Henry Watkins (diplomat)

Henry Watkins (died 1794) was a British diplomat who served as the British Resident in Saxony from 1765 until his death. He was a significant figure in the diplomatic landscape of the Holy Roman Empire during a tumultuous period, preceding the French Revolution.

Watkins's role in Dresden involved representing British interests at the Saxon court and providing intelligence to the British government regarding the political and military situation in Central Europe. He was responsible for cultivating relationships with key figures within the Saxon administration and other foreign envoys stationed in the region. His dispatches provide valuable insights into the complexities of 18th-century European power politics.

While not as widely known as some of his contemporaries, Watkins' long tenure in Saxony allowed him to develop a deep understanding of the local dynamics and to play a crucial, if often understated, role in shaping British foreign policy in the region. His activities were often focused on monitoring the actions of Prussia and Austria, the two dominant powers in the Holy Roman Empire, and reporting back to London on any potential threats to British interests. The specific details of his work remain scattered across archival records and require careful research to reconstruct fully.