Papers of Lord William H. Cavendish Bentinck (1774-1839), soldier, politician and...

Extensive correspondence and papers, including memoranda, journals and letter books, cover the period when Bentinck served as British Envoy to the Court of Sicily and Commander-in-Chief of the British armed forces in Sicily. Following Wellesley's decision to intervene fully in Sicilian affairs, Bentinck virtually acted as governor of the island. British intervention became inextricably involved in domestic politics and in supporting a liberal revolution. Bentinck was particularly disliked by Queen Maria Carolina for his part in the introduction of a Sicilian constitution in 1812. The constitution failed quite quickly through disagreements among the Patriots and for a brief time Bentinck became virtual dictator of Sicily.

In 1813 he was involved in military actions in Spain as commander of a mixed force against Marshal Suchet but without much success and returned to Sicily when there were fears of an invasion by Murat. The Duke of Wellington does not seem to have been impressed by Bentinck's judgement but in 1814 he conducted a successful expedition against Genoa.

The prolific and wide-ranging correspondence includes all the major Sicilian and British political and military figures; included are numerous informers' reports but surprisingly no correspondence with the Prince of Castelnuovo, one of the most prominent Sicilian patriots and political theorists. Of particular interest is the correspondence with Louis Philippe, Duke of Orleans, King Ferdinand's son-in-law (later King of the French). Many of the letters and papers are in Italian and some in French.