1815, agreement among the emperors of Russia and Austria and the king of Prussia, signed on Sept. 26. It was quite distinct from the Quadruple
Napoleon's spectacular career, which took him from the ranks of the impoverished nobility on the island of Corsica to ruler of territories that at
1808–14, fought by France against Great Britain, Portugal, Spanish regulars, and Spanish guerrillas in the Iberian Peninsula. The conflict was
principle of American foreign policy enunciated in President James Monroe's message to Congress, Dec. 2, 1823. It initially called for an end to
In Britain until 1846, laws used to regulate the export or import of cereals in order to maintain an adequate supply for consumers and a secure price
( rĭp'ən ), 1782–1859, British statesman, better known as Viscount Goderich. Entering Parliament as a Tory in 1806, he sponsored the unpopular corn
1792–1878, British statesman; younger son of the 6th duke of Bedford, known most of his life as Lord John Russell. He became a Whig member of
British Tory prime minister 1783–1801 and 1804–06. He raised the importance of the House of Commons, clamped down on corruption, carried out fiscal
British Conservative politician, prime minister 1957–63; foreign secretary 1955 and chancellor of the Exchequer 1955–57. In 1963 he attempted to
British Conservative politician, prime minister 1940–45 and 1951–55. In Parliament from 1900, as a Liberal until 1924, he held a number of ministerial
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Pelham, Henry (1696 - 1754)
English Whig politician. He held a succession of offices in Robert Walpole's cabinet 1721–42, and was prime minister 1743–54. His influence in the
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Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852
1769–1852, British soldier and statesman. Wellesley entered the army in 1787 and, aided by his brother Richard (later Marquess Wellesley ), rose
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Balfour, Arthur James Balfour, Earl of, 1848-1930
( băl'fʊr ), 1848–1930, British statesman; nephew of the 3d marquess of Salisbury . He entered parliament as a Conservative in 1874 and served as
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Palmerston, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Henry John Temple (1784 - 1865)
1784–1865, British statesman. His viscountcy, to which he succeeded in 1802, was in the Irish peerage and therefore did not prevent him from entering
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Major, John (1943 - )
British Conservative politician, prime minister 1990–97. He was foreign secretary in 1989 and chancellor of the Exchequer 1989–90. His low-key,
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Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin (1804 - 1881)
British Conservative politician and novelist. Elected to Parliament in 1837, he was chancellor of the Exchequer under Lord Derby in 1852, 1858–59, and
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Callaghan, James, 1912-2005
British Labour politician, prime minister and party leader 1976–79. He became prime minister in April 1976 after the unexpected retirement of Harold
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Baldwin, Stanley Baldwin, Earl, 1867-1947
1867–1947, British statesman; cousin of Rudyard Kipling . The son of a Worcestershire ironmaster, he was educated at Harrow and at Trinity College,
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Walpole, Robert, Earl of Orford, 1676-1745
1676–1745, English statesman. He was the younger son of a prominent Whig family of Norfolk. After the death of his father and elder brothers he was
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Brown, Gordon, 1951-
British Labour politician, prime minister and leader of the Labour Party 2007–10. He was chancellor of the Exchequer 1997–2007. He succeeded Tony
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Gladstone, William (1809 - 1898)
1809–98, British statesman, the dominant personality of the Liberal party from 1868 until 1894. A great orator and a master of finance, he was deeply
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North, Frederick, Lord, 1732-1792
1732–92, British statesman, best known as Lord North. He entered Parliament in 1754 and became a junior lord of the treasury (1759), privy councilor
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Peel, Sir Robert (1788 - 1850)
1788–1850, British statesman. The son of a rich cotton manufacturer, whose baronetcy he inherited in 1830, Peel entered Parliament as a Tory in 1809.
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Iddesleigh, Stafford Henry Northcote, Earl of, 1818-1887
British politician, leader of the Conservative Party 1880–85. He was chancellor of the Exchequer 1874–80 and foreign secretary 1886–87. As party
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Lloyd George, David, 1863-1945
( du'ēvôr ), 1863–1945, British statesman, of Welsh extraction. Lloyd George was a brilliantly eloquent, forceful, and creative statesman, but he was
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Thatcher, Margaret (1925 - 2013)
Political leader Margaret Hilda Thatcher (neé Roberts, born October 13, 1925) was the first woman to lead a major Western democracy. The British prime
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Heath, Edward
British Conservative politician, party leader 1965–75. As prime minister 1970–74 he took the UK into the European Community (EC) but was brought down
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Clarke, Kenneth (1940 - )
British Conservative politician, Lord Chancellor 2010–12 and minister without portfolio 2012–14. A liberal, pro-European Union Conservative with a
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Portland, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, Duke of, 1738-1809
English Whig politician. He was prime minister in 1783 and 1807–09, each time as titular leader of a government dominated by stronger characters. He
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Wellesley, Richard Wellesley, Marquess, 1760-1842
1760–1842, British colonial administrator; brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington . He became earl of Mornington on his father's death
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Attlee, C. R. (Clement Richard), 1883-1967
( ăt'lē ), 1883–1967, British statesman. Educated at Oxford, he was called to the bar in 1905. His early experience as a social worker in London's
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Fox, Charles James (1749 - 1806)
1749–1806, British statesman and orator, for many years the outstanding parliamentary proponent of liberal reform. He entered Parliament in 1768 and
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Wilson, Harold, 1916-1995
British Labour politician, party leader from 1963, prime minister 1964–70 and 1974–76. His premiership was dominated by the issue of UK admission to
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Henderson, Arthur, 1863-1935
British Labour politician and trade unionist, leader of the Labour Party 1914–1918, born in Scotland. He helped to transform the Labour Party from a
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Townshend, 2nd Viscount Charles (1674 - 1738)
English politician and agriculturalist. He was secretary of state under George I from 1714 to 1717, when he was dismissed for opposing the king's
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Campbell-Bannerman, Henry, 1836-1908
British Liberal politician, prime minister 1905–08, leader of the Liberal party 1898–1908. The Entente Cordiale was broadened to embrace Russia during
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Gaitskell, Hugh (1906 - 1963)
1906-63 English Labour politician Born in London, he was educated at Winchester and at New College, Oxford, becoming a socialist during the 1926
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Burke, Edmund, 1729-1797
1729–97, British political writer and statesman, b. Dublin, Ireland. After graduating (1748) from Trinity College, Dublin, he began the study of law
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Blair, Tony, 1953-
British Labour politician, prime minister 1997–2007. He was leader of the Labour Party 1994–2007. On standing down as prime minister in 2007, he
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Churchill, Lord Randolph (1849 - 1894)
1849–95, English statesman; son of the 7th duke of Marlborough. A sincere Tory and a founder (1883) of the Primrose League, dedicated to upholding
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Jenkins, Roy, 1920-2003
British politician, born in Monmouthshire, Wales. He became a Labour minister in 1964, was home secretary 1965–67 and 1974–76, and chancellor of the
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chancellor of the exchequer
In the UK, senior cabinet minister responsible for the national economy. The office, established under Henry III, originally entailed keeping the