Glickman, Gabriel (2011) Parliament, the Tories and Frederick, Prince of Wales. Parliamentary History, Vol.30 (No.2). pp. 120-141. doi:10.1111/j.1750-0206.2011.00215.x ISSN 0264-2824.

Research output not available from this repository.

Request-a-Copy directly from author or use local Library Get it For Me service.

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

The alliance between the tories and Frederick, Prince of Wales has usually appeared at best a passing interlude of opportunism in eighteenth-century politics, dismissed alike by scholars upholding ‘jacobite’ or ‘Hanoverian’ constructions of the party's identity. This article offers a re-examination of the relationship, assessing tory actions at Westminster against the larger hinterland of party literature and journalism. It argues that, especially after 1747, the association fronted a much more serious enterprise than is conventionally assumed, highlighting the continued political and ideological independence of the party into the 1750s and shaping the subsequent evolution of its identity. Intellectually, Frederick's image as a ‘Patriot King’ was driven by radical manifestos originating within the jacobite diaspora in Paris. Inside Westminster, his patronage changed the balance of power, bringing the tories to a point of primacy hitherto unmatched over the larger opposition. For four years, the promise of the prince of Wales provided the glue to hold the tory party together; his death threatened to unleash a process of fragmentation. The long-term legacy of the alliance informed the direction of those who remained tories into the following decade, determining the section of the party that would gain the ascendancy within the reign of George III. By showing how a member of the ruling dynasty could be recast in a favourable and highly partisan political complexion, the pact with Frederick represented a decisive stage in the reinvention of English toryism, and its movement from mid-century opposition towards rebirth as the loyalist champions of the house of Hanover.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts > History
Journal or Publication Title:	Parliamentary History
Publisher:	John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ISSN:	0264-2824
Official Date:	2011
Dates:	Date Event 2011 Published
Volume:	Vol.30
Number:	No.2
Page Range:	pp. 120-141
DOI:	10.1111/j.1750-0206.2011.00215.x
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item