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Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington (1618-1685), served as Secretary of State to King Charles II 1662-1674. The Bennets originally came from Berkshire. Henry's father John, and mother Dorothy Crofts, later settled in Harlington in Middlesex. Henry married Isabella, the daughter of Louis of Nassau, Lord of Beverwaert, in 1666.

Excerpt from Henry Bennet Earl of Arlington: Secretary of State to Charles II The memoirs and diaries of this period contain a great deal of information about Arlington of varying degrees of reliability: Pepys, Clarendon, James II, Sir William Temple, Bishop Burnet, Sir John Evelyn, the Earl Of Ailesbury, the Count de Gramont, and the Duke of Buckingham - all have an opinion of the Secre tary of State. Equally rich in information are such collections of letters as the Nicholas Papers, Essex Papers, Correspondence of the Family of Hatton, and Letters addressed to Sir Joseph Williamson. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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This book offers the first major reassessment of the life and work of Sir Henry Bennet, earl of Arlington, for over a century. Arlington was one of Charles II’s chief ministers and the book charts his early years through to the careers of his descendants, examining his political development as a courtier, diplomat, linguist and politician. Authored by a series of experts in the field, the book not only shines a light on his career, but also on Charles II’s reign as a whole, on the Cavalier court and on Restoration politics. Arlington was a significant player in international politics and this is reflected in the collection’s treatment of his time abroad in the 1650s, his central role as an advisor and ambassador, and his influence in Ireland.