Letters to Sir William Windham and Mr. Pope

Born into a prominent family in 1678, Henry St. John—later Viscount Bolingbroke—was educated at Eton and Christ Church before a Grand Tour that shaped his early worldview. By his early twenties he entered Parliament as MP for Wotton Bassett, quickly gaining a reputation as a charismatic orator and rising Tory star. The letters to Sir William Windham and poet Alexander Pope reveal the ambition and sharp intellect that thrust him into the political battles of his day.

Beyond courtroom dramas and diplomatic intrigues, Bolingbroke’s correspondence offers a candid glimpse into his convictions, his strained ties with mentors like Robert Harley, and his philosophical leanings toward liberty and constitutional limits. Listeners will hear his reflections on the succession crises after the deaths of William III and Queen Anne, as well as his early thoughts on the emerging Hanoverian line. The letters blend political analysis with the wit and erudition that made him a celebrated figure among his peers, inviting you into the mind of one of Britain’s most intriguing statesmen.