John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

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John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough : biography

26 May 1650 – 27 June 1722

William landed at Torbay on 5 November 1688 (O.S.); from there, he moved his army to Exeter. James’s forces – once again commanded by Lord Feversham – moved to Salisbury, but few of its senior officers were eager to fight – even Princess Anne wrote to William to wish him "good success in this so just an undertaking."Hibbert: The Marlboroughs, 41. Promoted to Lieutenant-General on 7 November (O.S.) Churchill was still at the King’s side, but his displaying "the greatest transports of joy imaginable" at the desertion of Lord Cornbury led Feversham to call for his arrest. Churchill himself had openly encouraged defection to the Orangist cause, but James continued to hesitate.Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 24. Soon it was too late to act. After the meeting of the council of war on the morning of 24 November (O.S.), Churchill, accompanied by some 400 officers and men, slipped from the royal camp and rode towards William in Axminster, leaving behind him a letter of apology and self-justification: … I hope the great advantage I enjoy under Your Majesty, which I own I would never expect in any other change of government, may reasonably convince Your Majesty and the world that I am actuated by a higher principle ..Churchill: Marlborough: His Life and Times, Bk. 1, 263

When the King saw he could not keep even Churchill – for so long his loyal and intimate servant – he despaired. James II, who in the words of the Archbishop of Rheims, had "given up three kingdoms for a Mass", fled to France, taking with him his son and heir.Holmes: Marlborough: England’s Fragile Genius, 194 With barely a shot fired, William had secured the throne, reigning as joint sovereign with his wife Mary, James II’s eldest daughter.

William’s general

As part of William and Mary’s coronation honours, Churchill was created Earl of Marlborough on 9 April 1689 (O.S.); he was also sworn as a member of the Privy Council and made a Gentleman of the King’s Bedchamber. His elevation, however, led to accusatory rumours from King James’s supporters that Marlborough had disgracefully betrayed his erstwhile king for personal gain; William himself entertained reservations about the man who had deserted James.Hibbert: The Marlboroughs, 46 Marlborough’s apologists though, including his most notable descendant and biographer Winston Churchill, have been at pains to attribute patriotic, religious, and moral motives to his action; but in the words of Chandler, it is difficult to absolve Marlborough of ruthlessness, ingratitude, intrigue and treachery against a man to whom he owed virtually everything in his life and career to date.Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 25

Marlborough’s first official act was to assist in the remodelling of the army – the power of confirming or purging officers and men gave the Earl the opportunity to build a new patronage network which would prove beneficial over the next two decades.Jones: Marlborough, 41 His task was urgent, for less than six months after James II’s departure, England joined the war against France as part of a powerful coalition aimed at curtailing the ambitions of Louis XIV. With his experience it was logical that Marlborough took charge of the 8,000 British troops sent to the Low Countries in the spring of 1689; yet throughout the Nine Years’ War (1688–97) he saw only three years service in the field, and then mostly in subordinate commands. However, at the Battle of Walcourt on 25 August 1689 Marlborough won praise from the Allied commander, Prince Waldeck – " … despite his youth he displayed greater military capacity than do most generals after a long series of wars … He is assuredly one of the most gallant men I know."Hibbert: The Marlboroughs, 48 In recognition of his skill and valour William awarded him the lucrative colonelcy of the 7th Foot (later the Royal Fusiliers).

Since Walcourt, though, Marlborough’s popularity at court had waned.Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 35 William and Mary distrusted both Lord and Lady Marlborough’s influence as confidants and supporters of Princess Anne (whose claim to the throne was stronger than William’s). Sarah had supported Anne in a series of court disputes with the joint monarchs, infuriating Mary who included the Earl in her disfavour of his scheming wife.Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 35. Anne wished to have her own Civil list income granted by Parliament, rather than a grant from the Privy Purse, which meant reliance on William III. In this, and other matters, Sarah supported Anne. Yet for the moment the clash of tempers were over-shadowed by more pressing events in Ireland where James had landed in March 1689 in an attempt to regain his thrones. When William left for Ireland in June 1690 Marlborough became commander of all troops and militia in England, and was appointed a member of the Council of Nine to advise Mary on military matters in the King’s absence; but she made scant effort to disguise her distaste at his appointment – "I can neither trust or esteem him," she wrote to William.