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Quarterly The Declaration Heard Around the World

Jun 15, 2026 Danielle Allen

Britain’s attempt to crush the American Revolution exposed a constitutional crisis at the heart of its empire. One English statesman saw in it proof that only broader suffrage could check royal power, tame corruption, and ensure that imperial rule remained compatible with liberty.

CAMBRIDGE—October 1765 found 30-year-old Charles Lennox, the Third Duke of Richmond, serving as Britain’s ambassador to the Court of Versailles. Largely unknown to contemporary scholars, Richmond was already five years into a bitter feud with King George III and in his first major post, though one beneath his abilities and ambitions.