an unpopular minority. He supported Hanoverian independence ("particularism") and was loyal to monarchism. He was not a Liberal, but they admired his opposition to the king's reactionary policies and his strong support for an independent judiciary and the rights of the accused. He served in 1851 and 1862 as minister of justice.

When Prussia absorbed Hanover and then set up the German Empire in 1871, Windthorst dealt with the new state of affairs and became