Download Marlborough`s a brave commander. He`ll conduct

JOHN CHURCHILL, 1st DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH.
A POSSIBLE TOPIC FOR CE EVIDENCE 2014.
(The other possible topic being “Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots” two
ladies we have already met)
Marlborough’s a brave commander.
He’ll conduct us into the field;
As bold as Alexander,
He’ll die before he’ll yield.
Sound the trumpet sound, boys,
Let each man stand his ground, boys.
Ne’er let us flinch, nor give back and inch,
And so let his Health go round, boys.
Early Life of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough:
The son of Sir Winston Churchill and his wife Elizabeth, John Churchill was born
at Ashe House in Devon on May 26, 1650. As a Royalist officer in the English
Civil War, John's father was forced to pay fines to the victorious Parliamentary
forces leaving the family nearly destitute. Taken in by his grandmother, Lady
Eleanor Drake, who had backed Parliament in the conflict, John spent his first
ten years in relative poverty in a household rife with political tensions. With the
Restoration of King Charles II in 1660, his father's fortunes improved as he
moved through several civil service posts.
Educated at the Dublin Free School and later St. Paul's School in London, John
was appointed to be a page to James, Duke of York in 1665. A noted military
leader, James exposed Churchill to army and navy matters developing a passion
in his young aide. Pursuing this interest, he obtained a commission as an ensign in
the King's Own Company, 1st Guards on September 14, 1667. Posted to Tangier
for three years, he returned to England in 1671. Reunited with James, he served
aboard the duke's flagship at the Battle of Solebay the following year.
A Rapid Rise:
Performing heroically, Churchill was promoted to captain in the Lord High
Admiral's Regiment (the ancestor regiment of the modern Royal Marines).
Continuing to fight the Dutch, Churchill was present at the siege of Maastricht.
Taking part in desperate assault on the fortress, he was again commended for
his actions and rescued the Duke of Monmouth during the fighting. In April
1674, he was appointed as a Colonel (Commanding Officer) of an English
regiment in French service. Serving under Marshal Vicomte de Turenne,
Churchill developed his skills as a commander and earned the "esteem and
confidence" of the French leader.
Politics & Intrigue:
Returning home in 1675, Churchill married Sarah Jennings, one of the Duchess
of York's Maids of Honor, during the winter of 1677/8. Following a diplomatic
mission to The Hague in which he distinguished himself, he was compelled to
follow James to Scotland as the Catholic Duke was arguing with those who
wished to prevent his eventual ascension to the throne.
In 1682, Charles II succeeded in having his brother James, Duke of York
recognised as the heir to the throne and James returned to London. For his
loyalty, Churchill was created Baron of Eyemouth in the Scottish peerage and
made Colonel of the King's Own Royal Regiment of Dragoons.
In July 1683, Churchill was dispatched to escort Prince George of Denmark to
England for his marriage to Princess Anne. Close friends, Anne immediately
appointed Sarah as one of her Ladies of the Bedchamber, increasing the
Churchill's influence at court. With this new association, they began to drift
away from James. With the ascension of James to the throne in 1685, Churchill
was called upon to aid in putting down a rebellion led by the Duke of Monmouth.
Churchill was promoted to Major General just before the battle and now as
second-in-command to the Earl of Feversham, Churchill organised and
effectively led the troops that defeated Monmouth at Sedgemoor on July 6.
After the Battle of Sedgemore, Churchill remained at court but he distanced
himself from James' increasingly Catholic regime. With the invasion of William
of Orange and his wife Mary (James' daughter) in November 1688, Churchill
was promoted to Lieutenant General and rode out with the king. On November
23rd, Churchill changed sides and also encouraged other officers of the army to
support William of Orange. Crushed that he had lost the support of one of his
most trusted servants, James fled to France and William and Mary took the
throne.
Conflicts with William:
In April 1689, William created Churchill as Earl of Marlborough. This led many
to wonder if this was why Churchill had changed sides. Was he promised this
new title in return for his support? However, William remained wary of
Marlborough as he had deserted his greatest patron in his hour of need.
As the Nine Year's War (1688-1697) raged, Marlborough only saw three years
of active duty despite being one of England's best young commanders. During
this time he played a key role in the victory at Walcourt and also captured Cork
and Kinsale in Ireland.
Angered by William's withholding of honors and the King’s preference for
foreign commanders, Marlborough began to quietly spread dissatisfaction
through the army. Marlborough's position was weakened as he had kept in
correspondence with King James in exile in France. Tired of Marlborough's
intrigues, Mary demanded that Anne dismiss Sarah from her retinue. Anne
refused and on January 20, 1692, Marlborough was stripped of his ranks and
positions.
Captain-General:
Following several fraudulent plots that implicated Marlborough against the king
and resulted in a brief imprisonment in the Tower of London, he began to slowly
rebuild a positive relationship with King William.
Finally recalled in 1698, he was named governor to Anne's oldest son and his
military ranks restored. With the outbreak of the War of the Spanish
Succession in 1701, an ailing William dispatched Marlborough to The Hague to
negotiate the Treaty of the Second Grand Alliance against France. With Anne's
rise to the throne in March 1702, Marlborough was knighted, named CaptainGeneral of the Armies, and Master-General of the Ordnance.
Marlborough traveled to the Continent to take command of the Allied troops.
Capturing several towns in the Spanish Netherlands during 1702, including Liège,
Marlborough was raised to Duke by Anne. Frustrated by his allies and with a
delicate political situation at home, Marlborough was unable to bring the French
to battle in 1703. The following year, he was able to break loose and inflicted a
severe defeat on the French at Blenheim. In the wake of the victory, Anne gave
Marlborough the royal manor of Woodstock. His allies also made him a Prince of
the Holy Roman Empire. Again hampered by his allies in 1705, Marlborough was
able to move forward the following year and decisively defeated the Duc de
Villeroi at Ramillies on May 23rd.
Despite the victories, the failure to defeat France in 1707, led the
Marlboroughs influence with Queen Anne began to decline. The government
became reluctant to continue the costly war and Queen Anne became more
distant from her former friends.
Returning to the army, Marlborough conducted a successful campaign in 1708,
which included a victory at the Battle of Oudenarde. While fighting continued in
1709, the political situation in London had reached a crisis with those that
wished to end the war effectively taking power. Winning at Malplaquet in
September, he was criticised for the casualties sustained.
After leading his final campaign in 1711, his wife Sarah's relationship with
Queen Anne completely collapsed and he was recalled back to England at the end
of the year. Marlborough’s enemies accused him of embezzlement and after a
legal battle to clear his name the Marlboroughs departed for the Continent.
Returning in August 1714, they learned that Anne had died the day before their
arrival. Rushing to London, they were warmly welcomed by the new king, George
I. Restored to his position as Captain-General, Marlborough became an
influential figure at court.
In declining health, he suffered several strokes in 1716. Largely recovering, he
supervised the construction of Blenheim Palace at Woodstock. Shortly after his
seventy-second birthday, Marlborough suffered another stroke and died on
June 16, 1722.
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.
King James II.
King William III.
Queen Anne.
The Battle of Blenheim occurred during the War of Spanish Succession. It
was a key battle where a victory by the Grand Alliance of England, Austria, the
Dutch Republic, Portugal, Spain and the Duchy of Savoy, prevented the French
and Bavarian Army from capturing Vienna. Has Vienna fallen to the French then
Austria would have been knocked out of the war..
The Basics of the Battle
The Battle of Blenheim was fought by the Grand Alliance members England and
Austria, led by John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of
Savoy, and the allies of France and Bavaria, led by Duc de Tallard and Ferdinand
de Marsin. England and Austria went into battle with 52,000 soldiers and 60
guns. France and Bavaria went in with a slight advantage of 56,000 soldiers and
90 guns.
The battle was fought on 13 August 1704. The battle took place on the banks of
the river Danube near the Bavarian village of Blenheim, hence the battle's name.
The battle was all for the sake of getting control over the city of Vienna, so
that Austria would no longer be able to participate in the War of Spanish
Succession. It was a pivotal move initiated by French King Louis XIV and could
have changed the whole outcome of the war if France and Bavaria had been
successful.
The Battle
The Duke of Marlborough planned to keep the French and Bavarian armies from
reaching Vienna by launching an attack on the Danube. He moved his army in only
five weeks to get in the best position between the enemy and the city he sought
to protect.
The French and Bavarian armies lined the river banks and had secured the
village of Blenheim. Marlborough ordered an attack on the village, which was
unsuccessful in actually getting control over the village, but played an important
role in the battle, possibly even being the turning point where the English and
Austrian armies got the upper hand. These attacks unnerved the commander of
the French army and caused him to make a premature move.
He sent his troops into the village without the reserve forces. He was greatly
outnumbered. Marlborough realised the mistake and immediately took action and
ordered an attack. He was able to contain the French troops in the village where
they could not continue on with the battle.
At the same time the remaining troops of the English and Austrian armies were
fighting against a strong Bavarian army. They were losing, but Marlborough
continued his attack on the French and was able to finally get the French and
Bavarians to retreat.
The Results
The British and Austrian armies suffered 4,542 troops killed and 7,942
wounded so. France and Bavaria had 20,000 troops either killed or wounded. A
further 14,190 French and Bavarian soldiers were captured. The most important
aspect of this battle was that it kept Vienna secure, while also making it clear
that King Louis XIV did not have armies that were indestructible, as was so
widely believed. The battle was important in the war and was a direct reason for
the Grand Alliance's victory in the War of Spanish Succession.
British infantry make an assault upon the village of Blenheim.
Jack Frenchman’s Lamentation
Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)
In the Dutch accounts of the battle of Oudenarde it is said that the
Dukes of Burgundy and Berry, with the Chevalier de St. George, viewed
the action at a distance from the top of a steeple, and fled, when the
fate of the day turned against the French. Vendome commanded the
French upon that occasion.
YE Commons and Peers,
Pray lend me your ears,
I ’ll sing you a song (if I can),
How Lewis le Grand
Was put to a stand
By the arms of our gracious Queen Anne.
How his army so great
Had a total defeat,
And close by the river Dender;
Where his grandchildren twain,
For fear of being slain,
Galloped off with the Popish Pretender.
To a steeple on high,
The battle to spy,
Up mounted these clever young men;
But when from the spire,
They saw so much fire,
Most cleverly came down again.
Then on horseback they got
All on the same spot,
By advice of their cousin Vendome,
O Lord! cried out he,
Unto young Burgundy,
Would your brother and you were at home!
While this he did say,
Without more delay,
Away the young gentry fled;
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Whose heels for that work
Were much lighter than cork,
Though their hearts were as heavy as lead.
Not so did behave
Young Hanover brave,
In this bloody field I assure ye;
When his war-horse was shot
He valued it not,
But fought it on foot like a fury.
Full firmly he stood,
As became his high blood,
Which runs in his veins so blue;
For this gallant young man,
Being akin to Queen Anne,
Did as (were she a man) she would do.
What a racket was here
(I think ’t was last year),
For a little misfortune in Spain!
For by letting ’em win,
We have drawn the puts in,
To lose all they ’re worth this campaign.
Though Bruges and Ghent
To Monsieur we lent,
With interest they shall repay ’em;
While Paris may sing,
With her sorrowful king,
Nunc dimittis instead of Te Deum.
From this dream of success
They ’ll awaken, we guess,
At the sound of great Marlborough’s drums;
They may think, if they will,
Of Almanza still,
But ’t is Blenheim wherever he comes.
O Lewis perplexed,
What general next!
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Thou hast hitherto changed in vain;
He has beat ’em all round,
If no new one ’s found,
He shall beat ’em over again.
We ’ll let Tallard out
If he ’ll take t’ other bout;
And much he ’s improved, let me tell ye,
With Nottingham ale
At every meal,
And good beef and pudding in belly.
But as losers at play
Their dice throw away,
While the winners do still win on;
Let who will command,
Thou hadst better disband,
For, old Bully, thy doctors are gone.
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