Harley, Robert, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Besitzer Id00015178
EntitätstypPerson
GeschlechtMännlich
Biographische Angaben1661 - 1724
weitere InformationRobert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer (5 December 1661 – 21 May 1724), was a British politician and statesman of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods.
He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory Ministry. He was raised to the peerage as an earl in 1711. Between 1711 and 1714 he served as Lord High Treasurer, effectively Queen Anne's chief minister. He has been called a Prime Minister, though it is generally accepted that the position was first held by Sir Robert Walpole in 1721.
He was also a noted literary figure and served as a patron of both the October Club and the Scriblerus Club. Harley Street is sometimes said to be named after him, although it was his son Edward Harley who actually developed the area.
Harley's importance to literature cannot be overstated. As a patron of the arts, he was notable. As a preservationist, he was invaluable. He used his wealth and power to collect an unparalleled library. He commissioned the creation of ballad collections, such as The Bagford Ballads, and he purchased loose poems from all corners. He preserved Renaissance literature (particularly poetry), Anglo-Saxon literature that was then incomprehensible, and a great deal of Middle English literature. His collection, with that of his son Edward Harley, was sold to Parliament in 1753 for the British Museum by the Countess of Oxford and her daughter, the Duchess of Portland; it is known as the Harley Collection.
When he was in office, Harley promoted the careers of Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and John Gay. He also wrote with them as a member of the Scriblerus Club. He, along with Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, contributed to the literary productions of the Club. His particular talent lay in poetry, and some of his work (always unsigned) has been preserved and may be found among editions of Swift's poetry. Additionally, he likely had some hand in the writing of The Memoirs of Martinus Scriblerus, though it is impossible to tell how much.
Weitere Identifier http://thesaurus.cerl.org/record/cnp01319254
Aktivität
Beginn (Jahr)1661
Ende (Jahr)1724
Anmerkung
MARC Area Codee-uk
Beruf / Art der InstitutionPolitiker
CharakterisierungAdel
Letzte Änderung2023-11-27 01:08:07