Editing John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (section)

== Background and early life ==
Russell was born on 18 August 1792 into the highest echelons of the British aristocracy, being the third son of [[John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford|John Russell, later 6th Duke of Bedford]], and Georgiana Byng, daughter of [[George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington]]. [[Duke of Bedford|The Russell family]] had been one of the principal Whig dynasties in England since the 17th century, and were among the richest handful of aristocratic landowning families in the country, but as a younger son of the [[John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford|6th Duke of Bedford]], he was not expected to inherit the family estates. As a younger son of a duke, he bore the courtesy title "Lord John Russell", but he was not a peer in his own right. He was, therefore, able to sit in the House of Commons until he was made an earl in 1861 and was elevated to the House of Lords.

Russell was born two months premature and was small and sickly as a child (even in adulthood he remained under {{convert|5|ft|5|in}} in height, and his small stature was frequently the butt of jokes by political opponents and caricaturists).{{sfn|Prest|2009}} In 1801 at the age of nine he was sent away to school. Shortly thereafter his mother died. After being withdrawn from [[Westminster School]] in 1804 due to ill health, Russell was educated by tutors, including [[Edmund Cartwright]].{{sfn|Scherer|1999|p=5}} In 1806 Russell's father was made [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]] in the short-lived [[Ministry of All the Talents]] and it was during this time that the young Russell met [[Charles James Fox]].{{sfn|Reid|1895|p=9}} Fox was Russell's formative political hero and would remain an inspiration throughout his life.{{sfn|Prest|2009}} Russell attended the [[University of Edinburgh]] from 1809 to 1812, lodging with Professor [[John Playfair]], who oversaw his studies.{{sfn|Reid|1895|p=12}} He did not take a degree. Although often in poor health, he travelled widely in Britain and in [[Continental Europe]],{{sfn|Prest|1972|p=11-13}} and held commission as captain in the [[Bedfordshire Militia]] in 1810.<ref name="hop">[http://www.histparl.ac.uk/volume/1790-1820/member/russell-lord-john-ii-1792-1878]{{dead link|date=April 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} History of Parliament article by R. G. Thorne.</ref> During his continental travels, Russell visited Spain where his [[Lord George Russell|brother]] was serving as aide-de-camp to [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Lord Wellington]] in the [[Peninsular War]].{{sfn|Walpole|1889a|pp=62–76}} The following year, Russell had a 90-minute meeting with [[Napoleon]] in December 1814, during the former emperor's exile at [[Elba]].{{sfn|Walpole|1889a|pp=74–75}}