John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough facts for kids

Quick facts for kids General His Grace The Duke of Marlborough KG PC
Portrait by Adriaen van der Werff
First Lord of the Treasury
In office 8 May 1702 – 11 August 1710
Monarch	Anne
Preceded by	The Earl of Carlisle
Succeeded by	The Earl Poulett
Personal details
Born	(1650-05-26)26 May 1650 Ashe House, Devon, England
Died	16 June 1722 (1722-06-17) (aged 72) Windsor Lodge, Berkshire, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
Spouse(s)	Sarah Jennings
Children	7, including: Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland John Churchill, Marquess of Blandford
Parent(s)	Winston Churchill Elizabeth Drake
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Military service
Allegiance	England (1667–1707)  Great Britain (1707–1722)
Branch/service	English army British army
Rank	General
Commands	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces Master-General of the Ordnance
Battles/wars	Monmouth Rebellion Battle of Sedgemoor Nine Years' War Battle of Walcourt War of the Spanish Succession Battle of Schellenberg Battle of Blenheim Battle of Elixheim Battle of Ramillies Battle of Oudenarde Siege of Lille Battle of Malplaquet Siege of Bouchain
Awards	Knight of the Order of the Garter

General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs. From a noble family, he served first as a page at the court of the House of Stuart under James, Duke of York, through the 1670s and early 1680s, earning military and political advancement through his courage and diplomatic skill.

Churchill's role in defeating the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685 helped secure James on the throne, yet just three years later he abandoned his Catholic patron for the Protestant Dutchman, William of Orange. Honoured for his services at William's coronation with the earldom of Marlborough, he served with further distinction in the early years of the Nine Years' War, but persistent charges of Jacobitism brought about his fall from office and temporary imprisonment in the Tower. It was not until the accession of Queen Anne in 1702 that Marlborough reached the peak of his powers and secured his fame and fortune.

His marriage to the hot-tempered Sarah Jennings – Anne's intimate friend – ensured Marlborough's rise, first to the Captain-Generalcy of British forces, then to a Dukedom. Becoming leader of Allied forces during the War of the Spanish Succession, his victories on the fields of Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706), Oudenarde (1708), and Malplaquet (1709), ensured his place in history as one of Europe's great generals.

His wife's stormy relationship with the Queen, and her dismissal from court, was central to his own fall. Incurring Anne's disfavour, and caught between Tory and Whig factions, Marlborough, who had brought glory and success to Anne's reign, was forced from office and went into self-imposed exile. He returned to England and to influence under the House of Hanover with the accession of George I to the British throne in 1714.

John Churchill at the Battle of Oudenaarde July 11, 1708

Marlborough's ambition made him the richest of all Anne's subjects. His family connections wove him into European politics. His leadership of the allied armies consolidated Britain's emergence as a front-rank power. He successfully maintained unity among the allies, thereby demonstrating his diplomatic skills.

Throughout ten consecutive campaigns during the Spanish Succession war, Marlborough held together a conflicting alliance through his sheer force of personality and raised the standing of British arms to a level not known since the Middle Ages. His victories allowed Britain to rise from a minor to a major power, ensuring the country's growing prosperity throughout the 18th century.

As an administrator Marlborough was also without peer; his attention to detail meant his troops rarely went short of supply – when his army arrived at its destination it was intact and in a fit state to fight. This concern for the welfare of the common soldier together with his ability to inspire trust and confidence, and his willingness to share the dangers of battle, often earned him admiration from his men – "The known world could not produce a man of more humanity", observed Corporal Matthew Bishop.

It was this range of abilities that makes Marlborough outstanding. Even his old adversaries recognised the Duke's qualities. His success was made possible because of his enormous reserves of stamina, willpower and self-discipline; his ability to hold together the Alliance against France, made possible by his victories, can hardly be overestimated.

While living at Windsor Lodge he suffered a stroke in June 1722, not long after his 72nd birthday. In the presence of his wife Sarah and two surviving daughters, the 1st Duke of Marlborough died. He was initially buried in the vault at the east end of Henry VII's chapel in Westminster Abbey, but following instructions left by Sarah, who died in 1744, Marlborough was moved to be by her side lying in the vault beneath the chapel at Blenheim.

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Images for kids

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  The Drake home of Ash, in Devon, rebuilt by Sir John Drake, 1st Baronet (1625–1669) after its near-destruction during the Civil War

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  James, Duke of York

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  Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough; attributed to Godfrey Kneller

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  The Marlborough family c. 1694 by John Closterman. On the Duke's left are Elizabeth, Mary, the Duchess, Henrietta, Anne and John.

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  Holywell House, near St Albans, before its demolition in 1837

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  John Churchill (c. 1685–1690) by John Closterman

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  King William III (1650–1702); portrait by Godfrey Kneller

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  Marlborough in his thirties, attributed to John Riley. The Star of the Order of the Garter was added after 1707.

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  Princess Anne 1683 by Willem Wissing. When Mary died childless in 1694 (O.S.), Anne, her sister, became heir apparent.

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  Sidney Godolphin, Lord Treasurer, Chief Minister and fellow Tory friend of Marlborough

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  Europe in 1700; Marlborough fought principally in the Low Countries.

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  Charles II, King of Spain (1665–1700), whose death triggered the war

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  Philip of Anjou proclaimed Philip V of Spain, 16 November 1700

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  John Churchill c. 1702

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  Marlborough writing the Blenheim despatch to Sarah, by Robert Alexander Hillingford. "I have no time to say more but to beg you will give my duty to the Queen, and let her know her army has had a glorious victory."

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  John Churchill, by Godfrey Kneller. This oil sketch shows Marlborough, victor at Blenheim and Ramillies, in triumph.

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  Marlborough at the Battle of Ramillies, 1706

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  Robert Harley by Jonathan Richardson, c. 1710. Harley became Marlborough's nemesis.

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  John Churchill, by Godfrey Kneller; late 17th or early 18th century

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  Marlborough's main battles and sieges in the War of the Spanish Succession. In the decade he held command, 1702–11, Marlborough fought five great battles and besieged and captured over thirty enemy fortresses.

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  Prince Eugene of Savoy by Jacob van Schuppen. Apart from Ramillies, Eugene shared in Marlborough's great battles in the War of the Spanish Succession.

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  Marlborough at the Battle of Oudenaarde, 1708

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  Queen Anne by Michael Dahl

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  Marlborough and John Armstrong his chief engineer, possibly by Enoch Seeman. Depicted discussing the Siege of Bouchain.

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  John Vanbrugh's Blenheim Palace. Begun in 1705, but plagued by financial troubles, this "pile of stones", as the Duchess resentfully called it, was finally completed in 1733.

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  Marlborough by Enoch Seeman. This late portrait shows Marlborough during his retirement possibly 1716/17 after his stroke.

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  Resting place of the Duke and Duchess in the chapel at Blenheim Palace

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  Blenheim Column of Victory on the grounds of the Blenheim estate, Oxfordshire