The letters and dispatches of John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough, from 1702-1712
(The letters and dispatches of John Churchill, First Duke ...)
The letters and dispatches of John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough, from 1702-1712 by John Churchill. This book is a reproduction of the original book published in 1845 and may have some imperfections such as marks or hand-written notes.
The Letters and Dispatches of John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, from 1702 to 1712. Edited by General the Right Hon. Sir George Murray. With a portrait.: III
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Mark Twain once famously said "there was but one solitary thing about the past worth remembering, and that was the fact that it is past and can't be restored." Well, over recent years, The British Library, working with Microsoft has embarked on an ambitious programme to digitise its collection of 19th century books.
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(Please note that the content of this book primarily consi...)
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Monmouth Rebellion, Glorious Revolution, Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, House of Stuart, James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, Royal Navy, The King's Hospital, Battle of Solebay, History of the Royal Marines, Master-General of the Ordnance, Battle of Ramillies, Prince Eugene of Savoy.
The Letters and Dispatches of John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough, Vol. 4: From 1702 to 1712 (Classic Reprint)
(Excerpt from The Letters and Dispatches of John Churchill...)
Excerpt from The Letters and Dispatches of John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough, Vol. 4: From 1702 to 1712
Movement of the French to ninove-loss of Ghent The Palatinate - Pensions to Swedish Ministers - Loss.
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The Letters and Dispatches of John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough, From 1702 to 1712, Vol. 2 (Classic Reprint)
(Excerpt from The Letters and Dispatches of John Churchill...)
Excerpt from The Letters and Dispatches of John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough, From 1702 to 1712, Vol. 2
Want of Engineers by the Board of Ordnance - Causes of the March to the Meuse - Consequent Arrangements Vexation at quitting his Position - Expresses from the States - Communications to the Dutch Generals - Opera tions against saar-louis - Securi ty of Treves - Advance with the Cavalry 105 - 121.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Correspondance Diplomatique Et Militaire Du Duc De Marlborough, Du Grand-Pensionnaire Heinsius Et ... J. Hop; Enrichie De Plusieurs Lettres Du Comte ... Publ. Par G.G. Vreede (French Edition)
(This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)
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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.
Background
John Churchill was born about June 1, 1650, at Ashe in Devonshire. The son of an obscure squire, through his ability as soldier and diplomat Marlborough rose to the highest rank in the army and in the peerage, was given the palace of Blenheim by a grateful nation, and founded a distinguished family represented in the 20th century by Sir Winston Churchill.
The Revolution of 1688 saw Marlborough desert James II at a critical point, and his wife helped persuade Anne to desert the King, her father. Thus in 1665, John's sister Arabella became Maid of Honour to Anne Hyde, the Duchess of York. Some months later John, 15, joined her at court serving as page to Anne's husband, James, Duke of York, the King's brother, destined to be king himself.
Education
John Churchill was educated at St. Paul's School in London, and as early as 1667 had a position with the Duke of York and a commission in the guards.
Career
Though the Duke of Marlborough was active during three earlier reigns, it was under Queen Anne that he became famous. In the century-long (1689 - 1783) struggle with France, no war was longer or bloodier than that of the Spanish Succession (1702 - 1713), and Marlborough's role in that war was decisive.
The son of an obscure squire, through his ability as soldier and diplomat Marlborough rose to the highest rank in the army and in the peerage, was given the palace of Blenheim by a grateful nation, and founded a distinguished family represented in the 20th century by Sir Winston Churchill.
When the Duke of York became king, Churchill continued to enjoy his favor. He became Baron Churchill in 1685 and held military commands but took no active part in politics beyond consolidating his position with Princess Anne.
The Revolution of 1688 saw Marlborough desert James II at a critical point, and his wife helped persuade Anne to desert the King, her father. Churchill's assistance to the new king was rewarded. William III made him Earl of Marlborough and gave him commands in Ireland and on the Continent. A rift soon developed between the King and his sister-in-law Anne, and the Churchills were involved. When Marlborough was discovered writing to the exiled James, he was dismissed from his posts on suspicion of treason.
Only in 1701, with war against France (over dividing up the Spanish Empire) about to break out, did William relent, appointing Marlborough commander in chief. Marlborough was then in his fiftysecond year; had he died at this point, his name would be practically unknown. With William III's death (1702) Anne became queen, and she put Marlborough in charge of military and diplomatic affairs, with his friend Sidney Godolphin in charge of finances and Robert Harley manager of the Commons. It was this three-man team which successfully carried on the first 6 years of the war.
These were also the years of Marlborough's great victories. Campaigns in 1702 and 1703 were uneventful largely because Marlborough was engaged in strenuous efforts to keep together the Grand Alliance against Louis XIV of France.
Military Victories In the third year of the War of the Spanish Succession, Marlborough learned of the French plan to send an army through Germany to attack the Austrian capital, Vienna.
Fearing that the cautious Dutch would recall their troops if they suspected his true design, Marlborough feinted an attack at France and then marched his troops clear across central Europe to the upper Danube. At Blenheim (near Augsburg) a decisive engagement took place on August 15, 1704. The French forces were about equal to the Allied army under Marlborough-roughly 50, 000. A cavalry charge across marshy land against the French center turned the tide.
The cavalry broke through, and the enemy forces were disorganized and, by the end of the day, completely routed. Marlborough had saved Vienna and had kept the empire in the war. At a single stroke he had also raised the prestige of British arms higher than at any time since Agincourt (1415). A hero and high in favor with the Queen, Marlborough was given a dukedom.
Anne presented him with the royal manor of Woodstock and ordered a palace built for him there, named Blenheim after his victory. No succeeding triumph was as splendid as Blenheim. At Ramillies (1706), Oudenaarde (1708), and Malplaquet (1709) the duke was successful, but each of these battles was costlier and less decisive than the one before.
By 1709 France was ready to negotiate a peace, and the English people were becoming tired of the war. The breakdown of negotiations between France and England weakened Marlborough's position at home. In preaching favor to the Whigs, Lady Marlborough acted more as political tutor to Anne than as friend, and gradually the duchess lost the Queen's affection.
With Anne's support Harley tried to take over the government. He failed in 1708 and was driven into opposition. Two years later he was able to realize his ambition. Anne dismissed Godolphin in August 1710 and made Harley lord treasurer. Marlborough did not lose his post of commander in chief until late December 1711.
Meanwhile, the new government negotiated a secret peace with France behind his back and accused him of corruption. The charges were dropped, but the duke was glad to see the last of the Harley administration on the death of Queen Anne. Marlborough was active in welcoming her German successor, George I, in 1714. He was given back his military offices; but by 1716, already broken in health, he suffered a paralytic stroke from which he never recovered.
He died of a second stroke on June 16, 1722.
Achievements
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 zenith of his powers and secured his fame and fortune.
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 discordant coalition through his sheer force of personality and raised the standing of British arms to a level not known since the Middle Ages. Although in the end he could not compel total capitulation from his enemies, his victories allowed Britain to rise from a minor to a major power, ensuring the country's growing prosperity throughout the 18th century.
Strikingly handsome and charming, Churchill was also ambitious and acquisitive.
Quotes from others about the person
Historian John H. Lavalle argues that:
"Marlborough's place as one of the finest soldiers Britain ever produced is well deserved. He possessed the personal courage, imagination, common sense, self-control, and quick wits that mark the best battlefield commanders. He had an unerring ability to sense an enemies weaknesses and the ability to use stratagems to throw his enemy off balance. .. . It was in the realm of strategy, however, where Marlborough really shone. As commander-in-chief of a coalition army, he had the ability to tolerate politicians, allies, and fools gladly. He also saw the potential of the recently introduced combination of flintlock and socket bayonet to restore the offensive. .. to warfare in an age when extensive fortifications, magazines, and the defensive dominated military thinking. Marlborough's attention to logistics allowed him to break free of the bonds of the magazine system and ensured that his soldiers were fed, clothed, and paid, earning him the loyalty of his troops and the nickname "Corporal John". "
Marlborough was equally adept at both battle and siege. Robert Parker writes:
"in the ten campaigns he made against [the French]; during all which time it cannot be said that he ever slipped an opportunity of fighting, when there was any probability of coming at his enemy: and upon all occasions he concerted matters with so much judgement and forecast, that he never fought a battle which he did not gain, nor laid siege to a town which he did not take. "
Connections
He might have married for wealth and position, but he married for love, choosing the beautiful and imperious Sarah Jennings, already (1678) a favorite with Princess Anne.
