Arthur Paget (diplomat)
Encyclopedia
Sir Arthur Paget GCB
, PC (15 January 1771 – 26 July 1840) was a British diplomat and politician.
. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, but did not take a degree.
for Anglesey
. He nominally represented this for 13 years, though usually abroad. In 1794, he was sent as Envoy-extraordinary to Berlin to remind King Frederick William II
of his obligations, a service in which Lord Malmesbury
the ambassador commended him for his tact.
His next appointment was as Envoy Extraordinary to the Elector Palatine and the Perpetual Diet at Regensburg
in 1798, followed by Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary first at Naples in 1800 and then at Vienna the following year. He remained at Vienna until 1806, being nicknamed "The Emperor" on account of his extravagance.
A dispatch in 1802, following Napoleon's creation of the Confederation of the Rhine
predicted the hegemony of Prussia
within Germany
. He was materially responsible for the creation of the Third Coalition
, and reported its collapse following the Battle of Austerlitz
(December 2, 1805), a dispatch that is said to have hastened the death of William Pitt the Younger
(23 January 1806).
After his recall from Austria, he was sent to the Ottoman Porte in 1807, where he told the Sultan of a secret clause in the Treaty of Tilsit adverse to his interests. However, he was unable to detach the Ottoman Empire
from its French Alliance
. He was recalled in 1809 and awarded a pension of £2000.
, and married her the following year, as soon as her divorce took place. They had several children, including Sir Augustus Berkeley Paget
, who followed his father as a diplomat. He occupied time in his retirement as an agrciulaturalist and yachtsman.
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...
, PC (15 January 1771 – 26 July 1840) 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 of AngleseyHenry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey
Field Marshal Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, KG, GCB, GCH, PC , styled Lord Paget between 1784 and 1812 and known as The Earl of Uxbridge between 1812 and 1815, was a British military leader and politician, now chiefly remembered for leading the charge of the heavy cavalry against...
. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, but did not take a degree.
Diplomatic career
In 1791, he entered the British diplomatic service. In 1794, he was elected as Member of ParliamentMember 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 Anglesey
Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency)
Ynys Môn is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. He nominally represented this for 13 years, though usually abroad. In 1794, he was sent as Envoy-extraordinary to Berlin to remind King Frederick William II
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:...
of his obligations, a service in which Lord Malmesbury
James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury
James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury GCB was an English diplomatist.-Early life :...
the ambassador commended him for his tact.
His next appointment was as Envoy Extraordinary to the Elector Palatine and the Perpetual 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 1798, followed by Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary first at Naples in 1800 and then at Vienna the following year. He remained at Vienna until 1806, being nicknamed "The Emperor" on account of his extravagance.
A dispatch in 1802, following Napoleon's creation of the Confederation of the Rhine
Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederation of the Rhine was a confederation of client states of the First French Empire. It was formed initially from 16 German states by Napoleon after he defeated Austria's Francis II and Russia's Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. The Treaty of Pressburg, in effect, led to the...
predicted the hegemony of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
within Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was materially responsible for the creation of the Third Coalition
Third Coalition
The War of the Third Coalition was a conflict which spanned from 1803 to 1806. It saw the defeat of an alliance of Austria, Portugal, Russia, and others by France and its client states under Napoleon I...
, and reported its collapse following the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
(December 2, 1805), a dispatch that is said to have hastened the death of William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
(23 January 1806).
After his recall from Austria, he was sent to the Ottoman Porte in 1807, where he told the Sultan of a secret clause in the Treaty of Tilsit adverse to his interests. However, he was unable to detach 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...
from its French Alliance
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...
. He was recalled in 1809 and awarded a pension of £2000.
Retirement
Paget had been made a Privy Councillor and Knight of the Bath, both in 1804, and was gvien a GCB in 1815. In 1808, be eloped with Lady Augusta Fane, then the wife of Lord BoringdonJohn Parker, 1st Earl of Morley
John Parker, 1st Earl of Morley FRS , known as Lord Boringdon from 1788 to 1815, was a British peer and politician....
, and married her the following year, as soon as her divorce took place. They had several children, including Sir Augustus Berkeley Paget
Augustus Berkeley Paget
Sir Augustus Berkeley Paget GCB was the son of Rt. Hon. Sir Arthur Paget and Lady Augusta Fane, nephew of General Sir Edward Paget and grandson of The 1st Earl of Uxbridge....
, who followed his father as a diplomat. He occupied time in his retirement as an agrciulaturalist and yachtsman.