English History

  • Poets
    • Byron
      • Letters
      • Poems
    • Keats
      • Letters
      • Poetry
    • Shakespeare
      • Poetry
      • Plays
    • Tennyson
  • Middle Ages
  • Vikings
  • Romans
  • Kings and Queens
    • Stuarts
    • Tudor
  • About
    • History of English Art
    • Privacy & Cookie Policy
    • Contact
    • The Right to Display Public Domain Images
    • Author & Reference Information For Students

William Pitt (The Younger)

William Pitt (known as Pitt the Younger) was the second son of William Pitt, earl of Chatham. He was an intellectually precocious if delicate boy, educated privately and at Cambridge. From a young age his father took charge of his upbringing, encouraging his son’s obvious skill at public speaking. He also introduced him to politics and although the boy qualified as a lawyer, he was always destined for a political career.

The young Pitt entered Parliament in 1781, making his immediate mark upon the Commons. He was highly critical of Lord North (then prime minister), whom he blamed for the loss of America, and he supported both economic and parliamentary reform. He was also a firm believer in the king’s rights to select or dismiss ministers; he disliked party and held that the secret of British prosperity lay in the continuation of a balance between king, Lords and Commons (established after 1688).

Pitt became chancellor of the Exchequer under Shelburne’s Whig government but turned down George III’s invitation to head the ministry after this PMs fall, biding his time until a more propitious opportunity came along.

During the crisis over the India Bill Pitt finally agreed to become the Tory prime minister (Britain’s youngest), on the understanding that the George III showed his hostility towards the then Fox-North ministry – to show where the king’s confidence lay. Pitt took office in December 1783, facing an opposition majority in the Commons. Nevertheless, with the king’s continued support he gradually won over opinion and called the opposition’s bluff over their threat to stop supplies – allowing him to distance himself from the unpopular Shelburne. Pitt won a decisive victory in the general election of 1784.

During peacetime Pitt achieved much in the way of economic and commercial reform – but his proposal for a moderate reform of Parliament was defeated. He was forced to drop his scheme for free trade with Ireland and his plans to improve sea defences at Portsmouth and Plymouth.

When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, Pitt showed sympathy towards reform in France but determined to stay out of European troubles if possible. However, the outbreak of war in 1793 was a great personal disaster and he became known as ‘the pilot who weathered the storm’ – a symbol of Britain’s resistance to the French republic.

Pitt’s Irish policy led to the 1798 revolt and he attempted to solve the issue by the Act of Union (1800). But George III rejected the Catholic emancipation that Pitt has promised as a condition, giving Pitt no alternative but to resign in 1801.

He returned to office in 1804, forming an alliance with Austria, Russia and Sweden against Napoleon – but this was shattered at Austerlitz. His health had been declining for some time and he died on hearing this terrible news, saying “Oh, my country! How I leave my country!”.

He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Link/cite this page

If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content.

Link will appear as Hanson, Marilee. "William Pitt (The Younger)" https://englishhistory.net/georgian/william-pitt-the-younger/, February 8, 2022

You are here: Home » Georgian » William Pitt (The Younger)

Search English History

Popular Posts

Mistresses of Prinny
John Metcalf (1717-1810)
Duke of Wellington (1769-1852)
Benjamin Robert Haydon
Battle of Waterloo 1815
The Peninsular War 1808-1814
George Stephenson
Robert Walpole
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851)

The Tudors

Lord Byron

John Keats

shakespeare

Copyright © 1999-2022 All Rights Reserved.
English History
Other Sites: Make A Website Hub

Copyright © 2022 · English History 2015

X We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. We use your personal data / cookies, for personalisation of ads and that cookies may be used for personalised and non-personalised advertising. Read more on our privacy policy here
Read More Accept Cookie Settings
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Save & Accept