Regarded as the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, Walpole was first elected to the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Castle Rising in 1701, before representing King's Lynn from 1702 onwards. In 1708 he was appointed Secretary at War and in 1710 he also became Treasurer of the Navy. As a Whig, he left office with the fall of the government and in 1712 was imprisoned in the Tower of London for six months, having been found guilty of corruption, and was ejected from Parliament. He was regarded as a political martyr, and in 1713 was re-elected Member of Parliament for King's Lynn.
Following the accession of George I, Walpole became a Privy Counsellor and joined the Cabinet of the Whig government as Paymaster of the Forces. In 1715 he became First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer but he resigned from the government in 1717. He returned to the Cabinet in 1719 as Paymaster of the Forces. The South Sea Bubble led to the impeachment and resignation of many of Walpole's political rivals and in 1721 he was appointed First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons, from which his premiership is widely dated. His brother-in-law, Lord Townshend, served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department.
Upon George I's death, Walpole and Townshend retained their positions, and with Townshend retiring in 1730, Walpole was now clearly the most dominant politician of the day. His influence began to decline in the 1730s, weakened by the death of his supporter Queen Caroline, and the growing influence of the Prince of Wales, whose political inclinations were often opposed to his father. He generally opposed military conflict, but could not avoid the War of Jenkins' Ear in 1739. In 1742 he agreed to resign, following a vote of no confidence, and was elevated to the Lords. He retained political influence with the King and was referred to as the Minister behind the Curtain due to his continuing influence.
Notable events in India during Walpole's career included the rise of French power, which was to culminate in the Carnatic Wars, and the de-centralisation of the Mughal Empire. Walpole died on 18 March 1745.
