venice on his return home....
- 1775-1793: Sir Robert AinslieSir Robert Ainslie, 1st BaronetSir Robert Ainslie, 1st Baronet was a Scottish ambassador to the Ottoman Empire ), orientalist and numismatist...
- 1793-1796: Sir Robert ListonRobert Liston (diplomat)Sir Robert Liston, GCB, PC was a British diplomat and ambassador to several countries.-Biography:Liston was born in Kirkliston, Scotland, went on to Edinburgh University, and then tutored the sons of the Earl of Minto...
- 1796 - Francis-James Jackson
- 1796-1799: John Spencer Smith, Minister Plenipotentiary
- 1799-1803: Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of ElginThomas Bruce, 7th Earl of ElginThomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine was a Scottish nobleman and diplomat, known for the removal of marble sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens. Elgin was the second son of Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin and his wife Martha Whyte...
- 1803-1804: William DrummondWilliam DrummondWilliam Drummond or Bill Drummond is the name of:*William Drummond of Hawthornden , Scottish poet, influenced by Spenser; best known for illustrated essay, Cypresse Grove...
- 1804-1807: Charles ArbuthnotCharles ArbuthnotCharles Arbuthnot was a British diplomat and Tory politician. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1804 and 1807 and held a number of political offices. He was a good friend of the Duke of Wellington...
- 1807-1809 Sir Arthur PagetArthur Paget (diplomat)Sir Arthur Paget GCB, PC was a British diplomat and politician.-Family and early life:Arthur Paget was the third son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge and his wife Jane Chamagné daughter of Arthur Chamagné, Dean of Clonmacnoise in Ireland. He was a younger brother of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess...
- 1808 and 1809: Sir Robert Adair special mission in 1808, Ambassador in 1809
- 1809-1812: Stratford CanningStratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de RedcliffeStratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe KG GCB PC , was a British diplomat and politician, best known as the longtime British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire...
(chargé d'affaires in the absence of an ambassador during the Napoleonic Wars) - 1812-1820: Sir Robert ListonRobert Liston (diplomat)Sir Robert Liston, GCB, PC was a British diplomat and ambassador to several countries.-Biography:Liston was born in Kirkliston, Scotland, went on to Edinburgh University, and then tutored the sons of the Earl of Minto...
(his second term) - March-August 1820 Bartholemew Frere - minister plenipotentiary
- 1820-1824: Percy Clinton, Viscount StrangfordPercy Smythe, 6th Viscount StrangfordPercy Clinton Sydney Smythe, 6th Viscount Strangford, GCB, GCH was an Anglo-Irish diplomat.-Personal life:He was the son of Lionel Smythe, 5th Viscount Strangford and Mary Eliza Philipse....
- 1824-1825: William TurnerWilliam TurnerWilliam Turner MA was an English divine and reformer, a physician and a natural historian. He studied medicine in Italy, and was a friend of the great Swiss naturalist, Conrad Gessner...
- minister plenipotentiary - 1825-1827: Stratford CanningStratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de RedcliffeStratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe KG GCB PC , was a British diplomat and politician, best known as the longtime British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire...
(again) - 1827-1832: (British Embassy was withdrawn following the Battle of NavarinoBattle of NavarinoThe naval Battle of Navarino was fought on 20 October 1827, during the Greek War of Independence in Navarino Bay , on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. A combined Ottoman and Egyptian armada was destroyed by a combined British, French and Russian naval force...
), during this period Sir Robert GordonRobert Gordon (diplomat)Sir Robert Gordon GCB GCH PC was a British diplomat.Gordon was a younger son of George Gordon, Lord Haddo and a brother of the 4th Earl of Aberdeen...
was envoy extraordinary and John Hobart CaradocJohn Hobart Caradoc, 2nd Baron HowdenJohn Hobart Caradoc, 2nd Baron Howden, , Minister Plenipotentiary in the British Embassy at Madrid, Spain, 1850–1858, was the son of General John Cradock, 1st Baron Howden, GCB , a British peer, John Hobart Caradoc, 2nd Baron Howden, (1799–1873), Minister Plenipotentiary in the British Embassy...
led a special mission to Greece and Egypt. Canning returned for a period in 1831-32 for the conferences to determine the borders of GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, with John Henry Mandeville as minister-plenipotentiary. - 1832-1841: John, Lord PonsonbyJohn Ponsonby, 1st Viscount PonsonbyJohn Ponsonby, 1st Viscount Ponsonby, GCB was a longtime British diplomat and politician.-Political career:Ponsonby, eldest son of the 1st Baron Ponsonby, and brother of Sir William Ponsonby , was born about 1770. He served as a Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons for Tallow...
- Mar-Oct 1841: Charles Bankhead minister-plenipotentiary
- 1841-1858: Stratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de RedcliffeStratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de RedcliffeStratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe KG GCB PC , was a British diplomat and politician, best known as the longtime British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire...
(again) with Henry Richard Charles Wellesley as minister-plenipotentiary in 1845 - 1858-1865: Sir Henry BulwerHenry Bulwer, 1st Baron Dalling and BulwerHenry Lytton Earle Bulwer, 1st Baron Dalling and Bulwer GCB, PC was a British Liberal politician, diplomat and writer.-Background and education:...
- 1865-1867: Richard Lyons, 1st Baron LyonsRichard Lyons, 1st Viscount LyonsRichard Bickerton Pemell Lyons, 1st Viscount Lyons, GCB, GCMG, PC, DCL was an eminent British diplomat.-Biography:...
- 1867-1877: Sir Henry Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound
- 1877-1880: Sir Henry LayardAusten Henry LayardSir Austen Henry Layard GCB, PC was a British traveller, archaeologist, cuneiformist, art historian, draughtsman, collector, author, politician and diplomat, best known as the excavator of Nimrud.-Family:...
- May 1880: George Joachim Goschen (special ambassador)
- 1881-1884: Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood 5th Baron Dufferin and ClaneboyeFrederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and AvaFrederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society...
- 1884-1886: Sir Edward ThorntonEdward Thornton (diplomat)Sir Edward Thornton KCB was a prominent British diplomat, who held posts in Latin America, Turkey, Russia, and served for fourteen years as Minister to the United States.-Early career:...
- 1886-1891: Sir William WhiteWilliam Arthur WhiteSir William Arthur White PC, GCB, GCMG was a British diplomat, born in Puławy, in Poland.He was descended on his father's side from an Irish Roman Catholic family...
- 1891-1893: Sir Clare FordClare FordSir Francis Clare Ford GCB, GCMG, PC was an English diplomat.The son of Richard Ford, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Fourth Light Dragoons. However, he left the army in 1851, entered the diplomatic service, and became Secretary of Legation at Washington, D.C., where he was acting charges...
- 1893-1898: Sir Philip CurriePhilip CurriePhilip Henry Wodehouse Currie, 1st Baron Currie GCB , known as Sir Philip Currie between 1885 and 1899, was a British diplomat. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1893 to 1898 and Ambassador to Italy from 1898 to 1902.-Background and education:Currie was the son of Raikes Currie, Member...
- 1898-1908: Sir Nicholas O'Conor-Don
- 1908-1913: Sir Gerard Lowther, 1st BaronetSir Gerard Lowther, 1st BaronetSir Gerard Augustus Lowther, 1st Baronet PC KCMG CB was a British diplomat.Lowther was the second son of William Lowther and his wife Charlotte Alice, daughter of James Parke, 1st Baron Wensleydale. James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater, was his elder brother and Sir Cecil Lowther his younger...
- ?? Sir George Barclay (briefly)
- 1913-1914 Sir Louis MalletLouis MalletSir Louis Mallet was a British civil servant. He was Permanent Under-Secretary of State for India.He was born in London and was in all probability educated there, though at which school or college is not known. He began his career in the Civil Service as a clerk in the Audit Office and appears to...
- 1918-1919: Somerset Gough-Calthorpe (High Commissioner)
From 1919 onwards, see: List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Turkey
List of other prominent British residents
- 1880s Francis Richard PlunkettFrancis Richard PlunkettSir Francis Richard Plunkett KCMG was a British diplomat.Plunkett was born on February 3, 1835 at Corbalton Hall in County Meath, Ireland.-Career:In 1873, Plunkett was nominated as Secretary of Legation in Tokyo under Sir Harry Parkes...
served as Diplomatic Secretary - 1876: Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of SalisburyRobert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of SalisburyRobert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
- Represented Britain at the Six Powers Constantinople ConferenceConstantinople ConferenceThe 1876–1877 Constantinople Conference of the Great Powers was held in Constantinople from 23 December 1876 until 20 January 1877...
. - late 19th century Sir Edgar Vincent, Director-General of the Imperial Ottoman Bank
- 17th century Sir Paul Rycault - Secretary to the Ambassadour and Consul of Smyrna.
- Thomas DallamThomas DallamDallam was the surname of a family of English organ builders, active in England and Brittany.The first known member of the family, Thomas Dallam, originated from Dallam in Lancashire.-Thomas Dallam I:The first Thomas Dallam Dallam was the surname of a family of English organ builders, active in...
- organ maker - William Biddulph Protestant chaplain in AleppoAleppoAleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
- in 1653 the Commonwealth appointed one Richard Lawrence as agent
- 1668 - 1671 Sir George EtheregeGeorge EtheregeSir George Etherege was an English dramatist. He wrote the plays The Comical Revenge or, Love in a Tub in 1664, She Would if She Could in 1668, and The Man of Mode or, Sir Fopling Flutter in 1676.-Early life:George Etherege was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, around 1635, to George Etherege and...
, restoration rake and writer, secretary to Daniel Harvey