Thomas Thynne (politician, around 1648)

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Thomas Thynne. Depiction around 1680 after a portrait by Peter Lely

Thomas Thynne (* around 1648; † February 13, 1682 in London) was an English politician. Known for his wealth, he was elected four times as a member of the House of Commons , and was ultimately spectacularly murdered.

Origin and youth

Thomas Thynne came from the Thynne family , which had been one of the most important noble families in Wiltshire since the 16th century . He was the only surviving son of Sir Thomas Thynne and Stuart Balcanquhall. His father was a younger son of the politician and landowner Thomas Thynne and lived in Richmond , Surrey . Thomas studied from December 14, 1666 at the age of 18 at Christ Church College in Oxford and in 1668 at the Middle Temple in London.

Legacy and Political Career

After his father's death in 1669, he became the heir of his childless uncle James Thynne , who died in October 1670. Thynne inherited extensive estates, especially in South West England, as well as Longleat House . In addition, he was chosen as the heir of his uncle in a by-election on November 22, 1670, presumably unchallenged, as his successor as Knight of the Shire for Wiltshire in the House of Commons . Because of his wealth and his extravagance on display, he was nicknamed Tom of Ten Thousand , also to distinguish it from his eponymous cousin Thomas Thynne , who was also a member of parliament from 1674.

Change to the opposition

During the so-called Cavalier Parliament he was initially assigned to the court party. He supported the Duke of York and at the latest in 1673 appointed him king Charles II. To Deputy Lieutenant for Wiltshire, in addition he was a colonel in the militia of Wiltshire. His involvement in parliamentary work was initially only moderate, and he also interrupted it at least once to go hunting. But as early as 1674 he switched to the opposition and quickly became the leader of the Whigs in Wiltshire. He was on the committee indicting the Lord Chamberlain of the Household Arlington . On May 10, 1675, during a heated debate about the use of the English Army in the war against France, he supported Lord Cavendish , with demands for a duel before the Speaker Edward Seymour could restore order. In the next few years he actively supported the opposition of the country party under Lord Shaftesbury , including investigating the alleged papist conspiracy , and was considered a staunch supporter of the Exclusion Bill . In the general election in March and October 1679 and 1681 he was re-elected unchallenged as Knight of the Shire for Wiltshire. Because of his oppositional stance, he was deposed as colonel of the militia in November 1681.

Thynne supported Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu , who supported the succession to the throne of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth , an illegitimate son of King Charles II. Thynne was friends with Monmouth so he expected to become Secretary of State if he came to government . Even the king noticed, however, that Thynne would probably far overestimate his abilities.

Marriage and murder

Thynne spent the summer of 1681 looking for a bride suitable for him. His choice fell on the 14-year-old, already widowed Elizabeth Cavendish, Countess of Ogle , daughter and heiress of Joceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland , whom he practically bought from her guardian and other applicants such as Richard Brett for a payment of £ 10,000 . The marriage took place in July 1681, but the marriage was never consummated. His bride fled to the Netherlands with the help of Lady Temple, wife of William Temple, 1st Baronet . Thynne started a lawsuit with her relatives over the lands of his bride, which was decided in his favor at the end of the year. Allegedly Thynne ignored the challenges of the Swedish Count Hans Karl von Königsmarck , who also wanted to marry the wealthy heiress. Thynne is said to have tried to have Königsmarck and his henchman, Captain Christopher Vratz, murdered. The attack failed, but Vratz was wounded. In order to get revenge, Vratz recruited the soldier John Stern , and Königsmarck, who remained in contact with Vratz, recruited Charles George Borosky from Poland . While Königsmarck claims to have fallen ill, Vratz, Stern and Borosky intercepted Thynne's carriage on February 12, 1682 at Pall Mall in Westminster , shortly after the Duke of Monmouth had left the carriage. Borosky fired several times at Thynne and mortally wounded him, after which the three fled. Thynne was brought to his house where he died the next morning.

consequences

King Charles II feared that the Whigs would try to take political advantage of the murder by claiming that the Duke of Monmouth was the real target of the attack. Vratz and his two cronies were quickly caught, and Königsmarck was arrested too when he boarded a ship that was supposed to take him to Sweden. While Vratz, Stern and Borosky were convicted of murderers and executed by hanging on March 10th, Königsmarck protested his innocence. He probably bribed the jury, was released with the approval of Charles II and left England. The Whigs actually tried to take advantage of the murder of Thynne, who was a good drinker and known for his dissolute life, but did not have much success.

Thynne was buried on March 9th at Westminster Abbey , a funerary monument created by Arnold Quellin commemorates him. An inscription glorifying him on the funerary monument was not approved by the Dean of Westminster . His heir became his cousin Thomas Thynne. The writer John Dryden took Thynne as a model for the character of Issachar , Absalom's rich friend from the West in his political satire Absalom and Achitophel .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ History of Parliament Online: BRETT, Richard (d.1689), of Richmond, Surr. and Upper Marwell House, Hants. Retrieved September 24, 2015 .
  2. ↑ Westminster Abbey: Thomas Thynne. Retrieved September 23, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Ebenezer Cobham Brewer; Marion Harland: Character sketches of romance, fiction and the drama. Hess, New York 1892. p. 224
personal data
SURNAME Thynne, Thomas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tom of Ten Thousand
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English politician
DATE OF BIRTH around 1648
DATE OF DEATH February 13, 1682
Place of death London