# Edmund Burke — The Rights of Man character guide > Edmund Burke in The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Burke, Mr. Burke **First appearance:** 0001-the-rights-of-man ## Snapshot The celebrated statesman whose four-hundred-page fury against the French Revolution became the target Paine could not resist answering. ## Who they are Burke arrives in Paine's pages as a man of towering reputation turned pamphleteer, pouring what Paine calls the copious fury of rancour and prejudice onto the French nation and its National Assembly. He once insisted no revolution could ever happen in France; now that it has, he condemns it, and Paine catches him denying that the English people possess any right to choose their governors or cashier them for misconduct. That paradox — a defender of liberty abroad turned scourge of it at home — is the provocation the entire book is built to dismantle. ## Relationships ### [Thomas Paine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/thomas_paine) _rivalry_ Burke and Paine were fierce ideological opponents, with Burke's conservative critique of the French Revolution directly countered by Paine's radical defense in 'Rights of Man'. ### [Thomas Rickman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/thomas_rickman) _professional_ Burke interacted frequently with Rickman, likely as a political associate or publisher contact during the pamphlet wars of the 1790s. ### [King John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/king_john) _professional_ Burke's high number of interactions with King John suggests a formal political or advisory relationship, possibly as a critic or commentator on royal authority. ### [William Pitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/william_pitt) _professional_ Burke and Pitt were fellow parliamentarians and political figures, often engaging in debates or alliances within British government circles. ### [Count de Broglie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/count_de_broglie) _social_ The Count de Broglie and Burke likely moved in overlapping diplomatic or intellectual circles, discussing revolutionary politics. ### [Henry Laurens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/henry_laurens) _professional_ Burke and Laurens interacted as political figures, possibly discussing American independence or transatlantic diplomacy. ### [Jean Sylvain Bailly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/jean_sylvain_bailly) _professional_ Burke and Bailly interacted as political thinkers and figures, with Bailly as a French revolutionary leader and Burke as a critic of the Revolution. ### [King John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/king_john) _professional_ Burke's high number of interactions with King John suggests a formal political or advisory relationship, possibly as a critic or commentator on royal authority. ### [Thomas Paine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/thomas_paine) _rivalry_ Burke and Paine were fierce ideological opponents, with Burke's conservative critique of the French Revolution directly countered by Paine's radical defense in 'Rights of Man'. ### [William Pitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/william_pitt) _professional_ Burke and Pitt were fellow parliamentarians and political figures, often engaging in debates or alliances within British government circles. ## In the story ### [Editor's Introduction](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/editor-s-introduction) Paine's political adversary; author of 'Reflections on the Revolution in France,' defender of hereditary monarchy, proposed criminal prosecution of Paine, fomented war against France. ### [The Rights of Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/the-rights-of-man) Target of Paine's rebuttal; Burke's attack on the French Revolution prompted this work. ### [Part First: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke’s Attack on the French Revolution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/part-first-being-an-answer-to-mr-burke-s-attack-on-the-french-revolution) Target of Paine's rebuttal; criticized for his attack on the French Revolution. ### [Paine's Preface to the English Edition](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/paine-s-preface-to-the-english-edition) Paine expresses disappointment in Burke for his violent speech against the French Revolution and for publishing a pamphlet containing flagrant misrepresentations. ### [Paine's Preface to the French Edition](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/paine-s-preface-to-the-french-edition) Mentioned as the recipient of thanks from the Elector of Hanover for his insults against the French Revolution. ### [Rights of Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/rights-of-man) Paine criticizes Burke's unprovoked pamphlet attacking the French Revolution and his denial of the nation's right to choose its own governors. ### [Observations on the Declaration of Rights](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/observations-on-the-declaration-of-rights) Mentioned as a critic of the French Revolution who claims it has 'gone too far' ### [Miscellaneous Chapter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/miscellaneous-chapter) Paine criticizes Burke's book as a confused 'mob of ideas' and refutes his defense of hereditary succession and his claim that government is a 'contrivance of human wisdom.' ### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/conclusion) Criticized for his defense of the British Constitution and his disgust at France's rejection of it. ### [Part Second: Combining Principle and Practice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/part-second-combining-principle-and-practice) Paine's intellectual opponent, whose defense of hereditary government is critiqued. ### [French Translator’s Preface (1792)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/french-translator-s-preface-1792) Mentioned as the target of Paine's answer; the translator dismisses the controversy as tedious and not affecting Paine. ### [Of Society and Civilisation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/i-of-society-and-civilisation) Criticized as a 'metaphysical man' who would overcomplicate the simple principles of self-governance. ### [Of the Old and New Systems of Government](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/iii-of-the-old-and-new-systems-of-government) Paine dismisses Burke's talk of old and new whigs as childish, and critiques his defense of monarchy. ### [Of Constitutions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/iv-of-constitutions) Paine criticizes Burke's principle of binding and controlling posterity to the end of time, calling it detestable. ### [Ways and Means of Improving the Condition of Europe: Interspersed with Miscellaneous Observations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/v-ways-and-means-of-improving-the-condition-of-europe-interspersed-with-miscellaneous-observations) Implied as the target of Paine's critique of hereditary government and conservative opposition to reform. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/chapters/endnotes) Criticized by Paine; Burke's pamphlet and his defense of hereditary succession are referenced. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters/edmund_burke - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rights_of_man_se/characters