John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

The Most Noble John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (May 26, 1650 – June 16, 1722), in full The Most Noble Captain-General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Earl of Marlborough, Baron Churchill of Sandridge, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, KG, PC (in addition to these English and Scottish titles he was also Prince of Mindelheim and a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire), was an English military officer during the War of the Spanish Succession. Churchill is generally considered the greatest military genius that Britain has produced. Historian Sir Edward Creasy wrote that " never fought a battle that he did not win, and never besieged a place that he did not take."

James II and the Glorious Revolution

Within a few months, the new king faced a series of rebellions, one of which was by the Duke of Monmouth. Churchill was promoted major-general in July 1685 and appointed head of the loyalist troops, then quickly subordinated to the Earl of Feversham. It is believed that this lack of confidence was what eventually turned Churchill from loyalty to the Stuart kings. Churchill nevertheless distinguished himself during the fighting, and became an important figure in the army.

Related Topics:
Duke of Monmouth - 1685 - Earl of Feversham

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In 1688, William of Orange invaded England with the support of most of the nobility, as James II was a Catholic and was clearly attempting to reintroduce absolutist rule into his kingdom, as well as toleration and even ascendancy for Romanism over the Church of England. James promoted Churchill to lieutenant-general in November and ordered him to engage and defeat the invaders; instead he deserted to the Orange cause, which caused most of the army to come with him and put James into a very difficult position. He quit the country for France rather than fight. The Glorious Revolution had been pulled off with far less bloodshed than anyone expected, and the Stuarts no longer ruled in Britain. In reward Churchill was appointed a Privy Councillor (hence the postnominal abbreviation "P.C.") in February 1689 and created Earl of Marlborough in April.

Related Topics:
1688 - William of Orange - Church of England - Glorious Revolution - Privy Council - 1689

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In 1689, Marlborough commanded the British contingent fighting the French in Flanders. The following year, an expedition under his command captured Cork and Kinsale in the Williamite war in Ireland.

Related Topics:
Flanders - Cork - Kinsale - Williamite war in Ireland

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Marlborough was out of the public sphere to a large extent for the next few years, as William did not entirely trust the Stuart supporter. William's distrust was well founded, for in 1692 Churchill was discovered to be in secret correspondence with the exiled James II, and was publicly disgraced. It is miraculous that he suffered no further from his treachery. He was even able to intrigue further, by sending news of English troop movements to the French in William's wars on the Continent. With characteristic duplicity, however, he always contrived to send the information too late for it to be of any use. It must be noted, that while Marlborough was in habitual correspondence with the enemies of England, he never deserted William at moments of high peril, as he had deserted James II. While he was out of office and command, his most notable activity was some time as the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. The Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba, a former Company outpost, gains its name from this connection.

Related Topics:
Hudson's Bay Company - Canadian - Churchill, Manitoba

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