What brought the duke and
the soldier together?
Answers
The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, took the salute at the Sovereign's Parade at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Duke of Marlborough" and "John Churchill" redirect here. For subsequent dukes, see Duke of Marlborough (title). For others of this name, see John Churchill (disambiguation).
General His Grace
The Duke of Marlborough
KG PC
John Churchill Marlborough porträtterad av Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722).jpg
Portrait by Adriaen van der Werff
Personal details
Born 26 May 1650
Ashe House, Devon, England
Died 16 June 1722 (aged 72)[a]
Windsor Lodge, Berkshire, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
Spouse(s) Sarah Jennings (m. 1677/78)
Children 7, including:
Henrietta
Anne
John
Parents Winston Churchill
Elizabeth Drake
Signature
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, KG, PC (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.[a]), was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs. From a gentry 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, but he was a key player in the military conspiracy that led to James being deposed during the Glorious Revolution. Rewarded by William III with the title Earl of Marlborough, persistent charges of Jacobitism led to his fall from office and temporary imprisonment in the Tower of London. William recognised his abilities by appointing him as his deputy in Southern Netherlands (modern day Belgium) before the War of the Spanish Succession in 1701 but it was not until the accession of Queen Anne in 1702 that he secured his fame and fortune.
Marriage to Sarah Jennings and her relationship with Anne ensured Marlborough's rise, first to the Captain-Generalcy of British forces, then to a dukedom. As de facto leader of Allied forces in the Low Countries, his victories at 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 subsequent dismissal from court, was central to his own fall. Incurring Anne's disfavour, and caught between Tory and Whig factions, Marlborough was forced from office and went into self-imposed exile. He returned to favour with the accession of George I to the British throne in 1714, but a stroke in 1716 ended his active career.
Marlborough's leadership of the Allied armies fighting Louis XIV from 1701 to 1710 consolidated Britain's emergence as a front-rank power, while his ability to maintain unity in the fractious coalition demonstrated his diplomatic skills. He is often remembered by military historians as much for his organisational and logistic skills as tactical abilities. However, he was also instrumental in moving away from the siege warfare that dominated the Nine Years' War, arguing one battle was worth ten sieges.
John Churchill is also the ancestor of the 20th-century British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.