Read about Robert Walpole, the first prime minister of Britain. Learn about his life and career, including his time as the longest prime minister of the U.K.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Robert Walpole | Biography, Career & Legacy
Table of Contents
- Who is Robert Walpole?
- Robert Walpole's Early Life
- Robert Walpole's Early Career
- Robert Walpole's Legacy
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Robert Walpole known for?
Robert Walpole is known for being Britain's first prime minister. He established the position and then held it for twenty years, making him the longest-serving prime minister in British history.
Why did Sir Robert Walpole become the first prime minister?
Robert Walpole essentially became prime minister through sheer determination. The role did not yet exist, but he gained increasing power and, with Whig support and his personal royal friendships, he established the responsibilities of the role.
Table of Contents
- Who is Robert Walpole?
- Robert Walpole's Early Life
- Robert Walpole's Early Career
- Robert Walpole's Legacy
- Lesson Summary
Robert Walpole is generally considered to have been the first prime minister of Great Britain. He lived from 1676 to 1745, during which time he was influential in the British Parliament. He was a skilled political agent known for being both personable and highly effective at accomplishing his goals. Walpole pushed to establish the role of prime minister, moving Britain into a more democratic era by limiting the power of the monarchy and increasing the power of Parliament. Britain is still a monarchy today, but the monarch's power is limited, partially thanks to the work of people like Walpole.
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Robert Walpole was born in Houghton, Norfolk, in 1676. His father, also called Robert Walpole, was a Colonel and a statesman in his own right. His mother, Mary Burwell, was a member of the gentry, which meant that Walpole was part of a wealthy and influential family. Walpole was educated at a private school before attending Eton and later Cambridge.
With the deaths of both his father and his elder brother, Walpole inherited his family's estates, which he had to leave Cambridge to attend to. When Walpole's father died, he also left a vacant seat in politics. Walpole was able to influence British politics from a young age, showing a great aptitude for it, as well as an aptitude for business. In 1700, he married a woman named Catherine Shorter of Bybrook, with whom he had five children.
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Walpole was initially elected to his late father's parliamentary seat at Castle Rising in 1700. In 1702, he transferred his seat to King's Lynn, which would become his base of operations for much of his remaining career. Walpole was a member of the Whigs, a political party that, at the time, was focused on increasing the power of Parliament and decreasing the power of the monarch, King George I. A low point in Walpole's career came in 1712 when he was accused of corruption and briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London. Six months later, he was released and soon regained his parliamentary role.
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Because of his ability to obtain the political results he desired, Walpole quickly gained prominence in Parliament. To increase his influence, he bought a residence close to Parliament and attended nearly every session, making himself a fixture of the institution. Although the Whigs were interested in curbing royal power, Walpole realized that currying favor with the royals could help secure his own political power. He cultivated friendships with members of the royal family and was widely regarded as a powerful and influential man in British politics.
Walpole as Prime Minister
Robert Walpole is generally considered to have been the first prime minister of England, which remains the highest position of democratic power in the country. Before securing that role, Walpole was the First Lord of the Treasury for over twenty years. Several scandals plagued the government in the 1720s, creating division and undermining the people's (and the royal family's) confidence in Parliament. It was during this time of instability that Walpole, who managed to escape being caught up in the scandals, became prime minister. He achieved the role in 1721, essentially by virtue of being the most powerful person remaining after scandals caused others to leave Parliament. He worked to develop the office of prime minister over the course of the rest of his career.
Early in his tenure as prime minister, Walpole successfully dismantled a Tory plot to take over the government, making him more popular and helping ensure that he would keep his political power. After King George I was succeeded by King George II, Walpole managed to retain his position, setting a precedent for the role of prime minister to continue into the future. In addition to securing the office of prime minister, Walpole also aimed to secure peace in the British Empire and worked to reduce the national debt. George II gifted Robert Walpole 10 Downing Street as his residence, which is still the official residence of the prime minister in Britain today.
Loss of Power and Downfall
In addition to being the first, Robert Walpole was also the longest-serving prime minister of the U.K. to date. He held the position for twenty years and had what most consider a very successful reign. Toward the end of his career, however, Walpole became less popular. His position became challenging as he sought to negotiate British relations with Spain over their mutual but often conflicting interest in the West Indies. His choices alienated some of the British public, and his advancing age meant that some felt he was no longer keeping up with the times.
Both Walpole's first and second wives died in quick succession in 1737 and 1738, which was challenging for him to manage. After he declared war against Spain, his popularity further decreased, and he was forced to resign from the position of prime minister in 1742. He continued to participate in politics until his death in 1745, after a sharp decline in health.
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Interestingly, although Robert Walpole is now widely considered to have been the first prime minister of Britain, he did not use the term himself. Nonetheless, the job that he performed was the same one that each subsequent prime minister has taken up. Because of his actions to secure the position, Britain has not been without a prime minister since Walpole's time.
His time in office made the Whigs much more powerful and helped them with their plan to reduce royal power while also pushing back against the Tories, their main opposition. Walpole has generally been considered one of the most important figures in the history of British politics, and the office of the prime minister is the most significant part of his ongoing legacy.
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Robert Walpole was Britain's first prime minister. As a young man, Walpole became heavily invested in politics even before he became prime minister. He bought a house near Parliament and attended almost every session to ensure that he had the greatest possible influence on the country's political affairs. His political party, the Whigs, wanted to reduce the monarchy's power and increase Parliament's power. Over time, Walpole gained increasing power and essentially created the role of prime minister, which had not previously existed.
Walpole was the prime minister under King George I and his successor, King George II. Through personal friendships with the British royals, Walpole managed to increase the Whig's power while also ensuring that the role of prime minister would continue to exist after his own career ended. He succeeded: during his twenty years as prime minister, Walpole established the duties of future prime ministers and ensured that Britain would never again be without a democratic leader. Eventually, his popularity declined, but he remained involved in politics until the end of his life.
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Additional Info
Robert Walpole
England has a monarch. You probably knew that. However, the monarch of England today doesn't actually have a lot of power. She does reign over the United Kingdom, but most important political decisions are actually made by the Prime Minister, the head of the UK's government. For a country that's so proud of its medieval kings and queens, it's kind of surprising that the UK gave so much power to a prime minister, so how did this happen?
The establishment of this office took a while to standardize, but no figure was as instrumental to the process as Robert Walpole. Walpole is generally considered the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. Rising to power in the 18th century, Walpole's career was crucial in transitioning England from a land of absolute monarchs to one where political power was a little more accessible.
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Early Life and Entry into Politics
Robert Walpole was born in 1676 as one of 19 children. His father was a British politician associated with the political party called the Whigs. The Whigs were British statesmen who opposed the concept of an absolute monarchy, in which the king had total power. They wanted the lords and Parliament to have more direct governing power so for the time, they were a pretty radical group.
Robert was well-educated, took over his family estate, joined the Whigs, and in 1701, was elected to Parliament for the first of many terms. Recognized for his intelligence and charisma, he quickly rose to prominence and emerged as a mediator who tried to help the Whigs and the rest of the government get along. That was an important skill to have at this time because the conflicts between Whigs and their opponents (the Tories) were starting to turn violent.
Due to in-fighting in British politics, Robert was accused of corruption and briefly imprisoned. Then, the Queen died in 1714 and King George I took the throne. King George didn't like the Tories because he thought they opposed his claim to the crown. The Whigs quickly claimed power in the King's government, and Robert Walpole became one of the most influential leaders of the party and advisor to the king.
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Walpole as Prime Minister
In 1721, a corruption scandal in the king's Cabinet led to several members being kicked out, leaving Walpole as the single most powerful person left in the king's government. He was, in essence, the first minister (or prime minster) of the Cabinet. Walpole was soon named First Lord of the Treasury, effectively giving him control of British administration, and was also made the Leader of the House of Commons in Parliament.
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At this point, Robert Walpole had more control over British politics than any other non-royal person could have dreamed of. While he didn't officially hold the title of ''Prime Minister,'' he effectively exercised the power of that office beginning in 1721 and established a precedent that would lead to the formal creation of the title.
Throughout the rest of George I's reign, Walpole's power only grew and grew. When King George I was succeeded by King George II, Walpole survived the change of power and retained his position. Throughout this time, the power of the monarch slowly started decreasing, as more and more rights were given to Parliament.
However, there was opposition to Walpole's power. His most notable opponent was Lord John Townshend. An outspoken rival to Walpole's power, the Prime Minister worked to discredit Townshend and in 1930, Townshend was forced to resign from the king's government.
For 20 years, Robert Walpole worked tirelessly to secure the power of his new office and ensure its longevity. In 1735, he purchased a residence at 10 Downing Street, just a five-minute walk away from Parliament. This relocation was no accident; it let Walpole attend Parliament nearly every day in an era when most lords lived miles away and only attended sessions once every few months. Walpole's constant presence in Parliament for 20 years made his power incontestable and an assumed part of Parliamentary life. Incidentally, 10 Downing Street remains the home of Britain's Prime Minister to this day.
However, Walpole's control couldn't last forever. He failed to prevent war with Spain in 1739, which weakened his support and control in Parliament. Soon after, his health became a concern, and he resigned from the office of First Lord of the Treasury 1742. Still, he remained active in British politics and helped ensure that the office of the Prime Minister was maintained.
Walpole's hold on this position was largely due to his close relationship with George I and George II, and the next prime ministers were weaker, but the recognition of the office survived. Britain would never again be without a Prime Minister.
Lesson Summary
Robert Walpole (1676-1745) is recognized as Britain's first Prime Minister, an office he essentially created for himself through careful political maneuvering. First elected to Parliament in 1701, Walpole quickly emerged as a leader of the Whig party, which opposed an absolute monarchy and wanted to give more power to Parliament.
Walpole helped oversee the Whigs' rise to dominance over British politics, established himself as the most important minster of King George I's Cabinet, and in 1721, was named First Lord of the Treasury and Leader of the House of Commons. From 1721 to 1742, Walpole effectively created the office of the Prime Minister and ensured that it would survive beyond him, changing British politics forever.
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Robert Walpole | Biography, Career & Legacy
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