Hans Caspar von Bothmer

Who was Hans Caspar von Bothmer?

Hans Caspar Graf von Bothmer was a Hanoverian diplomat and politician. He is most notable for his time spent in Britain after 1701, when he served as an advisor to several British monarchs.

He grew to be a confidante of the British Queen Anne, and after her death in 1714 he spent his time burning her secret correspondence so that it would not fall into the hands of her enemies. He was by this time a popular figure in British political society, and counted both Tories and Whigs amongst his friends.

In 1714 he was instrumental in securing the succession of the Hanoverian King George I to the throne, rather than the rival Jacobite claimant James III who possessed an arguably stronger blood claim. In spite of this he experienced a surprisingly turbulent relationship with the new King, and for a while he fell out of favour. In these years he conspired with Robert Walpole, a British politician, who had also been excluded from power.