Emerging from the Shadows

Arthur Annesley, earl of Anglesey, played an essential role in the English Restoration and was a prominent individual in Anglo-Irish politics before and after. He was one of the major figures who bridged the political divide between England and Ireland. His career spanned a period of some forty years. And yet he has received next to no attention from historians, compared with contemporaries such as Clarendon, Buckingham, and Arlington. Only a thirty-year-old study by Douglas Greene is devoted to his life and career, which is showing its age as historians are devoting increasing attention to this era. The present dissertation will take a closer look at this essential figure in the light of new evidence and fresh perspectives. Recent scholarship, particularly religious studies, offers a more complete view of the Restoration. Prior to this, most assumed that Protestant dissenters were not a credible threat to the British government; however, scholars such as Richard Greaves proves this notion invalid. The dangers of nonconformity were quite real and those who supported dissenters, as Anglesey did, often paid the price politically. We know more now about the convoluted political relationships within a greater Britain, as a result of the work of Ronald Hutton, Jonathan Scott, Tim Harris, and Brendan Bradshaw, just to name a few. Older views of the Cabal government have been overturned. More awareness exists about Charles II's personal control over policy. Also, the inner workings of parliament are better understood, especially the use of crown managers within the house of lords. We are more curious about how Anglo-Irish politicians maintained their balance in the tricky conditions of the new British politics. For in comparison with more familiar periods of the Civil War or the Revolution, Anglesey's was a time of treacherous court intrigues, religious disappointment, and constitutional uncertainty. A broader theme is the complicated political relationship that existed between England and Ireland and how certain individuals, such as Anglesey, were able to sustain their political careers in both countries, though not without a certain amount of risk. Connected to this is the complex nature of Anglo-Irish politics and how political careers rose and fell depending on governmental factions and intrigues. The Anglo-Irish politicians, men who served both countries as Anglesey did, are crucial if we are to bring these kingdoms' histories closer together. Anglesey's connections with the nonconformist religious community in England and Ireland, primarily the Presbyterians, will also be examined to gain further insight into how these groups survived periods of persecution that occurred throughout the Restoration. Throughout his career, Anglesey was truly a political realist very cautious about making hard decisions, preferring to tread a moderate path, one which others followed during these tumultuous times. The one tendency that endangered that path was his sympathy for dissent, though he never went to any real extremes even with this personal belief. Indeed, Anglesey was one to push for "comprehension" rather than toleration. Survival meant compromise whether over political, religious, or personal issues and above all else the earl of Anglesey was a survivor. For most of his life Anglesey sought two goals, advancement for himself and for the Anglo-Irish interest. He helped steer Anglo-Irish politics through turbulent times like the Restoration, two Dutch wars, various plots and threats of rebellion, the Exclusion Crisis, and growing tensions between Court/Country factions and the king. His long career and contributions have been ignored for too long and it is time to bring Anglesey out of the shadows and onto history's center stage.