Benjamin Keene

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Sir Benjamin Keene (King's Lynn, 1697 - Madrid, 1757) was a british diplomat.

Keene was twice (1729-1739 and 1748-1757) British ambassador to Madrid. During his first mission he was following the advice of Robert Walpole. That mission was interrupted by the War of Jenkin's Ear (1739-1748), so he was forced to return to London, but just after the peace was conclude, he set off again to Spain. We can tell then, that he was for 28 years (!) ambassador in Spain. This is one of diplomating records in the 18th Century.

Keene was very influential at the spanish court. It was his merit, that the new spanish minister of irish descent seized power - Ricardo Wall. He also coused the resignation of violently anti-British Zenón de Somodevilla y Bengoechea.

Keene was a great connoiseur and an adherent of spanish theater, and music.

[edit] Bibliography

• Richard Lodge The Private Correspondence of Sir Benjamin Keene, in: The English Historical Review, Vol. 49, No. 194 (Apr., 1934), pp. 344-345.

[edit] Links

• JSTOR The Private Correspondence of Sir Benjamin Keene
• Oxford Biography Index
• http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=P15981
• biografia de Benjamin Keene

[edit] Further reading

ODNBarticle by M. J. Mercer, ‘Keene, Sir Benjamin (1697–1757)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 9 June 2008[[