Lord Palmerston Facts & Worksheets

• The Revolutions of 1830 disrupted the balance of power in Europe established after the Napoleonic Wars. Belgium revolted against the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, Portugal was torn by civil war, Spain faced a royal succession crisis, and Poland rebelled against Russian rule. Meanwhile, Russia, Prussia and Austria strengthened their alliance, threatening European stability. Palmerston’s main objectives were to protect British interests, maintain peace, preserve the balance of power and uphold the European status quo.
• Although he sympathised with Poland, he avoided direct intervention against Russia and instead focused on preventing wider conflicts. His immediate priority was resolving the Belgian crisis peacefully. When King William I of the Netherlands appealed to the great powers for help, Britain hosted the London Conference of 1830. Palmerston proposed recognising Belgium’s independence, believing it would enhance Britain’s security.
• Britain supported a partnership with France but insisted on preserving the balance of power by maintaining Belgian independence. Ultimately, Britain’s diplomacy succeeded: war was avoided, and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, the widower of a British princess, became king of Belgium. Despite later tensions, Palmerston’s leadership helped finalise the peace settlement between Belgium and the Netherlands in 1838–1839, strengthening Britain’s position in Europe. Palmerston was also deeply concerned with the ‘Eastern Question’, which centred on the fate of the weakening Ottoman Empire.
• Although Palmerston had previously supported Greek independence, after 1830 he prioritised protecting the Ottoman Empire as a barrier against Russian and French expansion. He rejected claims that the empire was doomed, insisting instead that it could be revived and modernised. His two main goals were to prevent Russia from gaining control of the Bosporus and France from establishing dominance in Egypt or the eastern Mediterranean. Although Palmerston opposed Russian influence, he initially hesitated to support the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II against the Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali. After Russian victories in 1833 and 1835, he sought to provide aid to the Sultan, but his proposals were rejected by the Cabinet.
• By 1839, when Muhammad Ali’s forces threatened the Ottoman dynasty, Palmerston succeeded in uniting the major European powers in defence of Ottoman independence. The powers signed a joint declaration in July 1839 to preserve the empire’s territorial integrity and European peace. When Muhammad Ali refused to withdraw from Syria despite diplomatic pressure, Palmerston acted decisively. 
• In 1840, without consulting France, he signed the London Convention with Austria, Russia and Prussia. The treaty allowed Muhammad Ali hereditary rule over Egypt in exchange for his retreat from Syria and Lebanon.
• When he refused, Britain and its allies launched a military campaign that led to the bombardment of Beirut, the capture of Acre, and Muhammad Ali’s eventual defeat. Palmerston’s policy succeeded and greatly enhanced his reputation as a powerful and effective statesman. In 1838, he also appointed a British consul in Jerusalem without the usual government consultation and supported the construction of an Anglican church there, influenced by Lord Shaftesbury, a Christian Zionist. These actions reflected Palmerston’s growing influence and his belief in using diplomacy to advance both British interests and moral causes abroad.
• From 1846 to 1851, Lord Palmerston served as Britain’s Foreign Secretary, a period marked by political upheavals across Europe. Dubbed ‘the gunpowder minister’, he managed crises involving France, Spain, and revolutionary movements throughout the continent. His proposal of a Coburg prince for marriage to the Spanish queen led France to distrust him, sparking the ‘Spanish Marriages’ affair. Despite this, historian David Brown argues that Palmerston sought to maintain Europe’s balance of power rather than antagonise France. 
• During the Irish Famine, Palmerston, as an absentee landlord, evicted around 2,000 tenants and funded their emigration, believing land reform required widespread displacement of smallholders. Abroad, he supported national self-determination and constitutional liberty, though he rejected Irish independence. He favoured Italian independence from Austria, aiding Sicilian rebels and supporting Sardinia against Austria, though his efforts yielded limited success.
• Palmerston’s sympathy for revolutions, particularly in Hungary, alarmed European monarchs. His assertive diplomacy culminated in the Don Pacifico Affair (1850), when he ordered a blockade of Greece to defend a British subject, declaring that every British citizen should enjoy the protection of the Empire, much like a Roman citizen once did. His five-hour ‘civis romanus sum’ speech earned immense public admiration. However, tension grew between Palmerston and Queen Victoria, who accused him of acting without royal consent. In 1851, after privately supporting Louis Napoleon’s coup in France against cabinet policy, he was forced to resign. Though criticised for defying royal authority, his popularity among the public and press continued to strengthen his political influence in the following decade.

PREMIERSHIP OF LORD PALMERSTON

• Queen Victoria did not trust Lord Palmerston at first, so she asked Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby to form a government. Derby told Palmerston that he could be Secretary of State for War if Lord Clarendon stayed Foreign Secretary. When Clarendon said no, Palmerston said no, and Derby gave up on his plan to form a government. The Queen then asked Lord Lansdowne, but he said no because he was too old. She also asked Lord John Russell, but all of his former colleagues except Palmerston said no. Queen Victoria called Palmerston to Buckingham Palace on 4 February 1855, after running out of options, and asked him to make a government.
• Palmerston became the oldest person in British history to become prime minister for the first time at the age of 70 years. When he took over the premiership, William Gladstone became Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Clarendon stayed at the Foreign Office. The War Department was reorganised, and the jobs of Secretary at War and Secretary of State for the Colonies were combined. But after John Roebuck’s committee of inquiry looked into the mismanagement of the Crimean War, Palmerston had to accept the investigation. This led to the resignations of Lord Herbert, Gladstone and Clarendon. G. C. Lewis (Exchequer), Sir Charles Wood (First Lord of the Admiralty) and Lord John Russell (Foreign Office) took over their jobs after that.
• Most people were happy with Palmerston’s appointment and saw him as a defender of Britain’s honour during wartime. But politicians like John Bright called him ‘an old charlatan’, and Benjamin Disraeli made fun of his age and health. Palmerston was still strong even though he had gout and his eyesight was getting worse. He took part in parliamentary debates, went hunting and took long walks, proving critics who thought he could not govern wrong.

Ending the Crimean War

• As prime minister, Palmerston wanted to increase Britain’s involvement in the Crimean War, especially in the Baltic Sea, in order to weaken Russia. Palmerston convinced Napoleon III to put off talks until the fall of Sevastopol, which happened in September 1855, even though France and Austria wanted peace. The war came to an end with the armistice on 27 February 1856, and the Treaty of Paris on 30 March 1856. Britain got a Black Sea that was free of military activity, but Palmerston did not give the Crimea back to the Ottomans. Later, in April 1856, Queen Victoria made him a member of the Order of the Garter.