Prime minister

…As the fact that the names of the two factions were used as derogatory terms to criticize each other by comparing them to Irish Tories and Whigs shows, parties were often seen as a sign of vice that prioritized personal interests and enthusiasm over loyalty to the king and the kingdom, and the boundary between opposition parties and rebellion was sometimes blurred. The origin of the modern prime minister is somewhat later, and is often traced to R. Walpole, a powerful politician in the first half of the 18th century. However, this term was also heavily influenced by France, and contained a sense of criticism and ridicule for subjects who usurped the legitimate authority of the king and exceeded their station in controlling national affairs, and Walpole himself officially denied the term. …

*Some terminology references to "prime minister" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…両派の名称が，互いに相手をアイルランドの追剝(Tory)や狂信的反徒(Whig)になぞらえ非難する蔑称として用いられた事実が示すように，パーティは私益や熱狂を国王，王国に対する忠誠に優越させる悪徳の現れとみられがちで，反対党と反逆との境界は時としてあいまいになった。近代の首相prime ministerの起源はこれらに多少遅れ，18世紀前半の有力政治家R.ウォルポールに求められることが多い。もっともこの語にもフランスからの影響が強く，国王の正当な権能を僭取し臣下が分を越えて国政を牛耳ることへの非難や嘲笑の意がこめられていたし，ウォルポール自身も公式にはこの呼称を否認した。…

※「prime minister」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報