John Churchill (Duke of Marlborough)
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650 – 1722), was an English general and statesman. In the Glorious Revolution of 1688, though a general of James II, he went over to William of Orange; under Queen Anne he became captain-general and in the War of the Spanish Succession fought the armies of Louis XIV at Blenheim in 1704, Ramillies in 1706, Oudenarde in 1708 and Malplaquet in 1709. He was an ancestor of the British prime minister Winston Churchill and is also known for Blenheim Palace, built in honour of his victories.
| Lived | 1650 – 1722 |
|---|---|
| Active in | England · the Netherlands · Bavaria (Blenheim) · the Spanish Netherlands |
| Known for | The Battle of Blenheim; 1st Duke of Marlborough; ancestor of Winston Churchill |
| Game start | 1688 · age 38 · Lieutenant-general in James II's army (knightly rank) — The Wind at Torbay |
Life at a glance
- 1650 Born on 26 May at Ashe House in Devon, son of the Royalist cavalier Winston Churchill.
- 1678 Marries Sarah Jennings, maid of honour to the Duchess of York and friend of Princess Anne.
- 1685 Plays a leading part in defeating the Duke of Monmouth's rebels at the Battle of Sedgemoor.
- 1688 When William of Orange lands at Torbay in November, he leaves the king's camp at Salisbury and goes over to William.
- 1689 Created Earl of Marlborough under William III. In 1692 he is briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London on suspicion of dealings with the Jacobites.
- 1702 When Queen Anne comes to the throne he becomes captain-general and is raised to Duke of Marlborough.
- 1704 On 13 August, with Prince Eugene of Savoy, he defeats the French and Bavarians at Blenheim. He goes on to fight at Ramillies in 1706, Oudenarde in 1708 and Malplaquet in 1709.
- 1711 After his wife Sarah falls out with Queen Anne and a Tory ministry comes in, he is dismissed from all his posts at the end of the year.
- 1714 When George I comes to the throne he returns as captain-general.
- 1722 Dies at Windsor Lodge on 16 June.
Family
The family members who appear with this character when you start the game. Years follow the historical record; where none survives, a ? is shown.
| Relation | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Father | Sir Winston Churchill | 1620 – 1688 | Royalist cavalier and member of Parliament |
| Mother | Elizabeth Drake | c. 1622 – 1698 | |
| Elder sister | Arabella | 1648 – 1730 | Mistress of the Duke of York (James II); mother of the Duke of Berwick |
| Younger brother | George | 1654 – 1710 | Admiral |
| Younger brother | Charles | 1656 – 1714 | Army general |
| Wife | Sarah Jennings | 1660 – 1744 | Queen Anne's closest friend; Duchess of Marlborough |
| Daughter | Henrietta | 1681 – 1733 | 2nd Duchess of Marlborough in her own right, inheriting her father's title |
| Daughter | Anne | 1684 – 1716 | Married Charles Spencer, Earl of Sunderland; ancestor of the Spencer-Churchills |
| Son | John | 1686 – 1703 | Died of smallpox at Cambridge in 1703 |
| Daughter | Elizabeth | 1687 – 1714 | Married the Earl of Bridgewater |
In the game
You begin in November 1688 in the west of England as a thirty-eight-year-old lieutenant-general in James II's army. The king's son-in-law William of Orange has landed at Torbay, and tonight the Duke of Grafton has horses ready. You have no land, but an army and a name, and your wife Sarah is Princess Anne's closest friend. You have your daughters Henrietta, Anne and Elizabeth and your son John.
The turning point “Glorious Revolution” is judged in the first year, so “The night at Salisbury” comes as soon as you start. Go to William's camp, and real history runs through the back stairs of the Cockpit, the earldom of Marlborough, the letter in the flower pot, the queen's captain-general, Blenheim, Ramillies and Malplaquet, the golden key and dismissal, and August at Dover to Windsor Lodge in 1722; stay with the king so that James II keeps his throne, and another branch runs to the end through a regiment in exile at The Hague and your nephew Berwick.
In 1712 the eve of the next turning point, “Bourbons of two crowns”, also comes as a Churchill scene. Your wife Sarah's friendship with Queen Anne is both a great strength and a weakness of this life, and 1703's “A letter from Cambridge” is about your only son John.
- Scenario guide The Wind at Torbay
- Era guide Age of the Sun King and the Baroque
- Related turning points What if the Glorious Revolution had failed?, What if France and Spain had been united under one Bourbon crown?
Frequently asked questions
How is John Churchill related to Winston Churchill?
He is Winston Churchill's direct ancestor. The descendants of his daughter Anne and Charles Spencer, Earl of Sunderland, later inherited the dukedom of Marlborough and took the surname Spencer-Churchill; Winston Churchill, grandson of the 7th Duke, was born at Blenheim Palace in 1874. Winston also wrote his ancestor's biography, Marlborough: His Life and Times.
What kind of battle was Blenheim?
On 13 August 1704, near Blindheim (Blenheim in English) on the Danube in Bavaria, the allied army of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy inflicted a crushing defeat on the French and Bavarians. The victory removed the threat to Vienna, and Queen Anne gave him the land at Woodstock on which Blenheim Palace was built.
Why did Churchill leave James II in the Glorious Revolution?
He is thought to have opposed James II's Catholic policies as a Protestant, and to have been close to the Protestant Princess Anne through his wife Sarah. Since he owed his rise to the king, his defection was condemned as betrayal even then, and opinions still differ.
Sources
Winston Churchill, Marlborough: His Life and Times; general histories of Britain and of the War of the Spanish Succession.