Tories

The Tories were one of the two political parties which existed in Britain from the 17th to the early 19th centuries. They were the opponents of the Whigs, which were for a long time the ruling party.

The Tories were first part of the Parliament of England, the legislature of the kingdom of England. After the Acts of Union 1707, the Tories were part of the United Kingdom's Parliament of Great Britain, and after the Act of Union 1800 they were part of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The Tories were originally (1678 to about 1770) the supporters of the Catholic kings (Charles I and II, James I and II), limiting the power of UK Parliament and supporting freedoms for Catholics.Feiling, Keith. 1950. A history of the Tory party, 1640-1714. Oxford University Press. Later, (1780 to 1830) they became the New Tory Party, and were again a successful party able to hold government.Feiling, Keith. 1938. The second Tory party, 1714-1832. London: Macmillan.

The most famous leaders of the New Tory Party were William Pitt the Younger, and Robert Peel the industrialist. Benjamin Disraeli built the modern Conservative Party out of the remains of the New Tory Party.

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Category:Former political parties in the United Kingdom
Category:17th-century establishments in England
Category:19th-century disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Category:Conservative Party (UK)