Anne Wharton is Chapter XIII of my biography of Thomas Wharton, 5th
Baron, 1st Earl, and 1st Marquess of Wharton (Tom Wharton to the English political
world of the Glorious Revolution period). The story covers crucial episodes in
Wharton's personal and political life. It deals with the health of his talented wife
Anne, her affection for her uncle and mentor the Earl of Rochester, her sojourn in
Paris in 1681, and Wharton's own brief visits there. On political themes the story
covers the famous Oxford Parliament of March 1681-the turning point, as matters
turned out, in the contest between Charles II and his Whig opponents, Tom
Wharton's political allies.
I like to think that the narrative will be understandable and interesting to
anyone who can read, though it will be most interesting to those who have read the
preceding chapters and/or those who are already soaked in English political history.
I have included the lists of abbreviations and short titles to help specialists follow
me through the lengthy footnotes. The lists pertain to the whole book, not merely
this chapter.</p
