The English Constitution · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot.
George III
supporting
Also known as George I
King during the American Revolution and early constitutional debates.
Lord Palmerston
supporting
Also known as Palmerston
Prominent 19th-century Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary.
Queen Anne
minor
Also known as Anne
Last Stuart monarch, reigned during the union with Scotland.
Prince Albert
minor
Consort of Queen Victoria, influential in royal and cultural matters.
M. Thiers
minor
French statesman and historian, often cited in constitutional comparisons.
Lord Lyndhurst
minor
Also known as Lyndhurst
Lord Chancellor and Tory politician in early Victorian era.
James II
minor
Also known as James I
Catholic king deposed in the Glorious Revolution.
Socrates
minor
Ancient Greek philosopher, used as an example of moral authority.
Charlemagne
minor
Medieval emperor, referenced in discussions of monarchy.
Mr. Lincoln
minor
Also known as Lincoln
American president during the Civil War, noted for constitutional views.
George IV
minor
Regent and king known for extravagance and political influence.
Louis Napoleon
minor
Also known as Napoleon, Napoleon gigantesque
Nephew of Napoleon I, later Emperor Napoleon III of France.
William IV
minor
King whose reign saw the Reform Act of 1832.
Lord North
minor
Prime Minister during the American Revolutionary War.
Lord Russell
minor
Also known as Lord John Russell
Whig Prime Minister and advocate of parliamentary reform.
Mr. Gladstone
minor
Also known as Gladstone
Future Liberal Prime Minister, noted for financial and oratory skills.
Lord Grey
minor
Also known as the present Lord Grey
Whig Prime Minister who passed the Reform Act of 1832.
Charles I
minor
Also known as Charles II
Stuart king executed after the English Civil War.
Sir R. Walpole
minor
Also known as Sir Robert Walpole
First de facto Prime Minister of Great Britain.
Sir George Lewis
minor
Also known as The late Sir George Lewis
Victorian statesman and writer on politics.
Napoleon III
minor
Also known as Napoleon
Emperor of the French, nephew of Napoleon I.
Mr. Darwin
minor
Naturalist whose theory of evolution is briefly referenced.
Mr. Hare
minor
Advocate of proportional representation in elections.
Bright
minor
Also known as Mr. Bright, Mr. Cobden
Radical orator and free trade campaigner.
Lord Cranborne
minor
Conservative statesman, later Marquess of Salisbury.
Sir Robert Peel
minor
Also known as Peel
Prime Minister who founded the modern Conservative Party.
Mr. Pitt
minor
Also known as Pitt
Younger Pitt, Prime Minister during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Louis Philippe
minor
French king known as the 'Citizen King', reigned 1830-1848.
Lord Thurlow
minor
Lord Chancellor under George III, known for conservative views.
Derby
minor
Also known as Lord Derby
Conservative Prime Minister and noted classicist.
Mr. Mill
minor
John Stuart Mill, philosopher and political economist.
Cromwell
minor
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector during the Commonwealth.
Guizot
minor
Also known as M. Guizot
French historian and statesman, Prime Minister under Louis Philippe.
Queen Victoria
minor
Reigning monarch during the book's writing, symbol of constitutional monarchy.
First Napoleon
minor
Also known as Napoleon, Napoleon I
Emperor of the French, military conqueror of Europe.
Lord Melbourne
minor
Whig Prime Minister and mentor to young Queen Victoria.
William III
minor
Also known as Willis
Dutch prince who became king after the Glorious Revolution.
Mr. Fox
minor
Charles James Fox, Whig statesman and rival of Pitt.
King Leopold
minor
Also known as Leopold
First king of the Belgians, uncle of Queen Victoria.
Emperor Alexander
minor
Tsar of Russia during the Napoleonic Wars.
Mr. Grote
minor
Historian of Greece and radical politician.
Princess Sophia
minor
Electress of Hanover, key figure in the Act of Settlement.
Lord Chatham
minor
William Pitt the Elder, Prime Minister during the Seven Years' War.
Lord Eldon
minor
Long-serving Lord Chancellor, arch-conservative.
Sir George Grey
minor
Also known as George I
Home Secretary under several Victorian governments.
Mr. Johnson
minor
Samuel Johnson, lexicographer and political writer.
George II
minor
King of Great Britain and Ireland, last British monarch born abroad.
Victor Emmanuel
minor
First king of a unified Italy.
Bolingbroke
minor
Tory statesman and political philosopher.