Champion of English Freedom: The Life of John Wilkes, MP and Lord Mayor of London

2024 marks the 250th anniversary of John Wilkes becoming Lord Mayor of London. A man simultaneously full of contradiction and principles, Wilkes was a giant of eighteenth-century England and helped shape modern Britain. ‘There are many themes from John Wilkes’s life and achievements which resonate in today’s politics, and Robin Eagles does a superb job in explaining how he took on the establishment and won as well as how he was able to constantly reinvent himself. It’s a terrific read and an important book.’ ‘Scholars and enthusiasts of the eighteenth century alike will delight in this superbly researched, insightful new biography. John Wilkes was a dazzling, contradictory and courageous figure whose tumultuous political career altered the course of history. Robin Eagles has tracked his extraordinary story every step of the way.’ ''This new study of his life by Robin Eagles, who has been working on his private papers for many years, is both enlightening and authoritative and it should be read very carefully by those in Westminster for the warnings it contains.'' ''Champion of English Freedom is a highly readable and learned book...This book is an accessible and entertaining narrative of a crucial episode in the history of the English-speaking world.'' ''Champion of English Freedom is the most rounded picture that we have of the man, and as such is the best biography of Wilkes that I have read.''

John Wilkes was one of the most extraordinary and recognisable characters of the eighteenth century. In Parliament he was a fierce critic of the government and he used his newspaper, The North Briton, to help bring down the administration of Prime Minister Lord Bute. Expelled as an MP and prosecuted for libel, he staged a highly publicised return and became one of the key figures associated with securing freedom of the press.

Throughout his life, Wilkes adopted multiple guises, undergoing a series of apparently contradictory reinventions. Having started out as a libertine young man about town, he became an MP before spending several years in exile and in prison prior to his election as Lord Mayor of London. A talented classicist, he was also a seedy pornographer; vicious in his relations with many women, he was nonetheless devoted to his daughter. His behaviour divided friend and foe alike.

This new book, marking the 250th anniversary of Wilkes’s election as Lord Mayor, seeks to uncover the enigma of a man who fascinated his own period and remains an important symbol of freedom to this day.

• | Author: Robin Eagles
• | Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• | Publication Date: Jun 15, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781398111707
• | ISBN-10: 1398111708