The Catholic Relief Act 1829, also known as the Catholic Emancipation Act 1829, was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1829. It was the culmination of the process of Catholic Emancipation throughout the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In Ireland, it repealed the Test Act 1672 and the remaining Penal Laws which had been in force since the passing of the Disenfranchising Act of the Irish Parliament of 1728. Its passage followed a vigorous campaign that threatened insurrection led by Irish lawyer Daniel O'Connell. The British leaders, the prime minister the Duke of Wellington and his top aide Robert Peel, although initially opposed, gave in to avoid civil strife.
The act permitted members of the Catholic Church to sit in the parliament at Westminster. O'Connell had won a seat in a by-election for Clare in 1828 against an Anglican. Under the then-extant penal law, O'Connell, as a Catholic, was forbidden to take his seat in Parliament. Peel, the Home Secretary, until then was called "Orange Peel" because he always supported the Orange (anti-Catholic) position. Peel now concluded: "though emancipation was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger." Fearing a revolution in Ireland, Peel drew up the Catholic Relief Bill and guided it through the House of Commons. To overcome the vehement opposition of both the House of Lords and King George IV, the Duke of Wellington worked tirelessly to ensure passage in the House of Lords, and threatened to resign as prime minister if the king did not give royal assent.
1829Apr, 13
The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 gives Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.
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Events on 1829
- 19Jan
Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy receives its premiere performance. - 7Apr
Book of Mormon
Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, commences translation of the Book of Mormon, with Oliver Cowdery as his scribe. - 23May
Cyrill Demian
Accordion patent granted to Cyrill Demian in Vienna, Austrian Empire. - 10Jun
River Thames
The first Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place on the Thames in London. - 14Sep
Treaty of Adrianople (1829)
The Ottoman Empire signs the Treaty of Adrianople with Russia, thus ending the Russo-Turkish War.