View source for Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay

{{Short description|British diplomat (1779–1845)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox Ambassador
|honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
|name        = The Lord Stuart de Rothesay
|honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GCB|PC}}
|image       = Image:1stLordStuart de Rothesay.jpg
|caption   = Portrait by [[George Hayter]]
|alt         =
|order1      =  <!--Can be repeated up to eight times by adding a number-->
|ambassador_from = British
|country     =  Russia
|term_start  =  1841
|term_end    =  1844
|predecessor =  [[Ulick de Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde|The Marquess of Clanricarde]]
|successor   =  [[John Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield|John Bloomfield]]
|ambassador_from1 = British
|country1     =  France
|term_start1  =  1828
|term_end1    =  1830
|predecessor1 =  [[Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville|The Viscount Granville]]
|successor1   =  [[Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville|The Viscount Granville]]
|term_start2  =  1815
|term_end2    =  1824
|predecessor2 =  [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|The Duke of Wellington]]
|successor2   =  [[Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville|The Viscount Granville]]
|ambassador_from3 = British
|country3     =  Portugal
|term_start3  =  1810
|term_end3    =  1814
|predecessor3 =  [[John Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon|John Villiers]]
|successor3   =  Thomas Sydenham
|birth_date   = 2 January 1779
|birth_place  =
|death_date   = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1845|11|06|1779|02|02}}
|death_place  = [[Highcliffe Castle]], Dorset, England
|nationality  = [[United Kingdom|British]]
|party        =
|otherparty   =  <!--For additional political affiliations-->
|spouse       = Lady Elizabeth Margaret Yorke
|relations    = [[Charles Stuart (1753–1801)|Sir Charles Stuart]] (father)<br>[[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute]] (grandfather)
|children     =
|residence    =
|alma_mater   = [[Christ Church, Oxford]]
|occupation   = Diplomat
|profession   =
|cabinet      =
|committees   =
|portfolio    =
}}
[[File:Stuart de Rothesay arms.svg|thumb|right|200px|Arms of Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay: '''''Or, a fess chequy azure and argent within a double tressure flory counterflory, a mullet for difference gules.''''']]
'''Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCB|PC|sep=,}} (2 January 1779 – 6 November 1845), known as '''Sir Charles Stuart''' between 1812 and 1828, was a prominent British diplomat. He was twice [[List of British Ambassadors to France|Ambassador to France]] and also served as [[List of Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Russia|Ambassador to Russia]] between 1841 and 1844.
==Background and education==
[[Clan Stewart|Stuart]] was the son of the [[Lieutenant-General]] The Honourable [[Charles Stuart (1753–1801)|Sir Charles Stuart]], younger son of Prime-Minister [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute]]. His mother was Louisa Bertie, daughter of Lord Vere Bertie, younger son of [[Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven]]. He was educated at [[Eton College|Eton]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford]].<ref name="thepeerage.com">[http://thepeerage.com/p2384.htm#i23837 thepeerage.com Charles Stuart, 1st and last Baron Stuart de Rothesay]</ref>
==Diplomatic career==
Stuart joined the Diplomatic Service in 1801, and was immediately appointed as [[Secretary of Legation]] in [[Vienna]], [[Holy Roman Empire]], a post he held until 1804. He was then sent to Petersburg and this was followed by an assignment in [[First French Empire|French]] occupied [[Kingdom of Spain under Joseph Bonaparte|Spain]] in 1808.<ref>Online Archive of California "Charles Stuart de Rothesay" Online reference http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf3p300592</ref> He served as [[List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Portugal|Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary]] to [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]] and [[Colonial Brazil|Brazil]] between 1810 and 1814.
He was appointed a [[Knight]] of the [[Most Honourable Order of the Bath]] (KB) in 1812<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=16650 |date=26 September 1812 |page=1966 }}</ref> and sworn of the [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]] in 1814.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=16938 |date=24 September 1814 |page=1913 }}</ref>
In December 1814 [[Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux|Henry Brougham]] described Stuart to [[Thomas Creevey]]:<blockquote>He is a plain man, of some prejudices, caring little for politics and of very good practical sense... He has no very violent passions or acute feelings about him, and likes to go quietly on and enjoy himself in his way. He has read a great deal and seen much more, and done, for his standing. more business than any diplomatic man I ever heard of... He has no nonsense in his composition, and is a strictly honorable man, and one over whom nobody will ever acquire the slightest influence...<ref>''The Creevey Papers'' (ed. John Gore) (Folio Society, London, 1970), at page 127</ref></blockquote>
Briefly [[List of British Ambassadors to the Netherlands|Ambassador]] to the [[Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands|Netherlands]] between February and May 1815, it was during his posting as [[List of ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Spain|Ambassador]] in [[History of Spain (1810–73)|Spain]] that Stuart became indispensable to the [[Duke of Wellington]]. At the Generals' insistence, he was appointed [[List of British Ambassadors to France|British Ambassador to France]]. During [[Napoleon's Hundred Days]], he left [[Paris]] and was in [[Brussels]] at the start of the Waterloo Campaign, where during his stay he attended the [[Duchess of Richmond's Ball]].<ref>{{harv|De Ros|2005}}</ref> After the fall of Napoleon, he escorted the exiled [[Bourbon Restoration in France|French]] [[King Louis XVIII]] back to Paris, and became [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] [[Ambassador]] [[Kingdom of France|there]] until 1824. In 1815 he was made a Knight-Grand-Cross in the civil division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (GCB).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 16972 |date=4 January 1815 |page=18 }}</ref>
[[File:Pedro I of Brazil and Charles Stuart .jpg|thumb|left|200px|Allegory of the recognition of the [[Empire of Brazil]] and [[Independence of Brazil|its independence]]. The painting depicts Stuart presenting his letter of credence to [[Pedro I of Brazil|Emperor Pedro I]], who is flanked by his wife [[Maria Leopoldina of Austria|Maria Leopoldina]], their daughter Maria da Glória (later Queen [[Maria II of Portugal]]), and other dignitaries. At right, a winged figure, representing [[History]], carving the "great event" on a stone tablet.<ref>{{Cite book|title=''As barbas do imperador : D. Pedro II, um monarca nos trópicos ''|last1=Schwarcz|first1=Lilia Moritz|date=1998|pages = 181|publisher=Companhia das Letras|isbn=85-7164-837-9|edition=|location=São Paulo|oclc=}}</ref>]]
From 1825 to 1826 he was once more [[List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Portugal|Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary]] to [[Kingdom of Portugal|Portugal]] and [[Empire of Brazil|Brazil]]. In 1825 the Portuguese King John VI named Stuart his plenipotentiary with powers to negotiate and sign with Brazil a Treaty on the recognition of that country's independence. Invested with those powers, Stuart signed the treaty recognising Brazilian independence on 29 August 1825, and on 15 November of the same year the Portuguese King ratified the treaty. He was then created 1st [[Count]] of o [[Machico]] by Decree of 22 November 1825 by [[John VI of Portugal]] and later 1st [[Marquess]] of [[Angra do Heroísmo|Angra]] by Decree of 1 May 1826 by [[Maria II of Portugal]], then still in Brazil, and was created the 5th Grand-Cross of the Portuguese [[Order of the Tower and Sword|Ancient and Very Noble Order of the Tower and Sword, of the Valour, Loyalty and Merit]].<ref name="thepeerage.com"/>
In January 1828 he was once again appointed Ambassador to France and was raised to the [[Peerage of the United Kingdom|Peerage of Great Britain and Ireland]] as '''Baron Stuart de Rothesay''', of the [[Isle of Bute]], at the same time.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=18433 |date=18 January 1828 |page=122 }}</ref> He continued as Ambassador to France until November 1830.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 18755 |date=10 December 1830 |page=2579 }}</ref> In 1841 he was made [[List of Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Russia|Ambassador]] to [[Russian Empire|Russia]], a post he held until 1844.<ref name="thepeerage.com"/>
==Personal life==
[[Image:Lady Stuart de Rothesay and her daughters by George Hayter.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Stuart's wife Elizabeth, Lady Stuart de Rothesay, and daughters Charlotte (later Countess Canning) and Louisa (later Marchioness of Waterford), painted in Paris by [[George Hayter]], 1830.]]
Lord Stuart de Rothesay married Lady Elizabeth Margaret, daughter of [[Philip Yorke, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke]], on 6 February 1816. They had two daughters:
*[[Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning|Hon. Charlotte Stuart]] (1817&ndash;1861), wife of [[Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning]].
*[[Louisa Beresford, Marchioness of Waterford|Hon. Louisa Anne Stuart]] (1818&ndash;1891), wife of [[Henry Beresford, 3rd Marquess of Waterford]].
===Highcliffe Castle===
{{main article|Highcliffe Castle}}
Early retirement from the diplomatic service allowed him to start on a project to build a new family home. By 1830 he had purchased much of the eastern end of the estate, at [[Highcliffe]], Dorset. Highcliffe had previously been owned by his forebears, although the estate had been sold by his father.{{sfn|Highcliffe Castle staff|2012}}
Stuart engaged [[William Donthorne]], a founder member of the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]], to design a new Highcliffe Castle. The castle is built on an L-shaped plan, oriented on a south-east axis. An [[oriel window]] is central on the south east elevation, providing a vista across the landscaped gardens to a panorama of The Needles and [[Isle of Wight]]. Carved medieval stonework from the Norman benedictine [[Jumièges Abbey|Abbey St Peter]] at [[Jumieges]] and from the Manoir de Radeval or ''Grand Maison'' of [[Les Andelys]], was used in the building of the house. Both of these buildings had fallen into disrepair after the French Revolution. A 16th-century oriel window and a stained glass window are among the castle's other notable architectural features.
[[Image:The Hon. Charlotte Stuart and The Hon. Louisa Stuart, 1830 by George Hayter.jpg|thumb|right|Another portrait of Lord Stuart de Rothesay's daughters by [[Sir George Hayter]], Paris 1830]]
==Later life==
After the Castle was completed, Charles became Ambassador to Russia in 1841. However ill-health caused his return to England and he died at Highcliffe in November 1845, aged 66, when the barony became extinct. He was buried at St Mark's Church, Highcliffe and his memorial can still be seen there. Lady Stuart de Rothesay remained a widow until her death in June 1867.<ref name="thepeerage.com"/>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==References==
{{commons category|Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay}}
*{{Cite book |last=De Ros |first=Georgiana, Dowager Lady |chapter-url=http://www.regencylibrary.com/Wellington1.htm |chapter=Personal Recollections of the Duke of Wellington |journal=[http://www.regencylibrary.com/To%20Subscribe.htm The Regency Library] |url=http://www.regencylibrary.com/Regcomp.htm |title=Complimentary Issue |date=July 2005 |access-date=5 August 2012 |archive-date=28 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828181743/http://www.regencylibrary.com/Regcomp.htm |url-status=dead }} (Originally published in {{Citation |title=Murray's Magazine Part I. |volume=5 |year=1889 |pages= [https://books.google.com/books?id=rONDILXV9rIC&q=,+and+did+not+do+the+honours+of+the+ball+well 40]&ndash;43|title-link=Murray's Magazine }}
*{{Citation |author=Highcliffe Castle staff |date=17 June 2012 |url=http://highcliffecastle.co.uk/lord-stuart-de-rothesay |title=Lord Stuart de Rothesay |publisher=Highcliffe Castle |accessdate=5 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116124810/http://highcliffecastle.co.uk/lord-stuart-de-rothesay |archivedate=16 January 2014 |df=dmy-all }}
*{{Citation|last1=Oliver |last2=Boyd |title=New Edinburgh Almanack for the year}} {{full citation needed|date=August 2012}}
* {{cite book| last1 = Schwarcz| first1 = Lilia Moritz| year = 1998| language = pt| title = As barbas do imperador: D. Pedro II, um monarca nos trópicos| publisher = Companhia das Letras | location = São Paulo| isbn = 85-7164-837-9}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-dip}}
{{s-bef| before = [[John Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon|Hon. John Villiers]] }}
{{s-ttl| title  = [[List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Portugal|Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary <br/>to Portugal and Brazil]]
| years  = 1810–1814 }}
{{s-aft| after  = [[Thomas Sydenham (ambassador)|Thomas Sydenham]] }}
{{succession box | title=[[List of British Ambassadors to France|British Ambassador to France]] | before=[[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|The Duke of Wellington]] | after=[[Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville|The Viscount Granville]] | years=1815&ndash;1824}}
{{succession box| title=[[List of British Ambassadors to France|British Ambassador to France]] | before=[[Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville|The Viscount Granville]] | after=[[Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville|The Viscount Granville]] | years=1828&ndash;1830}}
{{succession box| title=[[List of Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Russia|British Ambassador to Russia]] | before=[[Ulick de Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde|The Marquess of Clanricarde]] | after=[[John Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield|Hon. John Bloomfield]] | years=1841&ndash;1844}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart De Rothesay, Charles Stuart, 1st Baron}}
[[Category:1779 births]]
[[Category:1845 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at Eton College]]
[[Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford]]
[[Category:Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Diplomatic peers]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to France]]
[[Category:Stuart of Bute family|Charles]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Portugal]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Brazil]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Spain]]
[[Category:Peers of the United Kingdom created by George IV]]