Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury

His Grace The Duke of Shrewsbury KG PC
The Duke of Shrewsbury by Sir Godfrey Kneller
Chief Minister of Great Britain Lord High Treasurer
In office 30 July 1714 – 13 October 1714
Monarchs	Anne George I
Preceded by	The Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
Succeeded by	The Earl of Halifax as First Lord of the Treasury in Commission
Lord Chamberlain
In office 1710–1715
Monarchs	Anne George I
Preceded by	The Marquess of Kent
Succeeded by	The Duke of Bolton
In office 1699–1700
Monarch	Anne
Preceded by	The Earl of Sunderland de jure Vacant de facto
Succeeded by	The Earl of Jersey
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
In office 22 September 1713 – 21 September 1714
Monarchs	Anne George I
Preceded by	The Duke of Ormonde
Succeeded by	The Earl of Sunderland
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
In office 27 April 1695 – 12 December 1698
Monarchs	William III and Mary II
Preceded by	John Trenchard
Succeeded by	James Vernon
In office 14 February 1689 – 2 June 1690
Monarchs	William III and Mary II
Preceded by	The Earl of Middleton
Succeeded by	The Earl of Nottingham
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
In office 2 March 1694 – 3 May 1695
Monarchs	William III and Mary II
Preceded by	John Trenchard
Succeeded by	William Trumbull
Personal details
Born	Charles Talbot 15 July 1660
Died	1 February 1718(1718-02-01) (aged 57) Warwick House, Charing Cross, London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
Spouse	Adelhida Paleotti
Parent(s)	11th Earl of Shrewsbury Anna Maria Brudenell

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Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury KG PC (15 July 1660 – 1 February 1718) was an English peer and Whig politician who was part of the Immortal Seven group which invited William of Orange to depose King James II of England during the Glorious Revolution. He was appointed to several minor roles before the revolution, but came to prominence as a member of William's government. Born to Roman Catholic parents, he remained in that faith until 1679 when—during the time of the Popish Plot and following the advice of the divine John Tillotson—he converted to the Church of England.^[1] Shrewsbury took his seat in the House of Lords in 1680 and three years later was appointed Gentleman-Extraordinary of the Bedchamber, suggesting he was in favour at the court of Charles II.^[1]

With the accession in 1685 of James II, Shrewsbury was appointed a captain in order to defeat the Monmouth rebellion, although he resigned his commission in 1687 after refusing to bow to pressure from James to convert back to the Catholic faith.^[1] Making contact with William of Orange, Shrewsbury's home became a meeting place for the opposition to James II and Shrewsbury was one of seven English statesmen to sign the invitation to William to invade England in June 1688. In September he fled England for Holland and returned with William to England in November. Shrewsbury was influential in the making of the Revolution Settlement, arguing strongly in favour of recognising William and Mary as sovereigns.^[1] Shrewsbury resigned from William's government in 1690 due to ill health and his opposition to the dissolution of Parliament and the dropping of the Bill that would have required an oath abjuring James as King. In opposition, Shrewsbury contacted the exiled Stuart court in France as a prelude to a Stuart restoration. In 1694, Shrewsbury returned to government and was prominent in persuading the House of Commons to vote for the funds needed for William's war against France. Ill health led to his resignation in 1698, but he returned to the government in 1699 until resigning again in 1700.^[1]

From 1700 until 1705, Shrewsbury was in self-imposed exile abroad, during which he married Countess Adelhida Paleotti. In April 1710 Shrewsbury return to government and was an early supporter of the Tory efforts to negotiate peace with France to end the War of the Spanish Succession, concerned at the negative financial impact it was having on landowners. However, he was uncomfortable with peace negotiations that left out Britain's ally, the Dutch. In November 1712 he was appointed ambassador to France and then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, returning to England in June 1714.^[1]

In July Shrewsbury was appointed Lord Treasurer but in August Queen Anne died and George I succeeded her. The new Whig regime opposed Shrewsbury remaining in government and by 1715 he had lost all his governmental offices, although until his death he remained George's Groom of the Stool. Shrewsbury opposed the Whigs' attack on the previous Tory ministers and opposed their other policies in the Lords, making contact with the Stuart Pretender and sending him money. He died in 1718.^[1]