CHURCHILL

CHURCHILL (John) duke of Marlborough, and prince of the holy Roman empire; a most renowned general and statesman, was born at Ashe in Devonshire in 1650. He was eldest son of Sir Winston Churchill*, who carried him to court while very young, and where he was particularly favoured by James duke of York, afterwards king James II. when only twelve years of age. In 1666, he was made an ensign of the guards during the first Dutch war; and afterwards improved himself greatly in the military art at Tangier. In 1672, Mr Churchill attended the duke of Monmouth who commanded a body of auxiliaries in the French service, and was soon after made a captain in the duke's own regiment. At the siege of Nimeguen, which happened in that campaign, he distinguished himself so much that he was taken notice of by the celebrated marshal Turenne, who bestowed on him the name of the handsome Englishman.—In 1673, he was at the siege of Maastricht, where he gained such applause, that the king of France made him a public acknowledgement of his service; and the duke of Monmouth, who had the direction of the attack, told king Charles II. that he owed his life to Mr Churchill's bravery. In 1681, he married Sarah daughter and co-heiress (with her sister the countess of Tyrconnel) of Richard Jennings Esq; of Sandrich, in Hertfordshire. The duke of York recommended him in a very particular manner to the king; who, in 1682, created him baron of Eymouth in the county of Berwick in Scotland, and made him colonel of the third troop of

guards. A little after king James's accession, he was created baron Churchill of Sandrich in the county of Hertford, and made brigadier-general of his majesty's army in the west; where, when the duke of Monmouth came to surprise the king's army, while the earl of Faversham and the majority of the officers were in their beds, he kept the enemy in play, till the king's forces had formed themselves, and thereby saved the whole army. When James shewed an intention of establishing the catholic religion in Britain, lord Churchill, notwithstanding the great obligations he owed him, thought it his duty to abandon the royal cause; but even then did not leave him without acquainting him by letter with the reason of his so doing.—Lord Churchill was graciously received by the prince of Orange; and was by him employed first to re-assemble the troop of guards at London; and afterwards to reduce some lately raised regiments, and to new-model the army: for which purpose he was invested with the rank and title of lieutenant-general. In 1689, he was sworn one of the privy council, and one of the gentlemen of the king's bed-chamber; and on the 9^th of April following, was raised to the dignity of earl of Marlborough in the county of Wilts. He assisted at the coronation of their majesties; and was soon after made commander in chief of the English forces sent over to Holland; and here he first laid the foundation of that fame which was afterwards spread over all Europe. In 1690, he was made general of the forces sent to Ireland; where he made the strong garrisons of Cork and Kinsale prisoners of war. The year following, king William shewed the good opinion he had of his conduct, by sending him to Flanders to put all things in readiness, and to draw the army together against his arrival. In 1692, he was dismissed from all his employments; and, not long after, was with some other peers committed to the tower on an accusation of high treason; which, however, was afterwards found to be a false and malicious report, the authors of which were punished. Marlborough was soon restored to favour, and in 1698, was appointed governor to the earl of Gloucester; with this extraordinary compliment from king William, "My lord, make him but what you are, and my nephew will be all I wish to see him." The same day he was again sworn one of the privy council; and in July following was declared one of the lords justices of England, for the administration of the government, in which great trust he was three times successively in the king's absence, who in 1701 appointed him general of the foot, commander in chief of the English forces, and ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary at the Hague. Upon the accession of queen Anne to the throne, he was elected into the order of the garter, declared captain-general of all her majesty's forces, and sent ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Holland. After several conferences about a war, he put himself at the head of the army, where all the other generals had orders to obey him. His exploits in the field have been taken notice of under the article BRITAIN, n^o 348—366: we shall therefore only take notice in this place, of the rewards and honours conferred upon him for these exploits. After his first campaign he was created marquis of Blandford and duke of Marlborough,

Churchill. borough, with a pension of £5000 for life, out of the post-office. In 1703, he met Charles III. late emperor going to Spain, who presented him with a sword set with diamonds. In 1704, having forced the enemy's lines at Schellenberg, he received a letter of thanks from the emperor Leopold, written with his own hand, an honour seldom done to any but sovereign princes. After the battle of Blenheim, he received congratulatory letters from most of the potentates in Europe, particularly from the States General, and from the emperor, who desired him to accept of the dignity of a prince of the empire, which with the queen's leave was conferred upon him by the title of "Prince of Mildenheim in the province of Swabia." After the campaign was ended, he visited the court of Prussia, where he laid such schemes as suspended the disputes with the Dutch about king William's estate, which wise conduct caused the whole confederacy to acknowledge that he had done the greatest service possible to the common cause. Upon his return to England, the queen, to perpetuate his memory, granted the interest of the crown in the honour and manor of Woodstock and hundred of Wotton to him and his heirs for ever. In 1705, he made a tour to Vienna, upon an invitation of the emperor Joseph; who highly esteemed him, and made him a grant of the lordship of Mildenheim. After the campaign of 1708, the speaker of the house of commons was sent to Brussels on purpose to compliment him; and on his return to England he was again complimented in the house of lords by lord chancellor Cowper. All his services, however, and all the honours conferred upon him, were not sufficient to preserve him from being disgraced. After the change of the ministry in 1710, his interest daily declined; and in 1712, on the first day of the new year, he was removed from all his places. Finding all arts used to render him obnoxious in his native country, he visited his principality of Mildenheim, and several towns in Germany; after which he returned to England, and arrived there on the day of the queen's death. After being welcomed by the nobility and foreign ministers, he attended on king George I. in his public entry through London, who appointed him captain-general, colonel of the first regiment of foot-guards, one of the commissioners for the government of Chelsea hospital, and master-general of the ordnance. Some years before his death, he retired from public business. He died at Windsor lodge in 1722, aged 72; and was buried with great pomp in king Henry VII.'s chapel in Westminster Abbey.