Unmasking Murder: Reconciling the Twin Depictions of Viscount Castlereagh
Robert Warrick
Viscount Castlereagh’s legacy has undergone several modifications in the years since his death in 1822. Journalist William Anthony Hay accurately describes his reputation in the years immediately after his death as that of “some backwoods reactionary bent on thwarting liberal hope.”1 Percy Shelley, Castlereagh’s contemporary, described him as the embodiment of Murder.2 Lord Byron publicly encouraged the desecration of his grave.3 Modern depictions of Castlereagh have been more sympathetic, choosing to emphasize his balance of power diplomacy over any possible ideological biases
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