Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury PC (born July 22, 1621 in Wimborne Saint Giles (County Dorset) , † January 21, 1683 in Amsterdam ) was an important English politician and nobleman . He is particularly known for his patronage of John Locke , who was his personal secretary.
Life
He was the son of Sir John Cooper, 1st Baronet († 1631) and Anne Ashley († 1628). He lost his parents early. He was orphaned at the age of nine, but had inherited his father's baronet title , Rockbourne in the County of Hants , and a substantial fortune. However, a large part of the land was sold below value by the Court of Wards and Liveries to pay off the father's betting debts. Through his mother he was also the general heir to his grandfather Sir Anthony Ashley, 1st Baronet (around 1542-1628).
He changed sides several times in the English Civil War and the following political conflicts. First he belonged to Charles I's party , in 1644 he sided with Parliament and Oliver Cromwell , then with Charles II , whose return from exile to England he supported. On April 20, 1661 he was raised to Baron Ashley , of Wimborne St Giles in the County of Dorset. In 1667 he became a member of the so-called Cabal Ministry, an influential group of five members of the Privy Council . On April 23, 1672 he received the titles of Baron Cooper , of Paullet in the County of Somerset, and Earl of Shaftesbury . From 1661 to 1672 he was Chancellor of the Exchequer , then Lord Chancellor for a year , then leader of the parliamentary opposition, the “Land Party”. He was imprisoned from 1677 to 1678 and 1681. The alleged Catholic papist conspiracy brought Shaftesbury great political popularity in 1678. In 1679 he enforced the Habeas Corpus Act. His repeated attempts at this time to exclude the later James II by law from the line of succession were unsuccessful. In 1682 he tried to provoke an uprising against the king and fled to Holland when he was unsuccessful. In 1683 he died in exile. The title fell to his eldest son Anthony .
His grandson, whose upbringing he and his secretary, friend and personal physician John Locke took care of at an early age, was the politician and philosopher Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury .
literature
- Frank Hugelmann: The beginnings of English liberalism: John Locke and the first Earl of Shaftesbury. Frankfurt am Main u. a .: Lang 1992 ISBN 3-631-44601-2
- Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 24 : Sainte-Claire Deville - Shuttle . London 1911, p. 760 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
- Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury on thepeerage.com
- Literature by and about Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury in the catalog of the German National Library
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| John Cooper | Baronet (of Rockbourne) 1631-1683 |
Anthony Ashley Cooper |
| New title created |
Baron Ashley 1661-1683 |
Anthony Ashley Cooper |
| New title created |
Earl of Shaftesbury Baron Cooper 1672-1683 |
Anthony Ashley Cooper |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cooper, Anthony Ashley, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper 1st Earl of; Ashley-Cooper, Anthony |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English politician and nobleman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 22, 1621 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wimborne Saint Giles, County Dorset |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 21, 1683 |
| Place of death | Amsterdam |