Biography

"Known as 'Lord Castlereagh', Stewart entered Parliament in 1795. He made his mark under Pitt as Chief Secretary for Ireland (1798-1801), crushing the 1798 Rebellion and overseeing the Act of Union (1801), which integrated Ireland and England and abolished the Irish Parliament. Whist Foreign Secretary (1812-22) he was responsible for uniting the powers that overthrew Napoleon, and became the chief architect of the Treaty of Vienna, (1815) playing a key role in redrawing the boundaries of Europe, and promoting diplomacy by conference, whilst maintaining British prestige as a world power. Sensitive and melancholy, Castlereagh had a mental breakdown and committed suicide whilst in office in 1822."