Northern Department

Northern Department
Department overview
Formed 1660
Dissolved 1782
Superseding agency
Jurisdiction Kingdom of Great Britain
Minister responsible

The Northern Department [1] was a department of the government of the Kingdom of England and later the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1660 until 1782 when its functions were merged within the new Foreign Office.

History

The department was responsible for dealing with government business in the northern part of Europe. This included foreign affairs concerning such northern powers as Russia, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire. It was administered by the Secretary of State for the Northern Department.

The Northern Department's opposite number within government was the Southern Department, responsible (as its name suggests) for affairs in southern Europe as well as domestic and colonial affairs.

In 1782, the Northern and Southern Departments were reorganized, with the Foreign Office taking over their foreign affairs responsibilities and Home Office taking over their domestic affairs responsibilities.

See also

  • Secretaries of State for the Northern Department
  • Secretaries of State for the Southern Department

References

  1. ↑ Sainty, J. C. "Lists of appointments British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Originally published by University of London, London, 1973. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
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