Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland
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The Right Honourable Earl of Sunderland KG, PC |
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| Lord President of the Council | |
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In office 4 December 1685 – October 1688 |
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| Monarch | James II |
| Preceded by | The Marquess of Halifax |
| Succeeded by | The Marquess of Carmarthen |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Robert Spencer 5 September 1641 Paris, France |
| Died | 28 September 1702 (aged 61) Althorp, Northamptonshire, England |
| Resting place | Brington, Northamptonshire, England |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Digby (m. 1665) |
| Alma mater | Oxford |
| Occupation | Politician |
Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland KG PC (5 September 1641 – 28 September 1702) was an English nobleman and politician of the Spencer family. An able and gifted statesman, his caustic temper and belief in absolute monarchy nevertheless made him numerous enemies. He was forced to flee England in 1688, but later established himself with the new regime after the Revolution of that year. Subsequently, he took on a more disinterested rôle as an adviser to the Crown, seeking neither office nor favour. He evinced no party loyalty, but was devoted to his country's interests, as he saw them. By the notoriously lax standards of the Restoration Court, his private life was remarkably free from scandal, which won him favour in the more sober post-Revolution state.
Robert Spencer was born in Paris in 1641. His father was Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland, and his mother was the Lady Dorothy Sidney, daughter of Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester. At the age of three he inherited his father's dignities, becoming Baron of Wormleighton and Earl of Sunderland. Lady Spencer had him educated after his father's death, first engaging a Calvinist tutor for him, Dr Thomas Pierce, and afterwards sending him to Christ Church, Oxford. After quitting school he joined the British Army, rising to the rank of captain in Prince Rupert's Regiment of Horse. On 10 June 1665 he was married to Anne Digby. She was the daughter of the second Earl of Bristol, and died in 1715. Sunderland then served successively as ambassador to Madrid (1671–1672), Paris (1672–1673), and the United Provinces (1673). He was Gentleman of the Bedchamber from 1673 to 1679, before being invested a Privy Councillor and appointed Secretary of State for the Northern Department in 1679. At the same time he served as Ambassador Extraordinary to Paris.
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