No British statesman of the nineteenth century reached the same level of international fame as Lord Castlereagh, or won as much respect from the great powers of Europe or America. Yet no British statesman has been so maligned by his contemporaries or hated by the public. His career took him from the brutal suppression of a bloody rebellion in Ireland to the splendour of Vienna and Paris. He imprisoned his former friends, abolished the Irish parliament, created the biggest British army in history, and redrew the map of Europe. At a time when the West turns from idealism to realism in its foreign policy, Castlereagh's reputation is being revived. Yet neither his detractors nor his defenders have truly understood this shy, inarticulate but sometimes passionate man. In this book, John Bew tells the story of Castlereagh from the French Revolution through the Irish rebellion, the Napoleonic Wars, the diplomatic power struggles of 1814-5 and the mental breakdown that ended his life. John Bew paints a magisterial portrait not only of his subject but the tumultuous times in which he acted. Rather than the tyrant of legend, Castlereagh was a man whose mind captured the complexity of the European Enlightenment as much as any other. His mind was conservative and enlightened at the same time - and no less the one for being the other.
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'In this well-researched and judicious book, John Bew successfully readjusts the picture ... this excellent biography tells a cautionary tale' Literary Review.
'Bew's book is not only unparalleled in its size and sweep; it is also drenched in the Irish dimension, enriched by the author's own Ulster heritage, as well as the sagacity, scholarship and charm that make this a Life so nearly complete that it need never be written again' Ferdinand Mount. Times Literary Supplement.
'John Bew has some heavy lifting to do in this consciously revisionist take. It is a great testament to his skills as a scholar and writer that he manages to do so with such aplomb ... stellar' Tristram Hunt, Daily Telegraph.
'More than simply a biography of Castlereagh, it is a fascinating review of the war against Napoleon and authoritative assessment of the personalities involved in the Congress of Vienna and the issues they wrestled with in remoulding the face of Europe ... This is a book that offers insights not only into its subject but the nature and practice of diplomacy, statecraft,nationalism and internationalism' Irish Independent.
'Vast, well-researched biography ... [a] solid, accomplished book' Sunday Times.
'In a magisterial political portrait Bew brings Castlereagh and his world sharply back to life, and reassesses one of Britain's great forgotten statesmen' Telegraph.
'a compelling account' Times Literary Review. 'This is an excellent biography which has given us a far more realistic and nuanced view of this much maligned man' Contemporary Review.
'the most brilliant and wise political biography I have read in a long while' Wall Street Journal.
'[portrays Castlereagh] convincingly and without any historical or bibliographical contortion' London Review of Books.
'Bew's book is not only unparalleled in its size and sweep; it is also drenched in the Irish dimension, enriched by the author's own Ulster heritage, as well as the sagacity, scholarship and charm that make this a Life so nearly complete that it need never be written again' Ferdinand Mount. Times Literary Supplement.
'John Bew has some heavy lifting to do in this consciously revisionist take. It is a great testament to his skills as a scholar and writer that he manages to do so with such aplomb ... stellar' Tristram Hunt, Daily Telegraph.
'More than simply a biography of Castlereagh, it is a fascinating review of the war against Napoleon and authoritative assessment of the personalities involved in the Congress of Vienna and the issues they wrestled with in remoulding the face of Europe ... This is a book that offers insights not only into its subject but the nature and practice of diplomacy, statecraft,nationalism and internationalism' Irish Independent.
'Vast, well-researched biography ... [a] solid, accomplished book' Sunday Times.
'In a magisterial political portrait Bew brings Castlereagh and his world sharply back to life, and reassesses one of Britain's great forgotten statesmen' Telegraph.
'a compelling account' Times Literary Review. 'This is an excellent biography which has given us a far more realistic and nuanced view of this much maligned man' Contemporary Review.
'the most brilliant and wise political biography I have read in a long while' Wall Street Journal.
'[portrays Castlereagh] convincingly and without any historical or bibliographical contortion' London Review of Books.
About the Author
In 2010 the Observer identified John Bew as one of the young British historians to watch. He is Deputy Director of ICSR and Lecturer in War Studies at King's College London. Prior to this, from 2007-10, he was Lecturer in Modern British History, Harris Fellow and Director of Studies at Peterhouse, Cambridge University.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent, Well Argued, Biography of Britain's Greatest Foreign Secretary
28 Jan 2012
By Dr. R. Brandon
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
Clearly a book for the academic or serious historian which must represent the results of a prodigious amount of research. This is a compelling piece of work by John Bew and covers in great detail the entire span of the long and illustrious (some would say, controversial) career of Robert Stewart, Lord Castlereagh. The book is in three sections, the first of which covers Castlereagh's upbringing in Ireland, the nationalist movement in that country which lead to the anti-English rebellion of 1798 (in which Protestant and Catholic Irishmen were initially united) and Castlereagh's accession to the Irish Parliament and its closure after his successful bill on union with England in 1800. The second part deals with the roles that Castlereagh played as Minister of War and Foreign Minister, his support for the ill-fated Walcheren Campaign, his very personal support for Wellington in the Peninsula and the growth of the British Army. The third and final section tells of the fiendishly difficult task that Castlereagh faced in trying to maintain a balance of power in Europe following the defeat of Napoleon and, in particular, his attempts to prevent a permanent incursion of Russian forces into western Europe. Castlereagh's decline and eventual suicide are inevitably the subject of the closing chapters. The often unwarranted criticisms from the Radicals and Whigs and Castlereagh's difficulties with rival Tory George Canning are a recurring theme of the book.
In relating this immense span of history Bew has shown particular talent in drawing together original material to demonstrate the strategic thrust of Castlereagh's diplomacy and his guiding principles.... Read more ›
In relating this immense span of history Bew has shown particular talent in drawing together original material to demonstrate the strategic thrust of Castlereagh's diplomacy and his guiding principles.... Read more ›
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was led to this book by a most favourable review in the mainstream press. I also came to it with the aim of finding a current perspective on the politics of the period of the Great War against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France and, more specifically, the first decade after the war. I was not disappointed. John Bew provides a sympathetic but not uncritical reappraisal of a controversial figure who continues to intrigue present day practitioners and theorists of diplomacy. His picture of a pragmatic public servant is convincing. As a current researcher in the period I found that the setting for the biographical narrative was compelling, and the coverage of my specialist area was entirely sound, bar a few minor solecisms that would have been picked up by tauter editing.
I read the book in Kindle format, and, as is often the case, found the maps impossible to access at a readable scale. However, search facilities and linkages between contents list, index and text were excellent.
I read the book in Kindle format, and, as is often the case, found the maps impossible to access at a readable scale. However, search facilities and linkages between contents list, index and text were excellent.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By E. Clarke
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was genuinely shocked, near the end of this book, to read the details of the suicide of the subject of this biography. This is a mark of the subtlety with which John Brew has painted a character I had been brought up to despise, and subsequently learned the traditional reasons to hate. He paints a picture of a man who was almost relentlessly patient, polite, kind and agreeable to all he worked with, domestically, nationally and internationally. He explores the intellectual roots in the Presbyterian Scottish Enlightenment for his broadly conservative, but hardly reactionary, approaches to the challenges faced by Europe during and following the French Revolution. In many ways he was very progressive, but also very cautious. Witness Catholic Emancipation and the Abolition of the Slave Trade, to both of which causes he was unswervingly devoted. He is criticised for being too ready to compromise with opposing forces in both cases. I find it hard to criticise him in either case. I also find it hard to criticise Bew's picture of a man who worked steadily (at least in early years) for a Union of Ireland and Great Britain which would involve an end to religious and sectarian divisions and bring everyone the benefits of the world wide trade of the British Empire. At the end of his life he seemed curiously to think of himself as serving "England" and often spoke of himself as an Englishman. His contribution as War Secretary to expanding and equipping an Army big enough to be a formidable force on mainland Europe, together with enlarging an already powerful Royal Navy is hardly in doubt. He also fought for the appointment of the young Arthur Wellesley as Commander in the Peninsula, and defended him unceasingly.... Read more ›
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By TJJG
Format:Hardcover
This detailed and surprising biography helps us to see why Castlereagh was more than a reactionary who feared that French revolution excesses would be unleashed on nineteenth century Britain. I always wondered why Castlereagh hadn't been studied more widely, not least for his intriguing private life, and this book both confirms that we should pay more attention to him and neatly fills a gap in my bookshelf.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By HBH
Format:Hardcover
Castlereagh by John Bew is a good book about the much criticised and unloved nineteenth-century politician. The author certainly shows that Castlereagh has without a doubt been harshly treated by history and achieved a lot for which he has never been given credit and had his reputation blackened based on myth and rumour. However, the book suffers from the fact that the narrative structure is not particularly tight and focused and the author does have a tendency to go off at tangents and jump about chronologically. All in all a good book which could however have been much more.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Castlereagh.
Not much new in this biographical (perhaps more accurately, hagiographical) account. The chapters dealing with Ireland are especially weak. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Clara
4.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT BUT . . .
A very fine biography of a statesman whose reputation has been traduced.
Unfortunately there are a lot of typos (including Whig for wig! Read more
Unfortunately there are a lot of typos (including Whig for wig! Read more
Published 17 months ago by Andrew
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