Sir Arthur Paget, GCB, PC (15 January 1771 – 26 July 1840) was a British politician and diplomat.

Life

Arthur Paget was the third son of

Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge (13 January 166330 August 1743), of Beaudesert, Staffordshire, and West Drayton, Middlesex, was a British landowner and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1695 until 171 ...

and his wife Jane Champagné daughter of Arthur Champagné,

Dean of Clonmacnoise The Dean of Clonmacnoise is based at Trim Cathedral, The Cathedral Church of St Patrick, Trim in the united Diocese of Meath and Kildare within the Church of Ireland. The incumbent is Paul Bogle. List of deans of Clonmacnoise *1561 William Flyn ...

in Ireland. He was a younger brother of

Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (17 May 1768 – 29 April 1854), styled Lord Paget between 1784 and 1812 and known as the Earl of Uxbridge between 1812 and 1815, was a British Army officer and politician. After serving as a member ...

and the older brother of

Sir Edward Paget General Sir Edward Paget (3 November 1775 – 13 May 1849) was a British Army officer. Career Born the fourth son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, Edward Paget became a cornet in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards in 1792. He was Member o ...

, an army officer and colonial governor.''The Paget brothers, 1790–1840'', ed. Lord Hylton . G. H. Jolliffe(1918) He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, but did not take a degree.''The Paget Papers: Diplomatic and other correspondence of the Right Hon. Sir Arthur Paget, G. C. B., 1794–1807'', ed. A. B. Paget, 2 vols. (1896) At Oxford, Paget formed a close relationship with Cyril Jackson,

Dean of Christ Church Dean of Christ Church may refer to: * Dean of Christ Church, Oxford * Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin * Dean of ChristChurch Cathedral, Christchurch, New Zealand See also * Christ Church Cathedral (disambiguation) {{Disambiguation ...

Diplomatic career

In 1791, he entered the British diplomatic service. J. M. Rigg described Paget as 'a man of easy charm who made his way with little difficulty up the diplomatic ladder, assisted by his moderate whiggery.' In 1794, he was elected as Member of Parliament for

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

. He nominally represented this constituency for 13 years, though usually abroad. (He was also appointed

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

-Commandant of the

Anglesey Militia The Royal Anglesey Militia, later the Royal Anglesey Royal Engineers (RARE) was an auxiliary regiment organised in the Welsh island county of Anglesey during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. Primarily intended for home defence, it ...

on 20 February 1795 and promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on 10 March 1798, but had vacated the command by 1803.) In 1794, he was sent as Envoy-extraordinary to Berlin to remind King Frederick William II of his obligations to

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

, a service in which Lord Malmesbury the ambassador commended him for his tact.''Diaries and correspondence of James Harris, first earl of Malmesbury'', ed. third earl of Malmesbury . H. Harris 4 vols. (1844) His next appointment was as

Envoy Extraordinary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to the Elector Palatine and the

Perpetual Diet The Perpetual Diet of Regensburg or the Eternal Diet of Regensburg, () also commonly called in English the Perpetual Diet of Ratisbon,Jean Berenger, C.A. Simpson, ''The Habsburg Empire 1700-1918'' (2014), p. 134 from the city's Latin name, was a ...

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

in 1798, followed by

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

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 The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine or Rhine Confederation, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austrian Empire, Austria ...

predicted the hegemony of

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

within

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. He was materially contributed to the creation of the

Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition () was a European conflict lasting from 1805 to 1806 and was the first conflict of the Napoleonic Wars. During the war, France and its client states under Napoleon I and its ally Spain opposed an alliance, the Th ...

, and reported its collapse following the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

(2 December 1805), a dispatch that is said to have hastened the death of

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...

(23 January 1806). After his recall from Austria, he was sent to the

Ottoman Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildin ...

in 1807, where he told the Sultan of a secret clause in the

Treaty of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit (), also collectively known as the Peace of Tilsit (; ), were two peace treaties signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland, at the end of the War o ...

adverse to his interests. However, he was unable to detach the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

from its French Alliance. He was recalled in May 1809 and awarded a pension of £2,000.

Retirement

Paget had been made a Privy Councillor and

Knight of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

, both in 1804, and was given a GCB in 1815. In 1808, he eloped with Lady Augusta Fane, then the wife of Lord Boringdon, and married her the following year, as soon as her divorce took place. They had several children, including Sir

Augustus Berkeley Paget Sir Augustus Berkeley Paget GCB (16 April 1823 – 11 July 1896) was a British diplomat. In 1876, Paget was appointed a member of Queen Victoria's privy council. Biography Augustus Berkeley Paget was born on 16 April 1823, member of the Pa ...

, who followed his father as a diplomat. He occupied time in his retirement as an agriculturalist and yachtsman.

Scandal

On 18 May 1808, Paget eloped with Augusta Jane Parker, Lady Boringdon (née Fane), daughter of

John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland, (1 June 175915 December 1841), styled Lord Burghersh between 1771 and 1774, was a British Tory politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who served in most of the cabinets of the period, primari ...

, and wife of John Parker, 2nd Baron Boringdon (later ''first Earl of Morley'' from 1815). Paget married Lady Augusta on 16 February 1809, two days after her divorce from Lord Boringdon by an Act of Parliament.

Family

Paget and Lady Augusta (née Fane) had issue: * Agnes Charlotte Paget (d. 10 Mar 1858), married her first cousin

Lord George Paget General Lord George Augustus Frederick Paget (16 March 1818 – 30 June 1880) was a British soldier during the Crimean War who took part in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade. He later became a Whig politician. Early life Lord George Aug ...

, son of

* Stewart Henry Paget (b. 30 May 1811 - d. 4 Aug 1869) * Laura Caroline Jane Paget (b. c 1821 - d. 9 Dec 1871), married first cousin once removed Harry Chichester, 2nd Baron Templemore * Cecil Augustus Paget (b. 1821 - d. 1843) * Amelius Paget (b. 1821 - d. 1843) * Rosa Maria Paget (b. c 1822) * Rt. Hon. Sir

(b. 16 Apr 1823 - d. 11 Jul 1896), married ''Countess'' Walburga Ehrengarde Helena von Hohenthal He died on 26 July 1840 at his home at

Grosvenor Street Grosvenor Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Grosvenor Street runs in an east to west direction, with traffic flowing in both directions. The eastern terminus is at George Street and ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paget, Arthur 1771 births 1840 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Westminster School, London UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 Younger sons of earls

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Ottoman Empire Ambassadors to the Kingdom of Naples Anglesey Militia officers