The mid-1780s were a good time for Pitt. He’d mastered the nation’s finances and cleverly manoeuvred government spending not just into balance, but into surplus, despite spending more on the navy than before. Even the Opposition had to congratulate him. He was facing down the French and he was bringing the possessions in India more firmly under Britain’s control. Even after the king went mad, he called on his remarkable skill as a politician to make sure that, when his extraordinary luck came to his assistance once more, he could take full advantage of it.

But then an event took place over which he had no control whatsoever. The suffering people of France rose in revolt against the misery to which their bankrupt nation had condemned them. That epoch-making moment hit Pitt just as he thought he was going to be able to enjoy a well-earned holiday. 

Illustration: King George III in later life. Studio of Sir William Beechey, circa 1800. National Portrait Gallery 6250

Music: Bach Partita #2c by J Bu licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License