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Demotion of Viscount Townshend

When
1716
Where
Hanover
Episodes
1

In December 1716, Charles Townshend was dismissed as Secretary of State for the Northern Department following James Stanhope's defection to the King's side in Hanover. Stanhope was persuaded that Townshend was conspiring with the Prince of Wales, leading to Townshend's removal and appointment as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

Episodes

  1. October 1716 · HanoverStanhope's Defection in Hanover

    James Stanhope was persuaded by Sunderland during a visit to Hanover that Townshend was conspiring with the Prince of Wales against the King.

Background and detail

Background. Charles Townshend served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department from September 1714, directing foreign policy with Robert Walpole. His tenure focused on peace after the 1715 Jacobite rising and promoting defensive alliances with Austria and France, while opposing British involvement in the Great Northern War.

Demotion. In October 1716, James Stanhope accompanied King George I to Hanover, where he was persuaded by Sunderland that Townshend and Walpole were plotting with the Prince of Wales. Consequently, in December 1716, Townshend was dismissed from office and made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, a post he held until April 1717.

People involved

Sources

  1. Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-13
  2. James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-15

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.