vania-janet/multiturn-rag-retrieval-data huggingface dataset:
Cornwallis in India
With the ascendancy of William Pitt the Younger to power in December 1783 , doors to new positions were opened to the earl . Pitt first offered him the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland , which he politely refused . He also made it clear that , were he posted to India , he would want the supreme military command in addition to civil control . When informed that Pitt was agreeable to this demand , he went through a period of soul - searching , torn between the conflicting demands of family and country . This , however , was not the only troubling issue . When Parliament took up consideration of assignments in India in August 1784 , it was only prepared to offer one of the two posts , which he again refused to consider . Passed over for other military postings , Pitt placated him with the post of Constable of the Tower .
Edward VIII abdication crisis
Following Simpson 's divorce hearing on 27 October 1936 , her solicitor , John Theodore Goddard , became concerned that there would be a `` patriotic '' citizen 's intervention ( a legal device to block the divorce ) , and that such an intervention would be successful . The courts could not grant a collaborative divorce ( a dissolution of marriage consented to by both parties ) , and so the case was being handled as if it were an undefended at - fault divorce brought against Ernest Simpson , with Wallis Simpson as the innocent , injured party . The divorce action would fail if the citizen 's intervention showed that the Simpsons had colluded by , for example , conniving in or staging the appearance of his adultery so that she could marry someone else . On Monday 7 December 1936 , the King heard that Goddard planned to fly to the south of France to see Wallis Simpson . The King summoned him and expressly forbade him to make the journey , fearing that the visit might put doubts in Simpson 's mind . Goddard went straight to Downing Street to see Baldwin , as a result of which he was provided with an aeroplane to take him directly to Cannes .
English Civil War
Charles needed to suppress the rebellion in Scotland . He had insufficient funds , however , and needed to seek money from a newly elected English Parliament in 1640 . The majority faction in the new Parliament , led by John Pym , took this appeal for money as an opportunity to discuss grievances against the Crown and opposed the idea of an English invasion of Scotland . Charles took exception to this lèse - majesté ( offence against the ruler ) and dissolved the Parliament after only a few weeks ; hence the name `` the Short Parliament '' .
Restoration (England)
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act , which became law on 29 August 1660 , pardoned all past treason against the crown , but specifically excluded those involved in the trial and execution of Charles I. Thirty - one of the 59 commissioners ( judges ) who had signed the death warrant in 1649 were living . The regicides were hunted down ; some escaped but most were found and put on trial . Three escaped to the American colonies . New Haven , Connecticut , secretly harbored Edward Whalley , William Goffe and John Dixwell , and after American independence named streets after them to honour them as forefathers of the American Revolution .
Edward VIII abdication crisis
Under the code name Operation Willi , Nazi agents , principally Walter Schellenberg , plotted unsuccessfully to persuade the Duke to leave Portugal , and contemplated kidnapping him . Lord Caldecote warned Churchill that the Duke `` is well - known to be pro-Nazi and he may become a centre of intrigue '' . Churchill threatened the Duke with a court - martial if he did not return to British soil .
Habeas corpus
Suspension of the writ in Canadian history occurred famously during the October Crisis , during which the War Measures Act was invoked by the Governor General of Canada on the constitutional advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau , who had received a request from the Quebec Cabinet . The Act was also used to justify German , Slavic , and Ukrainian Canadian internment during the First World War , and the internment of German - Canadians , Italian - Canadians and Japanese - Canadians during the Second World War . The writ was suspended for several years following the Battle of Fort Erie ( 1866 ) during the Fenian Rising , though the suspension was only ever applied to suspects in the Thomas D'Arcy McGee assassination .
English Civil War
In general , the early part of the war went well for the Royalists . The turning point came in the late summer and early autumn of 1643 , when the Earl of Essex 's army forced the king to raise the siege of Gloucester and then brushed the Royalist army aside at the First Battle of Newbury ( 20 September 1643 ) , in order to return triumphantly to London . Other Parliamentarian forces won the Battle of Winceby , giving them control of Lincoln . Political manoeuvring to gain an advantage in numbers led Charles to negotiate a ceasefire in Ireland , freeing up English troops to fight on the Royalist side in England , while Parliament offered concessions to the Scots in return for aid and assistance . The
Victorian morality
Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837 , only four years after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire . The anti-slavery movement had campaigned for years to achieve the ban , succeeding with a partial abolition in 1807 and the full ban on slave trade , but not slave ownership , which only happened in 1833 . It took so long because the anti-slavery morality was pitted against powerful economic interests which claimed their businesses would be destroyed if they were not permitted to exploit slave labor . Eventually , plantation owners in the Caribbean received £ 20 million in compensation .
Spanish Armada
The fleet was not sighted in England until 19 July , when it appeared off The Lizard in Cornwall . The news was conveyed to London by a system of beacons that had been constructed all the way along the south coast . On that evening , the English fleet was trapped in Plymouth Harbour by the incoming tide . The Spanish convened a council of war , where it was proposed to ride into the harbour on the tide and incapacitate the defending ships at anchor and from there to attack England ; but Medina Sidonia declined to act because this had been explicitly forbidden by Philip , and decided to sail on to the east and towards the Isle of Wight . As the tide turned , 55 English ships set out to confront them from Plymouth under the command of Lord Howard of Effingham , with Sir Francis Drake as Vice Admiral . Howard ceded some control to Drake , given his experience in battle . The rear admiral was Sir John Hawkins .
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
After Anne 's accession , the problem of the succession re-emerged . The Scottish Parliament , infuriated that the English Parliament did not consult them on the choice of Sophia 's family as the next heirs , passed the Act of Security 1704 , threatening to end the personal union between England and Scotland . The Parliament of England retaliated with the Alien Act 1705 , threatening to devastate the Scottish economy by restricting trade . The Scottish and English parliaments negotiated the Acts of Union 1707 , under which England and Scotland were united into a single Kingdom of Great Britain , with succession under the rules prescribed by the Act of Settlement .
Trent Affair
On December 15 the first news on British reaction reached the United States . Britain first learned of the events on November 27 . Lincoln was with Senator Orville Browning when Seward brought in the first newspaper dispatches , which indicated Palmerston was demanding a release of the prisoners and an apology . Browning thought the threat of war by Britain was `` foolish '' but said , `` We will fight her to the death . '' That night at a diplomatic reception Seward was overheard by William H. Russell saying , `` We will wrap the whole world in flames . '' The mood in Congress had also changed . When they debated the issue on December 16 and 17 , Clement L. Vallandigham , a peace Democrat , proposed a resolution stating that the U.S. maintain the seizure as a matter of honor . The motion was opposed and referred to a committee by the vote of 109 to 16 . The official response of the government still awaited the formal British response which did not arrive in America until December 18 .
Nine Years' War
Another contributing factor for the lack of decisive action was the necessity to fight for secure resources . Armies were expected to support themselves in the field by imposing contributions ( taxing local populations ) upon a hostile , or even neutral , territory . Subjecting a particular area to contributions was deemed more important than pursuing a defeated army from the battlefield to destroy it . It was primarily financial concerns and availability of resources that shaped campaigns , as armies struggled to outlast the enemy in a long war of attrition . The only decisive action during the whole war came in Ireland where William III crushed the forces of James II in a campaign for legitimacy and control of Britain and Ireland . But unlike Ireland , Louis XIV 's Continental wars were never fought without compromise : the fighting provided a foundation for diplomatic negotiations and did not dictate a solution .
Constitution of the United Kingdom
Under the British constitution , sweeping executive powers , known as the royal prerogative , are nominally vested in the monarch . In exercising these powers the monarch normally defers to the advice of the prime minister or other ministers . This principle , which can be traced back to the Restoration , was most famously articulated by the Victorian writer Walter Bagehot as `` the Queen reigns , but she does not rule '' . The precise extent of the royal prerogative has never formally been delineated , but in 2004 , Her Majesty 's Government published some of the powers , in order to be more transparent :
Great Britain in the Seven Years' War
Prussia was extremely alarmed by this development and lobbied hard for it to be reversed . In London too , there was shock at such a capitulation and Pitt recalled Cumberland to London where he was publicly rebuked by his father , the King , and forced to relinquish his commission . The terms of Klosterzeven were revoked , Hanover re-entered the war - and a new commander was selected to command the Allied Anglo - German forces . Ferdinand of Brunswick was a brother - in - law of Frederick the Great , and had developed a reputation as a competent officer . He set about trying to rally the German troops under his command , by emphasising the extent of the atrocities committed by the French troops who had occupied Hanover , and launched a counter-offensive in late 1757 driving the French back across the Rhine .
Trent Affair
Military preparation began quickly after news of the Trent reached Great Britain . Secretary of War Sir George Lewis proposed within a week to send `` thirty thousand rifles , an artillery battery , and some officers to Canada . '' He wrote to Lord Palmerston on December 3 , `` I propose to engage a Cunard Steamer & send out one regiment & one battery of artillery next week '' followed as quickly as possible by three more regiments and more artillery . Given realities of the North Atlantic in winter , however , the reinforcements would have to land in Nova Scotia , since the St. Lawrence begins to ice up in December .
Spanish Armada
A raid on Cádiz , led by Francis Drake in April 1587 , had captured or destroyed some thirty ships and great quantities of supplies , setting preparations back by a year . Philip initially favoured a triple attack , starting with a diversionary raid on Scotland , while the main Armada would capture the Isle of Wight , or Southampton , to establish a safe anchorage in the Solent . The Duke of Parma would then follow with a large army from the Low Countries crossing the English Channel . Parma was uneasy about mounting such an invasion without any possibility of surprise . He was also alarmed by the costs that would be incurred and advised Philip to postpone or abandon it . The appointed commander of the Armada was the highly experienced Álvaro de Bazán , Marquis of Santa Cruz , but he died in February 1588 , and the Duke of Medina Sidonia , a high - born courtier , took his place . While a competent soldier and distinguished administrator , Medina Sidonia had no naval experience . He wrote to Philip expressing grave doubts about the planned campaign , but this was prevented from reaching the King by courtiers on the grounds that God would ensure the Armada 's success .
House of Commons of the United Kingdom
The House of Commons technically retains the power to impeach Ministers of the Crown ( or any other subject , even if not a public officer ) for their crimes . Impeachments are tried by the House of Lords , where a simple majority is necessary to convict . The power of impeachment , however , has fallen into disuse : the House of Commons exercises its checks on the Government through other means , such as No Confidence Motions ; the last impeachment was that of Henry Dundas , 1st Viscount Melville in 1806 .
Aragorn
From 2957 to 2980 , Aragorn undertook great journeys , serving in the armies of King Thengel of Rohan ( King Théoden 's father ) and of Steward Ecthelion II of Gondor ( father of Denethor ) . His tasks helped to raise morale in the West and to counter the growing threat of Sauron and his allies , and he acquired experience that he would later put to use in the War of the Ring . Aragorn served his lords during that time under the name Thorongil ( Eagle of the Star ) . With a small squadron of ships from Gondor , he led an assault on Umbar in 2980 , burning many of the Corsairs ' ships and personally slaying their lord during the Battle of the Havens . After the victory at Umbar , `` Thorongil '' left the field , to the dismay of his men , and went East .
Elgin Marbles
`` The Honourable Lord has taken advantage of the most unjustifiable means and has committed the most flagrant pillages . It was , it seems , fatal that a representative of our country loot those objects that the Turks and other barbarians had considered sacred , '' said Sir John Newport .
United Kingdom
In the 18th century , cabinet government developed under Robert Walpole , in practice the first prime minister ( 1721 -- 1742 ) . A series of Jacobite Uprisings sought to remove the Protestant House of Hanover from the British throne and restore the Catholic House of Stuart . The Jacobites were finally defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 , after which the Scottish Highlanders were brutally suppressed . The British colonies in North America that broke away from Britain in the American War of Independence became the United States of America , recognised by Britain in 1783 . British imperial ambition turned elsewhere , particularly to India .
Windsor Castle
In 1642 the English Civil War broke out , dividing the country into the Royalist supporters of Charles , and the Parliamentarians . In the aftermath of the battle of Edgehill in October , Parliament became concerned that Charles might advance on London . John Venn took control of Windsor Castle with twelve companies of foot soldiers to protect the route along the Thames river , becoming the governor of the castle for the duration of the war . The contents of St George 's Chapel were both valuable and , to many Parliamentary forces , inappropriately high church in style . Looting began immediately : Edward IV 's bejewelled coat of mail was stolen ; the chapel 's organs , windows and books destroyed ; the Lady Chapel was emptied of valuables , including the component parts of Henry VIII 's unfinished tomb . By the end of the war , some 3580 oz ( 101 kg ) of gold and silver plate had been looted .
English Civil War
Many concerns were raised over Charles 's marriage to a Roman Catholic , French princess Henrietta Maria , in 1625 . The Parliament refused to assign him the traditional right to collect customs duties for his entire reign , deciding instead to grant it only on a provisional basis and negotiate with him .
London Company
In 1608 , Sir Edward Coke , in his capacity as Lord Chief Justice , offered a ruling in Calvin 's Case that went beyond the issue at hand : whether a Scotsman could seek justice at an English Court . Coke distinguished between aliens from nations at war with England and friendly aliens , those from nations in league with England . Friendly aliens could have recourse to English courts . But he also ruled that with `` all infidels '' ( i.e. those from non-Christian nations ) , there could be no peace , and a state of perpetual hostility would exist between them and Christians .
English Civil War
Charles I avoided calling a Parliament for the next decade , a period known as the `` personal rule of Charles I '' , or the `` Eleven Years ' Tyranny '' . During this period , Charles 's lack of money determined policies . First and foremost , to avoid Parliament , the King needed to avoid war . Charles made peace with France and Spain , effectively ending England 's involvement in the Thirty Years ' War . However , that in itself was far from enough to balance the Crown 's finances .
Causes of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Before the rebellion , there were reports that `` holy men '' were mysteriously circulating chapatis and lotus flowers among the sepoys . Leader of the British Conservative Party and future prime minister Benjamin Disraeli argued these objects were signs to rebel and evidence of a conspiracy , and the press echoed this belief .
French and Indian War
News of the two battles reached England in August . After several months of negotiations , the government of the Duke of Newcastle decided to send an army expedition the following year to dislodge the French . They chose Major General Edward Braddock to lead the expedition . Word of the British military plans leaked to France well before Braddock 's departure for North America . In response , King Louis XV dispatched six regiments to New France under the command of Baron Dieskau in 1755 . The British sent out their fleet in February 1755 , intending to blockade French ports , but the French fleet had already sailed . Admiral Edward Hawke detached a fast squadron to North America in an attempt to intercept them .
Edward VIII abdication crisis
Opposition to the King and his marriage came from several directions . Edward 's desire to modernise the monarchy and make it more accessible , though appreciated by many of the public , was distrusted by the British Establishment . Edward upset the aristocracy by treating their traditions and ceremonies with disdain , and many were offended by his abandonment of accepted social norms and mores .
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The Sovereign is deemed the `` fount of justice '' ; although the Sovereign does not personally rule in judicial cases , judicial functions are performed in his or her name . For instance , prosecutions are brought on the monarch 's behalf , and courts derive their authority from the Crown . The common law holds that the Sovereign `` can do no wrong '' ; the monarch can not be prosecuted for criminal offences . The Crown Proceedings Act 1947 allows civil lawsuits against the Crown in its public capacity ( that is , lawsuits against the government ) , but not lawsuits against the monarch personally . The Sovereign exercises the `` prerogative of mercy '' , which is used to pardon convicted offenders or reduce sentences .
English Civil War
Upon his death , Oliver Cromwell 's son Richard became Lord Protector , but the Army had little confidence in him . After seven months the Army removed Richard , and in May 1659 it re-installed the Rump . However , since the Rump Parliament acted as though nothing had changed since 1653 and as though it could treat the Army as it liked , military force shortly afterwards dissolved this , as well . After the second dissolution of the Rump , in October 1659 , the prospect of a total descent into anarchy loomed as the Army 's pretence of unity finally dissolved into factions . A
History of the United Kingdom
During its first 100 years of operation , the focus of the British East India Company had been trade , not the building of an empire in India . Company interests turned from trade to territory during the 18th century as the Mughal Empire declined in power and the British East India Company struggled with its French counterpart , the La Compagnie française des Indes orientales , during the Carnatic Wars of the 1740s and 1750s . The British , led by Robert Clive , defeated the French and their Indian allies in the Battle of Plassey , leaving the Company in control of Bengal and a major military and political power in India . In the following decades it gradually increased the size of the territories under its control , either ruling directly or indirectly via local puppet rulers under the threat of force of the Indian Army , 80 % of which was composed of native Indian sepoys . Voyages
Mercantilism
In England , mercantilism reached its peak during the Long Parliament government ( 1640 -- 60 ) . Mercantilist policies were also embraced throughout much of the Tudor and Stuart periods , with Robert Walpole being another major proponent . In Britain , government control over the domestic economy was far less extensive than on the Continent , limited by common law and the steadily increasing power of Parliament . Government - controlled monopolies were common , especially before the English Civil War , but were often controversial . The
Edward VIII abdication crisis
On 11 December 1936 , Edward made a BBC radio broadcast from Windsor Castle ; having abdicated , he was introduced by Sir John Reith as `` His Royal Highness Prince Edward '' . The official address had been polished by Churchill and was moderate in tone , speaking about Edward 's inability to do his job `` as I would have wished '' without the support of `` the woman I love '' . Edward 's reign had lasted 327 days , the shortest of any British monarch since the disputed reign of Lady Jane Grey over 380 years earlier . The day following the broadcast he left Britain for Austria .
History of the United Kingdom
The Spanish uprising in 1808 at last permitted Britain to gain a foothold on the Continent . The Duke of Wellington and his army of British and Portuguese gradually pushed the French out of Spain and in early 1814 , as Napoleon was being driven back in the east by the Prussians , Austrians , and Russians , Wellington invaded southern France . After Napoleon 's surrender and exile to the island of Elba , peace appeared to have returned , but when he escaped back into France in 1815 , the British and their allies had to fight him again . The armies of Wellington and Von Blucher defeated Napoleon once and for all at Waterloo . Financing
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Despite the reluctance to legally recognise the Premiership , ambivalence toward it waned in the 1780s . During the first 20 years of his reign , George III ( 1760 -- 1820 ) tried to be his own `` prime minister '' by controlling policy from outside the Cabinet , appointing and dismissing ministers , meeting privately with individual ministers , and giving them instructions . These practices caused confusion and dissension in Cabinet meetings ; King George 's experiment in personal rule was generally a failure . After the failure of Lord North 's ministry ( 1770 -- 1782 ) in March 1782 due to Britain 's defeat in the American Revolutionary War and the ensuing vote of no confidence by Parliament , the Marquess of Rockingham reasserted the Prime Minister 's control over the Cabinet . Rockingham assumed the Premiership `` on the distinct understanding that measures were to be changed as well as men ; and that the measures for which the new ministry required the royal consent were the measures which they , while in opposition , had advocated . '' He and his Cabinet were united in their policies and would stand or fall together ; they also refused to accept anyone in the Cabinet who did not agree . King George threatened to abdicate but in the end reluctantly agreed out of necessity : he had to have a government .