- George Macartney should not be confused with Sir George McCartney, a later British statesman. Sir George Macartney should not be confused with George Macartney, an earlier British statesman
George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, KB (14 May 1737 - 31 May 1806) was a British statesman, colonial administrator and diplomat. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1737 ( MDCCXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800
Contents |
Biography
George Macartney was descended from an old Scottish family, the Macartneys of Auchinleck, who had settled in 1649 at Lissanoure, near Loughguile, Ballymoney, County Antrim, Ireland, where he was born. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. For the World War II Field Marshal see Sir Claude Auchinleck. Loughguile, or Loughgiel, is a small Village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, 13km to the east of Ballymoney. Ballymoney ( is a small Town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. County Antrim ( Contae Aontroma or simply Aontroim in Irish) is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, and one of nine counties Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world After graduating from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1759, he became a student of the Temple, London. Trinity College Dublin ( TCD; Irish Coláiste na Tríonóide Baile Átha Cliath; Latin: Collegium Sacrosanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Through Stephen Fox, elder brother of Charles James Fox, he was taken up by Lord Holland. Stephen Fox 2nd and 2nd Baron Holland ( 20 February 1745 &ndash 26 December 1774) was briefly a British peer The Right Honourable Charles James Fox ( 24 January 1749 &ndash 13 September 1806) was a prominent British Whig Henry Fox 1st Baron Holland, PC ( 28 September 1705 &ndash 1 July 1774 in Holland House) was an English
Appointed envoy extraordinary to Russia in 1764, he succeeded in negotiating with Catherine II an alliance between England and that country. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Catherine II, called Catherine the Great (Екатерина II Великая Yekaterina II Velikaya;) reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland After occupying a seat in the British parliament, he was returned in 1769 to the Irish House of Commons as MP for Armagh Borough, in order to discharge the duties of Chief Secretary for Ireland. The Irish House of Commons was the Lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800 of the lower House of the Irish Parliament, the Irish House of Commons, were like their Westminster counterparts known as Members of Parliament. Armagh Borough (also known as Armagh City) was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons from 1613 to 1800 The office before 1800 The dominant position of the Lord Lieutenant in the Irish governmental system had been central to the British administration for much of the history of On resigning this office he was knighted. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages.
In 1775 he became governor of the British West Indies was created Baron Macartney in the Peerage of Ireland in 1776, and became governor of Madras (now known as Chennai) in 1780. The term British West Indies refers to territories in and around the Caribbean which were at one time colonised by the United Kingdom. The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those peers created by British monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. He declined the governor-generalship of India (then the British territories administered by the British East India Company) , and returned to Great Britain in 1786. The Honourable East India Company ( HEIC) referred to most commonly as the East India Company, also historically and colloquially as John Company, or The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800
Embassy to China
After being created Earl Macartney in the Irish peerage (1792), he was appointed the first envoy of Britain to China (his visit followed by more than a hundred years the first visit to England by a Chinese man, Michael Shen Fu-Tsung in 1685). China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Michael Alphonsius Shen Fu-Tsung, also Michel Sin, Michel Chin-fo-tsoung, Shen Fo-tsung, Shen Fuzong (沈福宗 died 1691 was a He led the Macartney Embassy to Beijing in 1793 with a large British delegation on board of a 64-gun man-of-war. The Macartney Embassy, also called the Macartney Mission, was a British Embassy to China in 1793 He met the Emperor Qianlong, despite his famous refusal to kowtow and insult over a jade gift (which Macartney referred to as a worthless rock), but failed in negotiating the British requests:
-
- the relaxation of the restrictions on trade between Britain and China
- the acquisition by Britain of "a small unfortified island near Chusan for the residence of British traders, storage of goods, and outfitting of ships"
- the establishment of a permanent British embassy in Beijing
Despite the denial of MacCartney, according to Chinese court denouncements, he and his depute, George Staunton, complied with China's request of kowtow under the pressure of reduction of provisions. Emperor Qianlong (Chinese 乾隆 Qiánlóng, Wade-Giles' Ch'ien-Lung', Mongolian Tengeriig Tetgesen Khaan, born Hongli (弘历 September Kowtow ( Cantonese Kau tàuh is the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to touch the head to the ground Administration The Prefecture-level city of Zhoushan administers 2 districts and 2 counties. Such records showed a consistent Chinese worldview before mid 19th century that the world outside China was uncivilized and should be treated as subject vassal states. This arrogance finally led to a tragic defeat of the Chinese by England in 1839. Till then, China completely ignored the material and military progress of Western world.
The policies of the Thirteen Factories remained. Thirteen Factories ( Chinese: 十三行 Pinyin: Shísānháng is an area of Guangzhou, China where the first foreign trade was allowed The embassy returned to Britain in 1794 without obtaining any concession from China. However, the mission was a success as its experts conducted detailed observation and spy activities to understand how fragile China was.
On his return from a confidential mission to Italy (1795) he was raised to the British peerage as Baron Macartney, and in the end of 1796 was appointed governor of the newly acquired territory of the Cape Colony, where he remained until ill health compelled him to resign in November 1798. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652 with the founding of Cape Town. He died at Chiswick, Middlesex, on May 31, 1806, the title becoming extinct, and his property, after the death of his widow (Lady Jane Stuart, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Bute; they were married in 1768), going to his niece, whose son took the name. Chiswick ( IPA /ˈtʃɪzɪk/ is an area of West London, located west of Charing Cross, which covers the eastern part of the London Borough of Hounslow Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1806 ( MDCCCVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common John Stuart 3rd Earl of Bute, KG, PC (25 May 1713 &ndash 10 March 1792 styled Lord Mount Stuart before 1723 was a Scottish nobleman
See also
References
- Two members of the embassy to China published detailed accounts:
- An account of Macartney's embassy to China, by Sir George Leonard Staunton, was published in 1797, and has been frequently reprinted. William Pitt Amherst 1st Earl Amherst GCH ( January 14 1773 - March 13 1857) was Governor-General of Bengal. Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest (1 November 1739 in Werkhoven – 8 July 1801 in Amsterdam) Dutch-American merchant who is mostly known for Sir George Leonard Staunton 1st Baronet ( 10 April 1737 – 14 January 1801) was a Botanist and employee of the East India Company
- Some Account of the Public Life, and a Selection from the Unpublished Writings, of the Earl of Macartney, by Sir John Barrow, appeared in 1807 by London: T. Sir John Barrow 1st Baronet, FRS, FRGS, LLD ( June 19, 1764 &ndash November 23, 1848) was an English Cadell and W. Davies.
- See also Mrs Helen Macartney Robbins's biography, Our First Ambassador to China: : An Account of the Life of George, Earl of Macartney (1908), based on previously unpublished materials in possession of the family.
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Earl of Buckinghamshire |
Ambassador from the United Kingdom to Russia 1764–1766 |
Succeeded by Hans Stanley |
| Preceded by Hans Stanley |
Ambassador from the United Kingdom to Russia 1767–1768 |
Succeeded by The Lord Cathcart |
| Parliament of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by Robert Cuninghame and Barry Maxwell |
Member of Parliament for Armagh Borough with Charles O'Hara 1768–1776 |
Succeeded by Philip Tisdall and Henry Meredyth |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by The Lord Frederick Campbell |
Chief Secretary for Ireland 1769–1772 |
Succeeded by Sir John Blaquiere |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by William Young |
Governor of Grenada 1776–1779 |
Succeeded by Jean-François, comte de Durat as Governor-General of Grenada |
| New creation | Governor of the Cape Colony 1797–1798 |
Succeeded by Francis Dundas, acting |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Baron Macartney 1776–1806 |
Succeeded by Extinct |
| Earl Macartney 1792–1806 |
||
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Macartney 1795–1806 |
Extinct |