John Churchill, Marquess of Blandford was the heir apparent to the Dukedom of Marlborough – as the only surviving son of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, an accomplished general, and Sarah Jennings, a close friend of Queen Anne.
Background
Blandford died childless in 1703, and upon his father"s death in 1722, the dukedom passed to his eldest sister, Lady Henrietta Godolphin (née Churchill). John Churchill was born on 13 February 1686, to John Churchill, already an accomplished military man under the service of the future James II of England, and Sarah Jennings, the youngest daughter of politician Richard Jennings. While Churchill was a Protestant, Jennings was born into a Catholic home.
Education
In 1696, 10-year-old Churchill was sent to, where he remained and studied until 1700, his fourteenth year. lieutenant was Blandford"s personal wish to follow a military career as his father did, and join the latter"s regiment, but his mother was concerned at the risks and wanted to ensure the dukedom could be passed through the male line. He was sent to King"s College, Cambridge in 1700.
Blandford was especially close to his godfather the Earl of Godolphin, whom he often visited, travelling from Cambridge to Newmarket.
Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury, described Blandford as "the finest young man that could be seen.".
Career
The Countess of Marlborough had only given birth to one other son, Charles (1690–1692), and by 1702, the younger Churchill was the couple"s only surviving son. After his father"s creation, the younger Churchill, as heir apparent to the Dukedom of Marlborough, was awarded the title Marquess of Blandford. Education In early 1703, seventeen-year-old Blandford contracted smallpox, then a deadly disease.
The Duchess rushed to her son"s bedside, while Queen Anne dispatched her own personal doctors to attend Blandford.