Department of History
Fieldston School .
The Birth of Modern Europe


Benjamin Disraeli: a Timeline


1804 Born on 21 December in London, he was the first son and second of
five children. His parents were Isaac D'Israeli and Maria Basevi.
1817-21 Disraeli attended Higham Hall School in Walthamstow.
1821 He was articled to a company of Solicitors in Old Jewry, London.
1824 He was admitted as a student to Lincoln's Inn.
The first issue of The Representative appeared. This was a daily
1825 newspaper which Disraeli and his friend John Murray established. It
lasted for only a few months.
1826 Disraeli's first novel, Vivien Grey was published.

1827 Disraeli's name was entered as a prospective Barrister at Lincoln's
Inn.
1831 He withdrew from Lincoln's Inn in order to pursue a career in
writing.
1832 Disraeli stood for parliament for the first time as an Independent
Radical at a by-election in Wycombe. He failed to be elected.

1834 Disraeli met Lord Lyndhurst, the former Tory Lord Chancellor, for the
first time. Lyndhurst became Disraeli's patron.
Having been defeated three times in parliamentary elections, standing
as an Independent Radical, Disraeli joined the Tory party. He lost
the by-election at Taunton but became an official Tory candidate.
He quarrelled publicly with and challenged Daniel O'Connell to a
1835 duel. The police intervened and Disraeli was bound over to keep the
peace.
He joined in the attack on the Municipal Corporations Act by writing
(anonymously) fourteen leading articles in the Morning Post.
He published A Vindication of the English Constitution in a Letter to
a Noble and Learned Lord by Disraeli the Younger.
Disraeli wrote a series of nineteen open letters in The Times under
1836 the pseudonym "Runnymead", lampooning individual members of
Melbourne's Whig government.

July 1837Elected for the first time, Disraeli became MP for Maidstone in the
General Election following the accession of Queen Victoria.
Disraeli made his maiden speech on the subject of Irish elections. He
December was shouted down by fellow MPs but ended his speech with the words,
1837 "I sit down now but the time will come when you will hear me."
His second speech that month, which was dull, was more successful.
July: In a debate on the Poor Law, Disraeli expressed sympathy with
the Chartists.
1839 August: He married Mary Anne Wyndham Lewis. He made no secret of the
fact that he married her for her money and was horrified to discover
that her income would die with her. Mary-Anne was twelve years his
senior.

June 1840Disraeli was one of only five MPs who protested at the harsh
treatment of the Chartist leaders.
June: Elected as MP for Shrewsbury in the General Election, things
did not go well for Disraeli and legal proceedings about his alleged
1841 bribery of electors continued for several months.
August: Peel became Prime Minister. Disraeli, who was desperate for
office, wrote to Peel but was not made a member of the government.
A group calling itself "Young England" emerged in parliament. It
1842 comprised George Smythe, Lord John Manners, Alexander
Baillie-Cochrane and Disraeli.
1844 Coningsby was published.
1845 Sybil was published.
February: Disraeli made his famous speech in the House of Commons in
1845 which he attacked the Prime Minister, Peel, for ignoring the wishes
of the Conservative Party.
Tancred was published.
January: A number of MPs establish a "protectionist" group to
co-ordinate opposition to Peel. Bentinck, Disraeli and O'Brien led
the attacks on Peel over the proposed repeal of the Corn Laws.
May: Disraeli launched a series of vicious attacks on Peel in the
1846 debate on the Corn Laws. Peel accused Disraeli of touting for office
in 1841, which Disraeli denied -- a downright lie.
Repeal of the Corn Laws.
June: Peel resigned after his defeat on the Irish Coercion Bill. Lord
John Russell formed a ministry.
September: In the General Election, the parties were evenly divided
and Russell continued as Prime Minister. Disraeli stood for election
as the Buckinghamshire county candidate after his purchase of
1847 Hughenden Manor. He took his seat on the opposition front bench with
Peel.
December: Disraeli supported the government over the removal of civil
disabilities for Jews.
1848 Disraeli effectively became Leader of the Opposition in parliament.
1850 Peel died following a riding accident.
February: Lord John Russell resigned and the Earl of Derby (Tory)
became Prime Minister. Disraeli was appointed as Chancellor of the
Exchequer in the "Who? Who?" Ministry.
July: After the General Election, no party had an overall majority
and Derby continued as Prime Minister.
1852 December: Disraeli's first Budget speech lasted for five hours.
Gladstone replied and this marked the beginning of the great
parliamentary conflict between the two men. The government was
defeated in the vote on the Budget and Derby resigned.
December: Aberdeen formed a coalition government and Gladstone
succeeded Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

1853 Disraeli began publication of his weekly newspaper, The Press, which
ran for five years.

1855 Aberdeen was forced to resign after a vote of No Confidence.
Palmerston became Prime Minister.

1858 Derby took office as Prime Minister and Disraeli resumed his position
of Chancellor of the Exchequer.
February: Derby's government was defeated by a Liberal alliance over
1859 the proposed Reform Bill.
June: Palmerston became Prime Minister for the last time.
Following the defeat of the Reform Bill, Lord John Russell resigned.
Derby formed another ministry and Disraeli again became Chancellor of
1866 the Exchequer. He appointed Monty Corrie as his Private Secretary.
Corrie remained a close friend and proved to be indispensable to
Disraeli after Mary-Anne's death.

1867 The second Reform Act became law. This was a piece of Tory
legislation.
February: Disraeli became Prime Minister for the first time following
Derby's resignation because of ill health. Disraeli's comment at the
time was, "I have climbed to the top of the greasy pole."
November: The Liberals won the General Election following the
1868 completion of the new electoral register.
December: Disraeli resigned as Prime Minister without meeting
parliament. He asked the Queen to give a peerage to his wife.
Mary-Anne was created Viscountess Beaconsfield.
Gladstone became Prime Minister for the first time.
1870 Lothair was published.
1872 Mary-Anne died.

1874 The Conservatives won the General Election and Disraeli became Prime
Minister for the second time.
Disraeli's second ministry passed a spate of social legislation and
became known as the "Ministry of Sewage". Legislation included:
two Trade Unions Acts
1875-80 the Public Health Act
the Artisans' Dwelling Act
a Factory Act
the Sale of Food and Drugs Act
June: The Bulgarian Atrocities took place but Disraeli questioned the
truthfulness of the reports in the Daily News
1876 August: Disraeli made his last speech in the House of Commons and
moved up to the House of Lords as the Earl of Beaconsfield.
September: Gladstone attacked the government's foreign policy in his
pamphlet, The Bulgarian Horrors and the Question of the East.

1877 The Russo-Turkish War broke out.
Queen Victoria was proclaimed as Empress of India.
March: the Treaty of San Stephano was signed between Russia and
Turkey, which created Bulgaria.
1878 June: The Congress of Berlin took place, attended by Disraeli and
Salisbury.
July: Treaty of Berlin. Disraeli and Salisbury were invested with the
Order of the Garter on their return to London.
1879 The Zulu Wars began in South Africa.
In the General Election, the Liberals were returned and Gladstone
1880 formed his second ministry. Disraeli became Leader of the Opposition
from the House of Lords.

19 April Disraeli died. The Queen was prevented (by protocol) from attending
1881 his funeral but she visited his grave later and had a monument to him
erected in Hughenden Church.

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