Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine (20 July 1766, Broomhall, Fife - 14 November 1841, Paris) was a British nobleman and diplomat, known for the removal of marble sculptures (also known as the Elgin Marbles) from the Parthenon in Athens. Elgin (pronounced /ˈɛlɡɪn/ with a 'hard g') was the second son of Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin and his wife Martha Whyte. He succeeded his older brother William, the 6th earl, in 1771 ...
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Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine (20 July 1766, Broomhall, Fife - 14 November 1841, Paris) was a British nobleman and diplomat, known for the removal of marble sculptures (also known as the Elgin Marbles) from the Parthenon in Athens. Elgin (pronounced /ˈɛlɡɪn/ with a 'hard g') was the second son of Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin and his wife Martha Whyte. He succeeded his older brother William, the 6th earl, in 1771 while he was only five.
Elgin entered the army as an ensign in the 3rd Guards. He was elected as a Scottish Representative Peer in 1790, remaining one until 1807. In 1791, he was sent as a temporary envoy-extraordinary to Austria, while Sir Robert Keith was ill. He was then sent as envoy-extraordinary in Brussels until the conquest of the Austrian Netherlands by France. After spending time in Britain, he was sent as envoy-extraordinary to Prussia in 1795.
On 11 March 1799, shortly before setting off to serve as ambassador at Constantinople,...
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