The First Newcastle Ministry was a British

Kingdom of Great Britain

The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...

 government that existed from 1754 until 1756, headed by the Duke of Newcastle. After the death of the previous Prime Minister, his brother Henry Pelham

Henry Pelham

Henry Pelham was a British Whig statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 27 August 1743 until his death in 1754...

, Newcastle had formed a fresh administration. It lasted until 1756, when it collapsed following the fall of Minorca

Battle of Minorca

The Battle of Minorca was a naval battle between French and British fleets. It was the opening sea battle of the Seven Years' War in the European theatre. Shortly after Great Britain declared war on the House of Bourbon, their squadrons met off the Mediterranean island of Minorca. The fight...

 and the fierce criticism that Newcastle had come under for his handling of the war that was engulfing Europe.

One of the most influential members of the Ministry was Henry Fox

Henry Fox

Henry Fox may refer to:* Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland , British politician of the eighteenth century* Henry Edward Fox , British Army general* Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland...

, who served as Leader of the House of Commons

Leader of the House of Commons

The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...

.

Newcastle later returned to head a second government

Second Newcastle Ministry

The Second Newcastle Ministry was a British government which served between 1757 and 1762, at the height of the Seven Years War. It was headed by the Duke of Newcastle, who was serving in his second term as Prime Minister...

 in 1757 in alliance with William Pitt.

• Great Britain in the Seven Years War
  Great Britain in the Seven Years War
  The Kingdom of Great Britain was one of the major participants in the Seven Years' War which lasted between 1756 and 1763. Britain emerged from the war as the world's leading colonial power having gained a number of new territories at the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and established itself as the...