Robert Walpole
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224793658
2008-07-10T13:06:50Z
212.219.233.158
/* Premiership under George I */
{{Infobox Prime Minister
| honorific-prefix = <small>[[The Right Honourable]]</small><br>
| name=The Earl of Orford
| honorific-suffix = <br><small>[[Order of the Garter|KG]], [[Order of the Bath|KB]], [[Privy Council of Great Britain|PC]]</small>
|image=robertwalpole.jpg
|office1= [[Prime Minister of Great Britain]]
|term_start1=[[4 April]] [[1721]]
|term_end1=[[11 February]] [[1742]]
|monarch1 =[[George I of Great Britain|George I]]<br />[[George II of Great Britain|George II]]
|predecessor1=Office Created
|successor1=[[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington|The Earl of Wilmington]]
|order2=[[Chancellor of the Exchequer]]
|term_start2=[[April 3]] [[1721]]
|term_end2=[[February 12]] [[1742]]
|monarch2=[[George I of Great Britain|George I]]<br />[[George II of Great Britain|George II]]
|predecessor2=[[John Pratt (judge)|John Pratt]]
|successor2=[[Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys|Samuel Sandys]]
|term_start3=[[October 12]] [[1715]]
|term_end3=[[April 15]] [[1717]]
|monarch3 =[[George I of Great Britain|George I]]
|predecessor3=[[Richard Onslow, 1st Baron Onslow|Richard Onslow]]
|successor3=[[James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope|James Stanhope]]
|birth_date={{birth date|1676|8|26|df=y}}
|birth_place= Houghton, [[Norfolk]], [[England]]
|death_date={{death date and age|1745|3|18|1676|8|26|df=y}}
|death_place=[[London]], [[England]], [[Great Britain]]
|nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]
|ethnicity=[[English people|English]]
|party=[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|alma_mater =[[King's College, Cambridge]]
|}}
{{otherpersons|Robert Walpole}}
'''Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford''', [[Order of the Garter|KG]], [[Order of the Bath|KB]], [[Privy Council of Great Britain|PC]] ([[26 August]] [[1676]] – [[18 March]] [[1745]]), known before 1742 as '''Sir Robert Walpole''', was a [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] [[statesman]] who is generally regarded as having been the first [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister of Great Britain]].
Although the position of "Prime Minister" had no recognition in law or official use at the time, Walpole is nevertheless acknowledged as having held the office ''[[de facto]]'' because of his influence within the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]].
A [[British Whig Party|Whig]], Walpole served during the reigns of [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] and [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]. His tenure is normally dated from [[1721]], when he obtained the post of [[First Lord of the Treasury]]; others date it from [[1730]], when, with the retirement of [[Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend|Lord Townshend]], he became the sole and undisputed leader of the Cabinet. The "longer" version of the tenure is generally upheld by the contemporary press, most notably that of the opposition, who focused far more attention upon Walpole than his counterpart. Walpole continued to govern until his resignation in [[1742]], prompted by the [[Battle of Cartagena de Indias|Battle of Cartagena]] disaster, making his administration the longest in British history.
==Early life and family==
Robert Walpole was born in [[Houghton Hall]], [[Norfolk]] in [[1676]]. His father, also named Robert Walpole, was a Whig politician who represented the borough of [[Castle Rising]] in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]]. His mother was Mary Walpole (née Burwell); he was the third of seventeen children, eight of whom died during infancy. Robert Walpole would later prove to hold the record amongst Prime Ministers for the greatest number of siblings.
Walpole was a scholar at [[Eton College]] from [[1690]] to [[1695]] and matriculated at [[King's College, Cambridge]] in [[1696]]. In [[1698]], he left the University of Cambridge after the death of his only remaining elder brother, Edward, so that he could help his father administer the family estate. Walpole had planned to become a clergyman, but abandoned the idea when, as the eldest surviving son in the family, he became the heir to his father's estate.
On [[30 July]] [[1700]], Walpole married [[Catherine Walpole|Catherine Shorter]] (died [[20 August]] [[1737]]), with whom he later had two daughters and four sons:
* [[Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford]] ([[1701]]-[[31 March]] [[1751]]), who married [[Margaret Walpole, Countess of Orford|Margaret Rolle]] ([[17 January]] [[1709]]-[[13 January]] [[1781]]), later the 15th [[Baron Clinton|Baroness Clinton]], on [[26 March]] [[1724]] and had one son.
* Katherine Walpole, ([[13 May]] [[1703]]-[[22 October]] [[1722]]), who died unmarried at [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Somerset]].
* Horatio Walpole ([[1704]]-[[24 July]] [[1704]])
* [[Mary Cholmondeley, Viscountess Malpas|Mary Walpole]] (c. [[1705]]-[[2 January]] [[1732]]), who married the [[George Cholmondeley, 3rd Earl of Cholmondeley|3rd Earl of Cholmondeley]] on [[14 September]] [[1723]] and had two sons.
* Sir Edward Walpole ([[1706]]-[[1784]]); he had an illegitimate daughter, [[Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh|Maria Walpole]], who later married into the [[British Royal Family]], becoming the wife of [[Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh]], [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III's]] brother. Ancestors of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]].
* [[Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford]] ([[1717]]-[[1797]])
After Lady Walpole died, Walpole married his mistress, [[Maria Walpole (Skerritt)|Maria Skerritt]], before [[3 March]] [[1738]]. They had been openly together in [[Richmond, North Yorkshire|Richmond]], [[Houghton Hall]] and London society since about 1724, and she had born him an illegitimate daughter, whom he eventually had ennobled as Lady Maria Walpole-who married Colonel [[Charles Churchill]] of Chalfont {1720-1812}-a great nephew of the [[1st Duke of Marlborough]]- with whom she had two daughters-of whom one daughter Sophia Churchill married Horatio Walpole-a great grandson of Robert Walpole and Mary Burwell and also descended from [[William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley]]. The second Lady Walpole died of a miscarriage 3 months after the couple's marriage. As a couple they were commemorated as ''Polly'' and ''Macheath'' in [[John Gay|John Gay's]] [[The Beggar's Opera]] which he wrote in 1728.
==Early political career==
[[Image:Robert Walpole prime minister of Britain.jpg|right|thumb|Sir Robert Walpole]]
Walpole's political career began in January 1701, when he won the general election in [[Castle Rising (UK Parliament constituency)|Castle Rising]] (the constituency once represented by his father, who had died just three months earlier). He left Castle Rising in [[1702]] so that he could contest the neighbouring but more important borough of [[King's Lynn (UK Parliament constituency)|King's Lynn]], a constituency that would re-elect him at every subsequent general election for the next forty years.
Like his father, Robert Walpole was a zealous member of the Whig Party, which was then more powerful than the opposing [[Tory|Tory Party]]. In [[1705]], Walpole was appointed a member of the Council of the [[Lord High Admiral]] (then [[Prince George of Denmark]], the husband of [[Anne of Great Britain|Queen Anne]]), a body which oversaw naval affairs. His administrative skills having been noticed, Walpole was promoted by [[Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin|Lord Godolphin]] (the [[Lord High Treasurer]] and leader of the Cabinet) to the position of [[Secretary at War]] in [[1708]]; for a short period of time in [[1710]], he also simultaneously held the post of [[Treasurer of the Navy]]. Walpole's service in these offices made him a close advisor of the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]], the commander of British forces in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] and a dominant force in British politics. Robert Walpole himself quickly became one of the most important members of the Cabinet.
Despite his personal clout, however, Walpole could not stop Lord Godolphin and the Whigs from pressing for the prosecution of [[Henry Sacheverell]], a minister who preached anti-Whig sermons. The trial was extremely unpopular with much of the country, causing the [[Sacheverell riots]], and was followed by the downfall of the Duke of Marlborough and the Whig Party in the general election of [[1710]]. The new ministry, under the leadership of the Tory [[Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer|Robert Harley]], removed Walpole from his office of Secretary at War, but allowed him to remain Treasurer of the Navy until [[2 January]] [[1711]]. Harley attempted to entice him to join the Tories, but Walpole rejected the offers, instead becoming one of the most outspoken members of the Whig Opposition. He effectively defended Lord Godolphin against Tory attacks in parliamentary debate, as well as in the press.
Angered by his political attacks, the Tories sought to ruin and discredit him along with the Duke of Marlborough. In [[1712]], they alleged that he had been guilty of corruption as Secretary at War; these charges, however, stemmed from political hatred rather than fact. Walpole was impeached by the House of Commons and found guilty by the overwhelmingly Tory [[House of Lords]]; he was then imprisoned in the [[Tower of London]] for six months and expelled from Parliament. The move, however, backfired against the Tories, as Walpole was perceived by the public as the victim of an unjust trial. His own constituency even re-elected him in [[1713]], despite his earlier expulsion from the House of Commons. Walpole developed an intense hatred for Robert Harley (by then [[Earl of Oxford|Earl of Oxford and Mortimer]]) and [[Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke|Lord Bolingbroke]], the Tories who had engineered his impeachment.
==Stanhope/Sunderland Ministry==
Queen Anne died in [[1714]], to be succeeded by a distant German cousin, [[George I of Great Britain|George I]], under the [[Act of Settlement 1701]]. George I distrusted the Tories, who he believed opposed his right to succeed to the Throne. (The Act of Settlement had excluded several senior relatives of Anne on the grounds of their adherence to [[Roman Catholicism]].) Thus, 1714, the year of George's accession, marked the ascendancy of the Whigs, who would remain in power for the next fifty years. Robert Walpole became a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Councillor]] and rose to the position of [[Paymaster of the Forces]] in a Cabinet nominally led by [[Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]], but actually dominated by Lord Townshend (Walpole's brother-in-law) and [[James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope|James Stanhope]]. Walpole was also appointed chairman of a secret committee formed to investigate the actions of the previous Tory ministry. The individuals who had brought about Walpole's impeachment in 1712 were now themselves attacked for purely political reasons: Lord Oxford was impeached, and Lord Bolingbroke suffered from an [[Bill of attainder|act of attainder]].
Lord Halifax, the titular head of the administration, died in [[1715]]. Walpole, recognised as an assiduous politician, was immediately promoted to the important posts of [[First Lord of the Treasury]] and [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]]; in this position, he introduced the [[sinking fund]], a device to reduce the national debt. The Cabinet of which he was a member was often divided over most important issues; normally, Walpole and Lord Townshend were on one side, with Stanhope and [[Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland|Lord Sunderland]] on the other. Foreign policy was the primary issue of contention, for Walpole and Townshend believed that George I was conducting foreign affairs with the interests of his German territories—rather than those of Great Britain—at heart. The Stanhope-Sunderland faction, however, had the King's support. In [[1716]], Townshend was removed from the important post of [[Secretary of State for the Northern Department|Northern Secretary]] and put in the lesser office of [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]]. Even this change did not appease Stanhope and Sunderland, who secured the dismissal of Townshend from the Lord-Lieutenancy in April [[1717]]. On the next day, Walpole resigned from the Cabinet to join Townshend in the Opposition. In the new Cabinet, Sunderland and Stanhope (who was created an Earl) were the effective heads.
Soon after Walpole's resignation, a bitter family quarrel between the King and the [[George II of Great Britain|Prince of Wales]] split the Royal Family. Walpole and others who opposed the Government often congregated at [[Leicester House]], the home of the Prince of Wales, to form political plans. Walpole also became a close friend of the Prince of Wales's wife, [[Caroline of Ansbach|Caroline]]. In [[1720]], he improved his position by bringing about a reconciliation between the Prince of Wales and the King.
Walpole continued to be an influential figure in the House of Commons; he was especially active in opposing one of the Government's more significant proposals, the [[Peerage Bill]], which would have limited the power of the monarch to create new [[peerage]]s. Walpole brought about a temporary abandonment of the bill in [[1719]], and the outright rejection of the bill by the House of Commons in the next year. This defeat led Lord Stanhope and Lord Sunderland to reconcile with their opponents; Walpole returned to the Cabinet as Paymaster of the Forces, and Townshend was appointed [[Lord President of the Council]]. By returning to the Cabinet, however, he lost the favour of the Prince of Wales (the future King George II), who still harboured disdain for his father's Government.
==Rise to power==
Soon after Walpole returned to the Cabinet, Britain was swept by a wave of over-enthusiastic speculation which led to the [[South Sea Bubble]]. The Government had established a plan whereby the South Sea Company would assume the national debt of Great Britain in exchange for lucrative bonds. It was widely believed that the Company would eventually reap an enormous profit through international trade in cloth, agricultural goods, and [[slave trade|slaves]]. Many in the country, including Walpole himself, frenziedly invested in the company. By the latter part of 1720, however, the company had begun to collapse as the price of its shares plunged. Walpole was saved from financial ruin by his banker, who had earlier advised him to sell his shares; other investors, however, were not as fortunate.
In [[1721]], a committee investigated the scandal, finding that there was corruption on the part of many in the Cabinet. Among those implicated were [[John Aislabie]] (the Chancellor of the Exchequer), [[James Craggs the Elder]] (the [[United Kingdom Postmaster General|Postmaster General]]), [[James Craggs the Younger]] (the [[Secretary of State for the Southern Department|Southern Secretary]]), and even Lord Stanhope and Lord Sunderland (the heads of the Ministry). Craggs the Elder and Craggs the Younger both died in disgrace; the remainder were impeached for their corruption. Aislabie was found guilty and imprisoned, but the personal influence of Walpole saved both Stanhope and Sunderland. For his role in preventing these individuals, and others, from being punished, Walpole gained the nickname of "Screenmaster-General".
The resignation of Sunderland and the death of Stanhope in [[1721]] left Walpole as the most important figure in the administration. In April [[1721]], he was appointed First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. Walpole's ''de facto'' tenure as "Prime Minister" is often dated to his appointment as First Lord in 1721. In reality, however, Walpole shared power with his brother-in-law, Lord Townshend, who served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department and controlled the nation's foreign affairs. The two also had to contend with the Secretary of State for the Southern Department, [[John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville|Lord Carteret]].
==Premiership under George I==
Under the guidance of Walpole, [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]] attempted to deal with the financial crisis. The estates of the directors of the company were confiscated and used to relieve the suffering of the victims, and the stock of the South Sea Company was divided between the Bank of England and East India Company. The crisis had significantly damaged the credibility of the King and of the Whig Party, but Walpole defended both with skilful oratory in the House of Commons.
Walpole's first year as Prime Minister was also marked by the discovery of a Jacobite plot formed by [[Francis Atterbury]], the [[Bishop of Rochester]]. The exposure of the scheme crushed the hopes of the [[Jacobitism|Jacobites]], whose previous attempts at rebellion (most notably the risings of [[1715]] and [[1719]]) had also failed. The Tory Party was equally unfortunate, even though Lord Bolingbroke, a Tory leader who fled to France to avoid punishment for his Jacobite sympathies, was permitted to return to Britain in [[1723]].
During the remainder of George I's reign, Walpole's ascendancy continued; the political power of the monarch was gradually diminishing, and that of his ministers gradually increasing. In [[1724]], the primary political rival of Walpole and Townshend in the Cabinet, Lord Carteret, was dismissed from the post of Southern Secretary and once again appointed to the lesser office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In Ireland, Lord Carteret used his power to secretly aid in the controversy over [[William Wood (Mintmaster)|Wood's Halfpence]] and support ''[[Drapier's Letters]]'' behind the scenes and cause harm to Walpole's power.<ref>''Jonathan Swift and Ireland'' by Oliver W. Ferguson</ref><ref>''Jonathan Swift: Volume III'' by Irvin Ehrenpreis</ref> Walpole was able to recover from these events by removing the patent, however, Irish sentiment was situated against the English control.<ref>''Memoirs of the Life and Administration of Sir Robert Walpole, Earl of Orford'' by William Coxe, 1978</ref>
Now, Walpole and Townshend were clearly the supreme forces in the ministry. They helped keep Great Britain at peace, especially by negotiating a treaty with [[France]] and [[Prussia]] in [[1725]]. Great Britain, free from Jacobite threats, from war, and from financial crises, grew prosperous, and Robert Walpole acquired the favour of George I. In 1725, he was created a [[Order of the Bath|Knight of the Bath]], and in [[1726]], a [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]] (earning him the nickname "Sir Blustering"). Moreover, his eldest son was granted a barony.
==Premiership under George II==
Sir Robert Walpole's position was threatened in [[1727]], when George I died and was succeeded by George II. For a few days, it seemed that Walpole would be dismissed, but the King agreed to keep him in office upon the advice of [[Caroline of Ansbach|Queen Caroline]]. Although the King disliked Townshend, he retained him as well. Over the next years, Walpole continued to share power with Townshend, but gradually became the clearly dominant partner in government. The two clashed over British foreign affairs, especially over policy regarding Prussia, but Walpole was ultimately victorious, with his colleague retiring on [[15 May]] [[1730]]. This date is often given as the beginning of Walpole's unofficial tenure as Prime Minister.
During the following years, Walpole was more dominant than during any other part of his administration. Having secured the support of Queen Caroline, and, by extension, of King George II, he made liberal use of the royal patronage, granting honours and making appointments for political gains. He selected the members of his Cabinet, and was capable of forcing them to act in unison when necessary; as no previous head of the administration could wield so much influence, Walpole is properly regarded as the first "Prime Minister".
Walpole, a polarising figure, had many opponents, the most important of whom were Lord Bolingbroke (who had been his political enemy since the days of Queen Anne) and [[William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath|William Pulteney]] (a capable Whig statesman who felt snubbed when Walpole failed to include him in the Cabinet). Bolingbroke and Pulteney ran a periodical called ''The Craftsman'', in which they incessantly denounced the Prime Minister's policies. Walpole was also satirised and parodied extensively; he was often compared to the criminal [[Jonathan Wild]], as, for example, [[John Gay]] did in his farcical ''[[The Beggar's Opera|Beggar's Opera]]''. Walpole's other enemies included [[Jonathan Swift]], [[Alexander Pope]], [[Henry Fielding]], and [[Samuel Johnson|Dr Samuel Johnson]].
Despite such opposition, Walpole secured the support of the people and of the House of Commons with a policy of avoiding war, which, in turn, allowed him to impose low taxes. He used his influence to prevent George II from entering a European conflict in [[1733]], when the [[War of the Polish Succession]] broke out. In the same year, however, his influence was seriously threatened by a taxation scheme he introduced. The revenue of the country had been severely diminished by smugglers, so Walpole proposed that the [[tariff]] on wine and tobacco be replaced by an [[excise]] tax. To countervail the threat of smuggling, the tax was to be collected not at ports, but at warehouses. This new proposal, however, was extremely unpopular, and aroused the opposition of the nation's merchants. Walpole agreed to withdraw the bill before Parliament voted on it, but he dismissed the politicians who had dared to oppose it in the first place. Thus, Walpole lost a considerable element of his Whig Party to the Opposition.
After the general elections of [[1734]], Walpole's supporters still formed a majority in the House of Commons, though they were less numerous than before. Though he maintained his parliamentary supremacy, however, his popularity began to wane. In [[1736]], an increase in the tax on [[gin]] inspired riots in London. The even more serious [[Porteous Riots]] broke out in [[Edinburgh]], after the King pardoned a captain of the guard (John Porteous) who had commanded his troops to shoot a group of protesters. Though these events diminished Walpole's popularity, they failed to shake his majority in Parliament. Walpole's domination over the House of Commons was highlighted by the ease with which he secured the rejection of Sir John Barnard's plan to reduce the interest on the national debt. Walpole was also able to persuade Parliament to pass the [[Licensing Act]] of 1737, under which London theatres were regulated. The Act revealed a disdain for Swift, Pope, Fielding, and other literary figures who had attacked his government in their works.
==Decline==
The year 1737 was also marked by the death of Walpole's close friend, [[Caroline of Ansbach|Queen Caroline]]. Though her death did not end his personal influence with George II, who had grown loyal to the Prime Minister during the preceding years, Walpole's domination of government continued to decline. His opponents acquired a vocal leader in the [[Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]], who was estranged from his father, the King. Several young politicians, including [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt the Elder]] and [[George Grenville]], formed a faction known as the "Patriot Boys" and joined the Prince of Wales in opposition.
Walpole's failure to maintain a policy of avoiding military conflict eventually led to his fall from power. Under the [[Treaty of Seville (1729)|Treaty of Seville]] ([[1729]]), Great Britain agreed not to trade with the Spanish colonies in North America; Spain claimed the right to board and search British vessels to ensure compliance. Disputes, however, broke out over trade with the [[West Indies]]. Walpole attempted to prevent war, but was opposed by the King, the House of Commons, and by a faction in his own Cabinet. In [[1739]], Walpole abandoned all efforts to stop the conflict, and commenced the [[War of Jenkins' Ear]] (so called because [[Robert Jenkins (master mariner)|Robert Jenkins]], an English mariner, claimed that a Spaniard inspecting his vessel had severed his ear).
Walpole's influence continued to dramatically decline even after the war began. In the [[GB general election, 1741|1741 general election]] his supporters secured an increase in votes in constituencies that were decided by mass electorates, but failed to win in many [[rotten borough|pocket boroughs]] (constituencies subject to the informal but strong influence of patrons). In general the government made gains in [[England]] and [[Wales]] but this was not enough to overturn the reverses of the [[GB general election, 1734|1734 election]] and further losses in [[Cornwall]] where many constituencies were obedient to the will of the Prince of Wales (who was also [[Duke of Cornwall]]); these constituencies returned Members of Parliament hostile to the Prime Minister. Similarly, the influence of the [[John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll|Duke of Argyll]] secured the election of members opposed to Walpole in some parts of [[Scotland]]. Walpole's new majority was difficult to determine because of the uncertain loyalties of many new members, but contemporaries and historians estimated it as low as fourteen to eighteen.
In the new Parliament, many Whigs thought the aging Prime Minister incapable of leading the military campaign. Moreover, his majority was not as strong as it used to be; his detractors approximately as numerous as his supporters. In [[1742]], when the House of Commons was prepared to determine the validity of an allegedly rigged [[by-election]] in [[Chippenham, Wiltshire|Chippenham]], Walpole and others agreed to treat the issue as a [[Motion of No Confidence]]. As Walpole was defeated on the vote, he agreed to resign from the Government. The news of the naval disaster against Spain in the [[Battle of Cartagena de Indias]] also prompted the end of his political career. As part of his resignation the King agreed to elevate him to the [[House of Lords]] as the [[Earl of Orford]] and this occurred on [[February 6]] [[1742]]. Five days later he formally relinquished the seals of office.
==Later years==
Walpole was succeeded as Prime Minister by [[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington|Lord Wilmington]], in an administration whose true head was [[John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville|Lord Carteret]]. A committee was created to inquire into his ministry, but no substantial evidence of wrongdoing or corruption was discovered. Though no longer a member of the Cabinet, Walpole continued to maintain personal influence with George II and was often dubbed the "Minister behind the Curtain" for this advice and influence. In [[1744]], he managed to secure the dismissal of Carteret and the appointment of [[Henry Pelham]].
Walpole died in London in [[1745]], aged nearly sixty-nine years; he was buried in his home town of Houghton. His earldom passed to his eldest son Robert, who was in turn succeeded by his only son George. Upon the death of the third Earl, the Earldom was inherited by the first Earl's younger son, [[Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford|Horace Walpole]] (a famous writer and friend of poet [[Thomas Gray]]), who died without heirs in [[1797]].
==Legacy==
[[Image:Walpole's reign1.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Walpole's reign'' - political satire]]
[[Image:Walpole's reign2.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Walpole's reign'' - political satire]]
Walpole's influence on the politics of his day was tremendous. The Tories became a minor, insignificant faction, and the Whigs became a dominant and largely unopposed party. His influence on the development of the uncodified constitution of Great Britain was less momentous, even though he is regarded as Great Britain's first Prime Minister. He relied primarily on the favour of the King, rather than on the support of the House of Commons. His power stemmed from his personal influence instead of the influence of his office. Most of his immediate successors were, comparatively speaking, extremely weak; it would take several decades more for the premiership to develop into the most powerful and most important office in the country.
Walpole's strategy of keeping Great Britain at peace contributed greatly to the country's prosperity. Walpole also managed to secure the position of the [[House of Hanover|Hanoverian Dynasty]], and effectively countervailed Jacobitism. The Jacobite threat was effectively ended, soon after Walpole's term ended, by the defeat of the [[Jacobite Rebellion|rebellion of 1745]].
Another part of Walpole's legacy is [[10 Downing Street]]. George II offered this home to Walpole as a personal gift in [[1732]], but Walpole accepted it only as the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, taking up his residence there on [[22 September]] [[1735]]. His immediate successors did not always reside in Number 10 (preferring their larger private residences), but the home has nevertheless become established as the official residence of the Prime Minister (in his or her capacity as First Lord of the Treasury).
Walpole also left behind a famous collection of art which he had assembled during his career. This collection was sold by his grandson, the 3rd Earl of Orford, to the Russian Empress [[Catherine II of Russia|Catherine II]] in [[1779]]. This collection—which was regarded as one of the finest in Europe—now lies in the [[Hermitage Museum|State Hermitage Museum]] in [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia.
The nursery rhyme, "[[Who Killed Cock Robin]]?" is said to be an allusion to the fall of Walpole (''Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' ISBN 0-19-860088-7).
The town of [[Walpole, Massachusetts]], USA was founded in 1724 and named after Sir Robert Walpole.
==Styles from birth to death==
*Mr. Robert Walpole ([[1676]]-[[1701]])
*Mr. Robert Walpole, MP ([[1701]]-[[1714]])
*The Rt. Hon. Robert Walpole, MP ([[1714]]-[[1725]])
*The Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Walpole, KB, MP ([[1725]]-[[1726]])
*The Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Walpole, KG, MP ([[1726]]-[[1742]])
*The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Orford, KG, PC ([[1742]]-[[1745]])
==See also==
*[[Walpole/Townshend Ministry|Walpole/Townshend Ministry (1721–1730)]]
*[[Walpole Ministry|Walpole Ministry (1730–1742)]]
*[[List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom|List of Prime Ministers of Great Britain]]
==References==
{{wikisource author}}
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
*Black, Jeremy. (2001). ''Walpole in Power.'' Stroud: Sutton Publishing.
*Dickinson, Harry T. (1973). ''Walpole and the Whig Supremacy.'' London: English Universities Press.
*Hill, Brian W. (1989). ''Sir Robert Walpole: "Sole and Prime Minister."'' London: Hamish Hamilton.
*Morley, John. (1889). ''Walpole.'' London: Macmillan and Co.
*Plumb, John Harold. (1956–1960). ''Sir Robert Walpole.'' (2 volumes). London: Cresset Press.
*Plumb, John Harold. (1967). ''The Growth of Political Stability in England 1675–1725.'' London: Macmillan and Co.
*[[Piotr Napierała]], ''Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) – twórca brytyjskiej potęgi'' (- the architect of British Power), Wydawnictwo Naukowe [[Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań|UAM]], [[Poznań]] 2008.
==External links==
*[http://pm.gov.uk/output/Page174.asp More about Sir Robert Walpole] on the Downing Street website.
* http://www.efamilytree.net
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Chancellor of the Exchequer]]|years=1715 – 1717}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Henry Clinton, 7th Earl of Lincoln|The Earl of Lincoln]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Paymaster of the Forces]]|years=1720 – 1721}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis|The Lord Cornwallis]]}}
{{s-new|first|reason=None recognised before}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Great Britain]]|years=4 April 1721 – 11 February 1742}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington|The Earl of Wilmington]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland|The Earl of Sunderland]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[First Lord of the Treasury]]|years=1721 – 1742}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Pratt (judge)|Sir John Pratt]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chancellor of the Exchequer]]|years=1721 – 1742}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Samuel Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys|Samuel Sandys]]}}
{{s-bef|before=Unknown}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Leader of the House of Commons]]|years=1721 – 1742}}
{{s-par|en}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Robert Walpole (MP)|Robert Walpole]]<br />[[Thomas Howard (MP)|Thomas Howard]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Castle Rising (UK Parliament constituency)|Member of Parliament for Castle Rising]]<br /><small>with [[Thomas Howard (MP)|Thomas Howard]] 1701<br />[[Robert Cecil (MP)|Robert Cecil]] 1701<br />[[Richard Jones, 1st Earl of Ranelagh|The Earl of Ranelagh]] 1701–1702<br />[[William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire|Marquess of Hartington]] 1702</small>|years=1701 – 1702}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sir Thomas Littleton, 3rd Baronet|Sir Thomas Littleton]]<br />[[Horatio Walpole (MP)|Horatio Walpole]]}}
{{s-par|gb}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John Turner (d. 1712)|Sir John Turner]]<br />[[Sir Charles Turner, 1st Baronet|Sir Charles Turner]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King's Lynn (UK Parliament constituency)|Member of Parliament for King's Lynn]]<br /><small>with [[Sir Charles Turner, 1st Baronet|Sir Charles Turner]]</small>|years=1702 – 1712}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sir Charles Turner, 1st Baronet|Sir Charles Turner]]<br />[[Sir John Turner, 2nd Baronet|Sir John Turner]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Sir Charles Turner, 1st Baronet|Sir Charles Turner]]<br />[[Sir John Turner, 2nd Baronet|Sir John Turner]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King's Lynn (UK Parliament constituency)|Member of Parliament for King's Lynn]]<br /><small>with [[Sir Charles Turner, 1st Baronet|Sir Charles Turner]] 1713–1739<br />[[Sir John Turner, 3rd Baronet|Sir John Turner]] 1739–1742</small>|years=1713 – 1742}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sir John Turner, 3rd Baronet|Sir John Turner]]<br />[[Edward Bacon]]}}
{{s-reg|gb}}
{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Earl of Orford]]|years=1742 – 1745}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford|Robert Walpole]]}}
{{end}}
{{UKPrimeMinisters}}
{{Chancellor of the Exchequer}}
<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
{{Persondata
|NAME= Walpole, Robert
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=1st Earl of Orford
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[Prime Minister of Great Britain]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=[[26 August]] [[1676]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH= Houghton, [[Norfolk]], [[England]]
|DATE OF DEATH=[[18 March]] [[1745]]
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[London]], [[England]], [[Great Britain]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walpole, Robert}}
[[Category:Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Chancellors of the Exchequer of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Paymasters of the Forces]]
[[Category:Whig MPs (UK)]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Alumni of King's College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:English art collectors]]
[[Category:Literary dunces]]
[[Category:People from Norfolk]]
[[Category:Old Etonians]]
[[Category:Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain|Orford, Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of]]
[[Category:Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]
[[Category:1676 births]]
[[Category:1745 deaths]]
[[Category:British and English royal favourites]]
[[de:Robert Walpole]]
[[es:Robert Walpole]]
[[fr:Robert Walpole]]
[[ga:Robert Walpole]]
[[gd:Robert Walpole]]
[[hi:राबर्ट वाल्पोल]]
[[io:Robert Walpole]]
[[id:Robert Walpole]]
[[it:Robert Walpole]]
[[la:Robertus Walpole]]
[[hu:Robert Walpole]]
[[ja:ロバート・ウォルポール]]
[[nds:Robert Walpole]]
[[pl:Robert Walpole]]
[[pt:Robert Walpole]]
[[ru:Уолпол, Роберт]]
[[simple:Robert Walpole]]
[[fi:Robert Walpole]]
[[sv:Robert Walpole]]
[[tg:Роберт Валпол]]
[[tr:Robert Walpole]]
[[uk:Волпол Роберт]]
[[zh:罗伯特·沃波尔]]