Junius was the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of a writer who contributed a series of political letters critical of the government of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

to the ''

Public Advertiser The ''Public Advertiser'' was a London newspaper in the 18th century. The ''Public Advertiser'' was originally known as the ''London Daily Post and General Advertiser'', then simply the ''General Advertiser'' consisting more or less exclusively o ...

'', from 21 January 1769 to 21 January 1772 as well as several other London newspapers such as the ''

London Evening Post The ''London Evening Post'' was a pro- Jacobite Tory English language daily newspaper published in London, then the capital city of the Kingdom of Great Britain, from 1727 until 1797.Cranfield, G.A. (1963). "The ''London Evening Post'', 1727–17 ...

''. Charges were brought against several people, of whom two were convicted and sentenced. Junius himself was aware of the advantages of concealment, as he wrote in a letter to

John Wilkes John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical journalist and politician, as well as a magistrate, essayist and soldier. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fo ...

dated 18 September 1771. Two generations after the appearance of the letters, speculation as to the authorship of Junius was rife.

Sir Philip Francis Sir Philip Francis GCB (22 October 1740 – 23 December 1818) was an Irish-born British politician and pamphleteer, thought to be the author of the ''Letters'' of Junius, and the chief antagonist of Warren Hastings. His accusations against t ...

is now generally, but not universally, believed to be the author.

Current scholarly views

According to Alan Frearson there is scholarly consensus in favour of

; he divides the evidence into four classes, and reports that each class "points most strongly to Francis". This scholarly theory has been called the "Franciscan theory", at least since

Abraham Hayward Abraham Hayward Queen's Counsel, Q.C. (22 November 1801 – 2 February 1884) was an English man of letters. Life He was son of Joseph Hayward, and was born in Wilton, Wiltshire, Wilton, near Salisbury, England, Salisbury, Wiltshire. After ...

's ''More about Junius: The Franciscan theory unsound'' (1868). Numerous subsequent publications have been written by those sceptical about the identification with Francis. John Cannon, editor of an edition of the ''Letters'' published in 1978, adhered to the Franciscan theory. As

Francesco Cordasco Francesco M. Cordasco (November 2, 1920 – October 4, 2001) was an American sociologist and bibliographer who wrote and edited over 100 books.Arthur G. James, Obituaries in the News, ''AP Online'', October 24, 2001. Availabl(subscription only) at H ...

puts it, "while the Franciscan theory has recently enjoyed new life, it remains contested and impossible to demonstrate categorically".

Early guesses

Joseph Parkes Joseph Parkes (22 January 1796 – 11 August 1865) was an English political reformer. Born into Unitarian Whig circles, Parkes developed an association with the Philosophical Radicals. In 1822 he established a Birmingham solicitor's practice spec ...

, author with

Herman Merivale Herman Merivale CB (8 November 1806 – 8 February 1874) was an English civil servant and historian. He was the elder brother of Charles Merivale, and father of the poet Herman Charles Merivale. He was born at Dawlish, Devon to John Her ...

of the ''Memoirs of Sir Philip Francis'' (1867), gave a list of more than forty persons who had been supposed to be Junius.An 1855 edition of ''Junius'' by John Wade has over 30 names in common, but adds:

Lord Camden Marquess Camden is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1812 for the politician John Pratt, 2nd Earl Camden. The Pratt family descends from Sir John Pratt, Lord Chief Justice from 1718 to 1725. His third son from his ...

Samuel Dyer Samuel Dyer (台約爾, 20 February 1804 – 24 October 1843) was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China in the Congregationalist tradition who worked among the Chinese in Malaysia. He arrived in Penang in 1827. Dyer, his wife Ma ...

. Dyer was believed to be Junius by

Edmond Malone Edmond Malone (4 October 174125 May 1812) was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare. Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first p ...

and

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

.()

Other candidates

There have been other hypotheses put forward. In most cases the attribution is based on nothing more than a vague guess.

Notes

References

;Attribution *

External links