| Notes |
- In 1666, Sir Winston Churchill I, John's father, secured him a position at
Court as a page to the Duke of York, who later became King James II. John
became the most famous of Sir Winston's sons and the most outstanding
Englishman of his age. Although Sir Winston Churchill I did not live to
see his son John become the first Duke of Marlborough, he did live to see
him aspire to the rank of Captain of Horse, like himself, at the age of 22
in 1672. He also saw John become the Colonel of the Dragoons at the age
of 24 in 1674. Sir Winston also witnessed John's marriage to Sarah
Jennings, and when John was only 35 years old in 1685, his father saw him
become a Baron. In June of 1685, the exiled Duke of Monmouth issued a
proclamation charging that James II murdered his brother King Charles II,
and further that he, the Duke of Monmouth, was the rightful heir to the
throne. The Duke of Monmouth was the illegitimate son of Charles II and
Lucy Walters. The Duke then summoned 1,500 men to his side and marched on
Bristol. James II then promoted Baron John Churchill of Sandridge to the
rank of Brigadier-General to put down this rebellion. During the next
four days John marched 120 miles, and on June 18 was at Axminster. On
June 19 he was at Chard, less than eight miles from "Ashe House," where he
had spent his youth. Again, as during the Civil War, the home counties of
the Churchills, Dorset, Devon, and Somerset, were in the hands of a
rebellious faction. On July 6, 1685 at the Battle of Sedgmoor, the rebels
were overpowered. The Duke of Monmouth had met with defeat and was
executed, while John met with his first military success and was promoted
to Major-General. This had to have been Sir Winston Churchill I's finest
hour. He had come full circle in his life from his early days of
frustration and defeat in the Civil War to this crowning moment Winston
had always been so loyal to. If Sir Winston had lived just four more
years, he would have seen John becom an Earl. John Churchill went on to
become the most important military man in Europe prior to Napoleon. He
commanded the armies of Europe against France in 10 highly successful
military campaigns. It must further be stated that he never lost a battle
in which he fought, and he held together with diplomacy as well as with
might, the Grand Alliance, a union of nearly 20 unified states of
governments. For six years John was the Commander-in-chief of the allies
of Europe, and thus was practically the supreme master of all England as
well. His genius on and off the field could not be underestimated. For
four years the Grand Alliance--England, the Dutch, Portugal, several
German states, and later Eugene of Savoy--enjoyed almost unparalled
success. They managed to drive the French out of Germany in John's most
outstanding military victory--The Battle of Blenheim in 1704.
from The Software Toolworks Multimedia Encyclopedia:
John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough, b. May 26, 1650, d. June 16,
1722, was an English statesman and one of history's outstanding generals.
The son of a country squire, he became page to the duke of York, who later
(1685) became JAMES II. Churchill entered the army in 1667; he first
distinguished himself by helping defeat (1685) the rebellion of the duke
of MONMOUTH. James raised him to the peerage and promoted him to
lieutenant general. Churchill soon shifted his allegiance, however, to
William of Orange, who deposed James (1688; see GLORIOUS REVOLUTION) and
ruled as WILLIAM III. Churchill campaigned for William during the war
against France (see GRAND ALLIANCE, WAR OF THE) in Flanders and Ireland.
The king made Churchill earl of Marlborough, but Marlborough lost royal
favor when it became known that he was in secret correspondence with the
deposed James II. Nevertheless in 1701, aware of Marlborough's military
and diplomatic skills, William sent him to The Hague to conclude an
alliance against France. Marlborough married Sarah Jennings in 1677 or
1678. She was a favorite of ANNE, the younger daughter of James II. When
Anne became queen in 1702, she appointed Marlborough commander in chief
and first minister. During the long war against France (see SPANISH
SUCCESSION, WAR OF THE), he won victories at Blenheim (1704), Ramillies
(1706), Oudenarde (1708), and Malplaquet (1709). Anne raised him to a
duke and had BLENHEIM PALACE in Oxfordshire built for him. Gradually,
however, Sarah's relationship with the queen worsened, and in 1711,
Marlborough was ousted from all his offices. He was charged with
financial fraud and went into exile the following year. He returned to
England in 1714, when GEORGE I came to the throne. Although George
restored Marlborough to his generalship, the duke remained relatively
inactive for the rest of his life. Marlborough was excessively ambitious
and avaricious and not particularly loyal. Despite his personal
shortcomings, however, he is acknowledged as a master military strategist
and as one of the great figures in British history. His memoirs were
edited by William Coxe (3 vols., 1818-19).
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1650 - 1722 (72 years)
