Foundation of Empire — Characters

British Empire — Unit #1 [1700 to 1815]

Hanoverian Kings to Battle of Waterloo

NameDateShort Bio

Monarchs/Statesmen

George I 1660–1727 First Hanoverian Monarch of Britain. Entrusted government to Robert Walpole
George II 1683–1760 Second Hanoverian Monarch of Britain.
George III 1738–1820 Monarch whose long reign encompassed Revolutionary, and Napoleonic Wars.
Old Pretender 1688–1766 Son of James II, led Jacobites in a bid to restore Stuarts to the throne of England.
Young Pretender 1720–1788 Grandson of James II, led Jacobites in bid to restore Stuarts to the throne of England.
Robert Walpole 1676–1745 First Prime Minister of Britain. Ran cabinet meetings for George I
William Pitt 1708–1778 Statesman who masterminded the rise of the British Empire during the critical 18th century.
William Pitt 1759–1806 Son of the Earl of Chatham, served between American Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.
Edmund Burke 1730–1797 Very influential Political Philosopher, whose works are a basis of constitutional law.

Military

General Wolfe 1727–1759 Defeated the French at the Battle of Quebec, giving Canada to Britain. Died during battle.
Lord Anson 1697–1762 British naval hero who circumnavigated the globe and wrote a diary about his journey.
Lord Edward Hawke 1705–1781 Hero of the naval Battle of Quiberon during the Seven Years War.
General Braddock 1695–1755 Led a disastrous campaign to Fort Duquesne (Ohio) during the French and Indian Wars.
General Burgoyne 1723–1792 British leader who surrendered with 6000 men to American forces at Saratoga.
General Cornwallis 1738–1805 British leader defeated at Yorktown in Revolutionary War. Later served as governor in India.
Horatio Nelson 1758–1805 Great Naval hero of his age; victor at the Battle of the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar.
Duke of Wellington 1769–1852 Napoleonic war general who fought in Spain and Portugal. Defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
John Moore 1761–1809 Napoleonic War hero who died at the Battle of Coruna.

Arts/Literature

Adam Smith 1723–1790 Leading theorist of modern capitalism. Wrote The Wealth of Nations.
Alexander Pope 1688–1744 Eminent poet and Satirist of the enlightenment era. Wrote Essay on Criticism.
John Wesley 1703–1774 Founder of the evangelical Methodist movement in England. Social reformer.
Jonathan Swift 1667–1745 Poet, essayist, and satirist. Best known as author of Gulliver's Travels.
Samuel Johnson 1709–1784 Eminent literary figure in England. Wrote the first British Dictionary.
Angelica Kaufmann 1741–1807 Eminent European Painter, who lived many years in England.

Heroines

Flora MacDonald 1722–1790 Heroine who help Bonnie Prince Charles escape from Scotland.
Hannah More 1745–1833 Dedicated her life to helping the poor of England.
Elizabeth Fry 1780–1845 Quaker and prison reformer. Fought for better conditions for inmates.