Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) was known both as a statesman and a dramatist.  He first gained notoriety through his plays, the most famous being The Rivals (1775) and The School for Scandal (1777).  In 1776 he replaced David Garrick as manager of Drury Lane Theatre.  While continuing his theatrical interests, Sheridan entered Parliament for Stafford in 1780, joining with the Rockingham Whigs in opposing the war with America. He later joined with Fox in pushing for Parliamentary reform and rejoiced with those who saw great promise in the French Revolution.  He opposed the war with France, believing that the French should be free to determine their government without English interference.  He would later reverse that position.  In his speech in Parliament on 8 December 1802, he supported the government’s proposals for military preparedness in case war with France should break out again in 1803 (which it did).  Reversing statements made as late as June 1800, Sheridan now castigated Napoleon for his aggression against Europe and his disavowal of the original principles of the French Revolution.  Sheridan’s reversal disappointed reformers like Eliza and Benjamin Flower, who still maintained their oppos­ition to the war, despite their dislike of Napoleon.