ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Portland’s position after the Nine Years War and his subsequent retirement will be considered. J.R. Jones described the period 1697–1701 as ‘one of the most confused periods in English political history’. 1 As the war ended, opposition against the standing army and the Irish forfeitures mounted, whereas weak ministries failed to provide stable government. William was forced to find an alternative for the crumbling Whig ministry with which Portland was connected. The combination of these factors gradually eroded Portland’s influence and political relevance. Despite Portland’s retirement in June 1699, however, he remained active as an ambassador and negotiator during the talks over the Treaties of Partition that were to divide the Spanish Empire. After William’s death he was still active as a liaison between the ministries of the Maritime Powers during the War of the Spanish Succession. This chapter will reconstruct Portland’s role in the negotiations at Ryswick. It will also focus on the interaction between the Partition Treaty negotiations and domestic political events in England, in particular on the connection to the debates in the Commons on the standing army. This chapter and the next form a sequel to chapters 3 through 7, because they analyse the erosion of Portland’s influence, the failure of his policy and the increasing opposition against the Anglo-Dutch favourite.
