Joseph Grey, 1st Earl Grey

Joseph Archibald Grey, 1st Earl Grey, KT, KG, KB, PC, FRS, MP (7 April 1708 - present), colloquially known as Lord Grey, is a British statesman, diplomat, political theorist, and legislator who served as Secretary of State for the Southern Department and Leader of the House of Lords in the First Newcastle Ministry. Grey was an extremely influential member of the government and a driving force behind British policy from the fall of the Caribbean in 1746, until his resignation alongside most of the Newcastle Ministry frontbench in 1751.

Grey was the most visible and enthusiastic advocate of Parliamentarianism, or the idea of Parliamentary supremacy over the Monarchy. As the longest-serving Leader of the House of Lords, he is credited with overhauling the Parliamentary system in 1748 and 1749, establishing Parliamentary sovereignty and devolving the power of the Monarchy, which held near absolute executive powers at the beginning of the decade during the Paradoxian War.

Following his resignation in October of 1751, he went into self-imposed exile abroad, before returning in June 1753 where he would come to be the de facto Leader of the Opposition.

He was known for his advocacy of British greatness, expansionism and empire, and his uncompromising antagonism toward Britain's chief enemies and rivals for colonial power, Spain and France. Many scholars argue his statesmanship was based on a clear, consistent, and distinct appreciation of the value of the British Empire.

"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it; and this I know, my lords, that where laws end, tyranny begins." - Lord Grey

Early Life
Joseph Grey was born on the 7th of April, 1708 to an English father by the name of Peter Grey, the Baron Grey and his wife, Lady Jane Grey (neé Wood) at his family's estate, known as Howick, in the county of Northumberland. His father was a minor lord who had served with distinction during the War of Spanish Succession, and had attained status as the 1st Baron Grey for his distinguished service to the Crown. His mother was a daughter of Horace Wood, son of a Scottish Bishop and a wealthy landowner. Grey, although not growing up as a member of one of the great families of England, nevertheless grew up around wealth attained from his maternal grandfather.

Grey had three younger sibilings; Aura, Henry, and Mercedes, whom he often cared for. Regarding their well-being as his responsibility, a sense of leadership and duty grew inside him. Often, when Peter would be away in London serving in Parliament, Joseph would be left to serve as the head of the household, and it was expected that as the first born son, he would inherit the title of Baron.

His father had made several land purchases during Grey's youth, including Howick Hall, which eventually became the seat of the Grey Family. It was located just outside the town of Howick and thirty miles north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Joseph spent the majority of his youth adventuring in the nearby wilderness, and studying with his tutor, Walter Hodges, the later Vice Chancellor of Oxford. In 1719, he was sent to Eton College along with his brother, Henry. It is noted that Joseph disliked Eton, referring to his classmates as a mob of arrogant, clueless, rascals who could be swayed with very little reasoning.

In 1727, Joseph entered as a gentleman commoner at Trinity College, Oxford, where he read political philosophy, Latin, history, and law. There is much evidence that during his college years, Joseph was an avid reader, and was usually well ahead of his classmates and peers. He stayed at Oxford until 1732, at which point he returned home and joined Parliament as MP for the County of Northumberland, and enlisted into the British Royal Army, where he was commissioned as a Captain.

He took up an affiliation with the Whig sect of Parliament, and was brought under the wing of Lord Cobham and Lord Garland. Grey swiftly became one of the most prominent Whigs in Parliament, and was known for never missing a debate or meeting.

The first half of his service in the Armed Forces was during peacetime, and Grey would take several leave of absences to tour Europe during that time. However, in 1739 following the breakout of the War of the French Succession, more commonly known as the Paradoxian War, Grey would be dispatched on several campaigns. By 1744, Grey had earned a promotion to Colonel, and alongside his brother-in-law Nathaniel Huntington founded the EITC Third Division, a special forces regiment that the two would command for the remainder of the war.

His maiden speech to Parliament attacked the government under Sir Robert McRoberts in 1742 during a parliamentary debate against the Prime Minister's proposed "Treaty of Madrid", which would have limited British imperialism, and merged them with The Paradox. His fiery attacks against McRoberts' government were noted by opposition MP's, most notably the Duke of Newcastle. Eventually, McRoberts lost favour with the King, and a motion of no confidence was passed in Parliament that led to his fall in 1742.

The King invited Lord James "Usman" Strider, the Earl of Wilmington, to form a Ministry following McRoberts' fall from power, which really divided power between The Earl of Harrington as Lord President of the Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, and The Duke of Newcastle as Secretary of State for the Southern Department. Grey did not expect to be given a position in the new government, however, and continued to gain prominence within the House of Commons. Lord Newcastle has taken note of Grey by this time, and arranged for him to be made the Viscount Howick at his father's death, so that he could represent the government within the House of Lords instead of Commons.

In 1743, Peter Grey died, and Joseph became the 1st Viscount Howick, inheriting all of his father's lands and titles as the eldest son. He joined the House of Lords soon afterwards, and became notable in the chamber than was known for its higher level of influence within the government.

He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1746.

Rise to prominence
The Viscount was finally elevated to a government position in 1746, when he became the Paymaster of the Forces, and responsible for arranging in the transfer of West Indies Forces back to Europe.

It appears from Grey's correspondence, that he was successful in his task, and gained the confidence of Lord Newcastle as a result. He was able to successfuly evacuate the majority of the "British Co. Elites" Squadron from the Caribbean, and back to Europe, with minimal casualties.

He did lose a regiment of soldiers under General James Warshot, however, and his political opponents quickly seized the oppurtunity to discredit him. His popularity with the people nevertheless went on unscathed.

In September of 1747, a year after Grey became Paymaster, Newcastle positioned Grey as the representative of the government, which owned the most shares, in the East India Company. As representative of the largest shareholder, Grey became the Chairman of the EITC Court of Directors, and thus the Governor of the Company. He immediately restored the East India House with his collegue Sir Richard Venables, and began a reform process of the Company.

Grey was petitioned by the government to reform the entirety of the EITC private military in India, and Grey set upon completing this task. He was by now the most outspoken member of the House of Lords, and one of the most noted officials in the government. He had effectively become the image of a new generation of statesmen, and was popular throughout the commons for his anti-corruption platform.

Two months after being appointed Chairman of the Court of Directors, he was appointed by the King on the advice of Lord Newcastle as Leader of the House of Lords, and the de facto leader of Parliament in general. Upon Grey's appointment as Leader, he completely reformed the parliamentary process. For the first time, parliamentary sovereignty was established in Britain. Grey was applauded for his work in this area, and effectively became the most visible official in the government, after Newcastle.

He continued to work as the EITC Chairman, however he had by now allotted most of the responsibilities and duties of the office to the remaining Directors of the Court. He was now totally focused on reforming Parliament and continuing the expansion of the Enlightenment in England.

Among the reforms was the decision to swap monthly parliamentary sessions for new 90 day sessions twice a year. Grey opened the Winter Session of 1747 to a complete success, and much praise from the British public, leading to his system gaining the confidence of the nation as a whole. In March of 1748, an assassin only known as "Piri Reis", working for the terrorist organization, the Sarunu, would make an assassination attempt on Lord Newcastle. The Prime Minister survived the attack, and withdrew to the countryside to recuperate. In his absence, Grey was named Acting Prime Minister for the summer of 1748.

Southern Secretary
The first Newcastle Ministry was dissolved in 1749, after it could no longer hold on to a majority in Parliament. Grey, now the most influential member of Parliament as a whole, was sought out by Newcastle and together they formed a coalition by creating the First Newcastle Ministry, commonly referred to as the Newcastle-Grey Ministry. In this system, Lord Newcastle would continue to serve as Prime Minister, while Lord Grey would become Secretary of State for the Southern Department and Leader of the House of Lords.

Following Grey's appointment as Southern Secretary, he began to coordinate with Lord Newcastle on many aspects of the government, and became a leading member of the cabinet. Newcastle decided to bring in a new generation of politicians into the fold, and appointed several young men to his cabinet besides Grey, including his nephew the Earl of Lincoln, and Grey's brother-in-law the Earl of Portsmouth.

As Southern Secretary, Grey would essentially become responsible for all foreign affairs, while internal affairs were largely left to the Northern Secretary at the time, Lord Huntington. Grey would spend the majority of the year travelling to and from various European states, and serving as an intermediary on several debates.

He continued to hold the post of Ambassador to Switzerland while serving as Southern Secretary, and was known to make several visits to the Kingdom every year. As Southern Secretary he attended the Congress of Vienna as a senior representative of Britain, and was one of the 17 signatories to the Vienna Accords, and would go on to bring the legislation before Parliament two weeks later.

June Crisis
In June of 1750, an international incident occurred following the leaking of Swiss top secret intelligence by Spanish officials, which narrowly avoided escalating into full scale war. Following the success of British mediators, the tension between the Swiss and Danish was ended. However, this was occurring at a time when Parliament was reviewing terms of a new treaty that Newcastle's government was negotiating with the Spanish Syndicate, Spain's new government under Premier Leonardo.

Due to these circumstances, and evidence that indicated the ill-will of the Spanish government, Grey switched his vote to oppose and went on to champion the opposition movement against the treaty. When the Houses of Parliament voted for the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to open an inquiry into the June Crisis, Grey was appointed as Vice-chair.

Following the JCPC's investigation of the Spanish Syndicate, it was ruled that an alliance between Spain and Britain would not have been of benefit. The British government effectively cut ties with Spain, although three weeks later, Lord Newcastle and Lord Grey were dispatched to Barcelona to speak with Premier Leonardo and his Vice-Premier, however these talks ended up fruitless.

Eventually, King Ferdinand Clemente would seize power back and exile Leonardo Cortes and the Baron Crossland from Spain. The Syndicate moved its government to Seville, however without the support of the military and their assets taken, they were forced to flee the nation and set up a government-in-exile in Morrocco, however this was very poorly underfunded and eventually faded away.

Following the collapse of the Syndicate and the general peace that settled over Europe, Parliament was called into recess, and Grey returned to Howick for a month and a half to recuperate and take his mind off the politics. Upon his return in mid-September, he became in deep opposition to the Earl of Lincoln, who had become a counter-balance in the government, and the Earl's reformation plans for the Privy Council. Due to the constant rift in the Cabinet, Grey, Lord Huntington, Lord Grafton, and Lord Mallace, threatened their resignations if Lincoln was not sacked from the Cabinet. Despite the favor Lord Newcastle extered upon Lincoln, his hands were effectively tied, and he finally gave it to the demands of his Cabinet by sacking Lincoln and bringing the First Lord of the Admiralty Maxamillion Phillip Beckett onto the Cabinet.

Dissolving the EITC
By mid-October 1750, the East India Company had never realised any significant profit from its monopoly, after being reinstated by the East India Act of 1750. Company stock rose greatly in value as it expanded its operations dealing in government debt, peaking in early September before collapsing to little above its original flotation price. The inept leadership of Sir William Brawlmartin and his inability to prevent insider trading in addition to the previous controversy accusing the East India Act authors of using Parliamentary malpractice through bribery of Colonel Jackson S. Stormrage and his influence in Parliament forced his resignation by early October, making Sir Jason Benedict-Morgan, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chairman of the Court and thus Lord Governor of the Company.

Benedict-Morgan's attempts to revitalize the Company were overshadowed by Brawlmartin's failures, and, close to default, the Court of Directors was forced to turn to HM Treasury to stimulate the Company shares once more and trade debt for equity. Lord Grey, the Third Lord of the Treasury, was dispatched to the East India House, and, upon reviewing the books, was abhorred by the revelation of early insider trading that served to inflate the share prices prior to the East India Act going into affect, shares in the company were "sold" to politicians at the current market price; however, rather than paying for the shares, these recipients simply held on to what shares they had been offered, with the option of selling them back to the company when and as they chose, receiving as "profit" the increase in market price.

Fearing indictment by the Treasury, Benedict-Morgan resigned as Chairman, reappointing Brawlmartin at the helm, who sought to isolate the representatives of the Treasury by holding off-the-record meetings with his suporters within the Court of Directors. This infuriated the Prime Minister, who personally attended a meeting of the Court, where he admonished Brawlmartin and challenged his leadership, promising to redact the East India Act if the Company's failures persisted.

The renegade members of the Court then turned to disgraced Lord, the Earl of Harrington, who had been previously found guilty of treason after almost single-handedly initiating a war with Spain. Harrington was promised leadership of the East India Company once they would be able to relocate to another state to do business, attempting first to contact Spain, then Switzerland. Refused by both states, the Court made plans to illegally short government-held stocks, to replenish their own personal treasury, at the cost of the nation. When discovered, all members of the Court were arrested on the charge of Conspiracy against the Crown, and the government introduced legislation within the House to formally repeal the East India Act, dissolving the Court of Directors and placing the Company assets in trust of the Lords of the Treasury.

Sir William Brawlmartin, Lord Samuel Harrington, Mr. James Truesilver, and Mr. Simon Pratton were brought to court for their crimes, and Brawlmartin and Harrington were found guilty of all crimes and sentenced to six months of imprisonment each, and more than £650,000 each in fines.

March Revolt
Harrington's attempts to undermine the British government did not end here, however. Following his sentencing after the 1st of November Plot, he went underground for several months, meanwhile keeping in contact with Sir Eric Hullbatten (Pulp Daggerlord), the illegitimate son of Paradoxian War hero Billy Hullbatten, and great nephew to Lord Newcastle, who had recently been appointed Lieutenant General of the East India Regimental Corps, commonly known as the Black Guard or Black Mercenaries.

Daggerlord was successful in centralizing the Black Guard, assuming command over the entirety of the EITC's private military forces after a few months. By late February, his forces had reached peak performance, and were seen as among the finest of the entire British Military. Questions about his ultimate loyalty were present, especially by Lord Huntington and Lord Grey, however these concerns were contested by both Newcastle and Beckett who cited the peak performance of the Black Guard. After gaining more and more prominence on the international stage, Daggerlord's aspirations began to worry many within HM Government.

The day after maxing, control over the East India Regimental Corps was handed over to Nathaniel Scurvyskull, a former East India Company Director and a collegue of the Earl of Harrington. The BM attempted to use this coup to overthrow the British government, and it is assumed, to create a nationalist government centered around the East India Company, as Britain had previously been before the office of the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Parliamentary sovereignity had been established.

The government managed to seize the BM from the control of Scurvyskull within 72 hours, with the Justice Department under Lord Mallace immediately declared the three chief collaborators enemies of state by the crime of High Treason, thereby exiling them from the Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland. Daggerlord was held under arrest and allowed to appeal his case, for many believed that he had been innocent and that the Revolt was the result of a coup led by Harrington. Having seen no other option besides fully merging the Black Guard back into the Empire, Grey wrote the East India Act of 1751 on behalf of the Cabinet. Despite passing Parliament, the Act proved to be extremely controversial and divisive. Members of the Black Guard felt that their mother country was turning a blind eye to them on behalf of the mistakes of their leader, whilst the Patriot Whigs viewed the Black Guard as an institution too dangerous to remain intact. Following weeks of protests, the Cabinet finally decided to hold a national referendum on the fate of the country, and of the Black Guard. Despite the referendum passing, many felt betrayed by their countrymen and grew disillusioned with the Empire. Daggerlord escaped from prison and fled with his men to the continent, forming the "Royal Black Guard" and launching an insurgency against British interests abroad. Grey passed the Economic Reorganization Act through Parliament, completely disbanding the East India Company's militant arms and severing it's hard and soft power.

Investigations into the matter revealed that Daggerlord had been in contact with an assortment of different characters ranging from exiled criminals like former Swiss Minister of State Lord Gustav Dreadre to government officials within the upper tiers of the CRP Nations, and had plotted against HM Government numerous times. Most interestingly was his communication and numerous liasons with Crown Prince of Spain, Prince Ezequiel Clemente. Daggerlord and the Prince were found to have formed a conspiracy against the government several weeks prior to the Revolt, wherein the British Government would be overthrown following the retirement of Lord Newcastle, inserting James Goldtimbers, 9th Earl of Lincoln as a non-executive Prime Minister, to oversee the British government, while Daggerlord would be de facto Head of Government so that he and Prince Ezequiel could maintain a monopoly over Europe.

The Prime Minister sent a cable informing all British allies of the revelations, resulting in both the Kingdom of the Swiss and the Dutch Republic severing all ties with the Spanish. Britain suspended its alliance with Spain and offered King Ferdinand 48 hours to make a decision on the matter. The next day, Prince Ezequiel was exiled from Spain for conspiracy against the State and the Nations of Europe. This caused a dramatic shakeup in the Spanish government, with the King promising a second "Fernando Reforma" within the next two weeks. Grey travelled to Madrid where he would serve as the King's chief advisor on restructuring the Spanish government, promising a new and more efficient model. Despite Grey's assistance, however, this reformed government would not materialze under Ferdinand's reign.

1751
Grey, as de facto First Secretary, was charged with streamlining several new reforms, that the government realised in the wake of the East India Treason Plot. Alongside the numerous East India reforms, Grey worked with Newcastle and Huntington to create a standardized and comprehensive test that evaluates all candidates on their appropriate responses to certain situations. for all aspiring to work within HM Government. He followed this by working with Huntington and his close ally, Sir Maxamillion Phillip Beckett on a complete Naval overhaul, with the intention of recreating the cohesiveness and efficiency that the Royal Navy had enjoyed under the command of legendary Secretary at War, the Duke of Bedford.

In terms of foreign policy, Grey effectively dominated British foreign policy from December 1750, and almost singlehandedly designed it. He was the primary architect of the Treaty of Lisbon (1750), which he orchestrated upon receiving from his informants across Europe hints of an attempt to possibly oust Queen Julie Grace Garate. Grey would further write up the Treaty of Reykjavik (1751), formally recognizing Abaddon I of Norway as the one true Queen of Denmark-Norway. He arranged for the creation of the Dutch Republic with Chancellor Jason Benedict Morgan, evaluating the legal parameters quietly, from behind the scenes. Later, as the Dutch pushed the fragile Ottoman Empire into collapse, Newcastle called together the Summit of 1751, to formally partition the Ottoman provinces. Grey quickly partitioned the territories with Newcastle, almost overnight, and presented his proposal for voting upon by the nations of the world. At the protest of the Spanish delegation, Poland's voting rights at this summit were suspended, and each other nation retained the right to one vote. The motion, the Treaty of Istanbul (1751) passed within two days by a tally of 6-1, with only the Kingdom of Spain voting in opposition.

Following the severance of ties with Spain, the Swiss government announced its intentions to annex the Kingdom of France, which had been virtually stateless since its government was dissolved in 1741 during the Paradoxian War. While the newer generation politicans that made up the Patriot Whigs, such as Grey, Huntington, and Beckett supported these measures and saw the possibility of a prosperous France in the near future, Old Guard members like Prime Minister Newcastle were staunchly against this, viewing the protection of France's established monarchy as necessary due to Britain's defense of it during the Paradoxian War, and viewing an annexation of France as similar to Phillip V's expansionist policies in the 1720s and 30s. With support tilted towards the Swiss stance, Newcastle ignored the counsel of his government and authorized the controversial Treaty of Versailles (1751), establishing France as a protected state of Britain and thus administered directly by the British government, as Portugal was. The move completely destroyed all relations between Britain and the Swiss, now the second most powerful state in Europe, and also further damaged relations between Britain and the Dutch Republic, whose government was dominated by its Foreign Minister, who held a very close relationship with the Swiss Prime Minister.

Following the events of the beginning of March, King Alexander, a long-time staunchly pro-British ruler, quietly recused himself from political decision making and handed executive authority over to his nephew, Prince Ryan Kroshbon, the Prime Minister of Switzerland. The Prince was seen as young and dynamic, though also viewed as reckless in some cases, and had previously enjoyed a very close working relationship with both Grey and Huntington, which soured following the break-down in diplomatic ties with Prince Ryan blaming the two diplomats for not being able to convince Newcastle to see the Swiss perspective.

Following the breakdown of relations, Britain completely severed its aid to Switzerland, and threatened the same to the Netherlands. Within weeks, protests and a coup drove the Prince from office, leaving the nation in the hands of the Prince's deputy Lord Azreel Wolfe and the King's sister Princess Rose Kroshbon, who were both antagonistic towards the British, and Grey in particular.

Dispute with Newcastle
In the aftermath of the March Revolt and the attempted Swiss annexation of France, a clear divide formed within the Cabinet. In contrast to the 1st of November Plot, which had been foiled and handled in a matter of days, the aftermath of the March Revolt proved to be a near disaster for the British government. Morale throughout the nation was at an all-time low, and the fallout of gutting the East India Company ended the economic boom that Britain had enjoyed since the end of the Paradoxian Wars, sending Britain, and the rest of Europe, spiraling towards a recession. Spain, Europe's second strongest power, experienced the sharpest decline of any state. With the absence of Prince Ezequiel Clemente, who had taken many steps when he was in power to eliminate all rivals, the Spanish government was left without an experienced hand to guide it, sending it on the crash course that eventually led to the collapse of the Clemente monarchy in 1752.

Internally, Grey and Newcastle now found themselves constantly at odds with eachother. Newcastle detested Grey's belligerent attitude towards policy, which he blamed on the influence of Maxamillion Phillip Beckett, who was now Grey's closest ally; whereas Grey viewed Newcastle as having lost his edge and no longer being fit to lead the Cabinet. Though publicly the composure of the Cabinet was kept, behind the scenes there was a completely different atmosphere. As time dragged on, Newcastle and his front-bench found they could agree on next to nothing. Despite Lord Huntington's attempts to mediate, there was by now almost no cohesion in the government. Tensions peaked at a meeting of the Privy Council in late June, after the Prime Minister made a disparaging remark towards the Patriot Whigs which led to an outburst and eventually became a shouting match between Grey and the Prime Minister. This would be the first and only time that Cabinet collective responsibility would be broken. A reprieve from this conflict would come in July, after it was found that Grey had maintained several financial interests in Switzerland, which made his lobbying in support of them questionable. Newcastle and Grey met, and an agreement was made which ensured Newcastle would not indict Grey and launch a formal investigation while maintaining Grey as Southern Secretary, and in return Grey would tone down his opposition to Newcastle's policies, and fall in line behind the government. As a result of this agreement, Grey retired himself to Howick Hall, leaving Parliamentary leadership in the hands of Huntington.

Resignation
Grey returned to London in October 1751, with a landscape that had now changed drastically. In Grey's absence, Beckett had become the most vocal opponent of Newcastle within HM Cabinet. Grey aligned himself with his long-time ally, however was sure not to be as vocally critical of the Prime Minister as he previously had been. Britain's economy by now had gone into a full recession, and the government was unable to reach a compromise on how to proceed. On the 17th of October, Newcastle unexpectedly resigned from office and departed from London, instantly throwing the government into chaos. With the sudden absence of the Prime Minister of six years, many were unsure of how to proceed. Grey would eventually draw up a plan to have Lord Huntington appointed First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister, while Grey would continue as Southern Secretary and Leader of the House of Lords as de facto Deputy Prime Minister, and Maxamillion Phillip Beckett rounding out the triumvirate as Northern Secretary. Despite the drafted plan being agreed on and by default running the British government for the next week, it was never formalized due to the King not having formally invited the ministers to form a government.

On the 27th of October, ten days after departing London, Lord Newcastle returned and resumed the reigns of government. Upon the Duke's return as Prime Minister, the majority of the government front-bench, including Grey and Beckett, instantly resigned. Lord Huntington and Lord Mallace submitted their resignations as well, however determined to remain in government until suitable replacements were chosen. Mallace would later rescind his resignation, and Huntington would die the next year of typhoid fever.

With Newcastle and Grey no longer sitting in government together, they made no secret of their contempt for eachother. Grey launched a myriad of attacks against the Prime Minister, his government, and his nephew, the Earl of Lincoln in particular, accusing Newcastle of nepotism; whereas Newcastle derided Grey, labeling him as a war hawk and jingoistic. Newcastle would at some point during this time period state that he would never again sit in government alongside the Earl Grey.

Following the fallout of his resignation and the clash with the Prime Minister, Lord Grey would resign as a Member of Parliament in December 1751, and return to Howick Hall where he began work on his memoirs. In the summer of 1752, his close friend and brother-in-law, who had been his closest ally in government, Lord Huntington would fall ill and die of typhoid fever. Huntington's death would deeply upset Grey, and in the weeks following the Earl's death, Lord Grey would depart England for the Continent, spending several months in Geneva, Venice, and eventually St. Petersburg.

Trial of the Century
Upon his return to Great Britain in the Spring of 1753, Grey was formally indicted on charges of High Treason, Abuse of Office, and violation of the Classified Informations Act, due to alleged conduct that took place during his time as Southern Secretary, while his ally Maxamillion Phillip Beckett was indicted on charges of High Treason and Disturbing the Peace. An appeal was submitted, sending the case before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and High Court of England. With his former collegue, Lord High Chancellor the Earl Granville presiding, and a team led by his former peer Tobias Squidhayes and Peregrine Seaspark acting as the Prosecution, Grey selected a younger peer from Northamptonshire, John Darius, as lead counsel for the Defense team, while Grey himself would serve as co-Counsel. The trial would quickly be dubbed the "trial of the century" due to the high-profile of the two defendants, as well as the implications that either verdict could offer. A guilty verdict would mean the imprisonment of two of Britain's most influential post-war figures, whereas a not guilty verdict would clear the way for those two figures to return to politics, their names cleared of any wrongdoing. Grey and Beckett would eventually cleared of all charges by their respective juries, paving the way for Grey's re-entry to political life.

Opposition
In the weeks following the trial, Grey would return to the House of Lords, sitting for his home constituency of Northumberland. He remained in the backbenches for several weeks after this and did not generally participate in the business of the House, until Jeremiah Sharkbones and Thomas McWard introduced a military reform bill that was universally panned by the Houses of Parliament. It was at this point that Grey decided to re-enter the fray, which he did by leading the voices opposed to this Bill, succeeding in tabling the Bill and instructing Sharkbones to completely re-write the Bill after only a few hours of debate.

Legacy
TBA

Family and personal life
Grey was the eldest son of his parents, and as such the heir to his father's estate. He had two sisters, Aura (b. 1717) and Mercedes (b. 1722) and one brother, Henry (b. 1715). As Grey by his mid-thirties had no children of his own, he designated Henry as his successor as the Earl Grey. His attempts to force Henry to uphold his duties were in vain, and after Henry's disappearance at sea in January 1751, Joseph had no heir. His sister, Mercedes, adopted the surname "Grey-Huntington", as did her children by the Earl of Portsmouth, Grey's close ally and counterpart within HM Cabinet.

Styles of address

 * Mr Joseph Grey (1708 - 1733)
 * The Honourable Joseph Grey, MP (1733 - 1743)
 * The Right Honourable Viscount Howick, KB, MP (1743 - 1746)
 * The Right Honourable Viscount Howick, KB, PC, FRS, MP (1746 - 1748)
 * The Right Honourable Earl Grey, KT, KG, KB, PC, FRS, MP (1748 - present)