John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722), English general, considered one of the greatest military commanders in history.

Churchill was born in Musbury on May 26, 1650. From 1672 to 1673 he served with distinction under his patron, the duke of York, later James II, king of England, who commanded the English troops sent to assist France in a war against the Netherlands. In 1682 Churchill, then a colonel, was raised to the peerage. During the rebellion of 1685, which was led by James Scott, duke of Monmouth, Churchill was second in command of the forces of James II and was made a major general. Later, fearing that James intended to make Roman Catholicism the state religion of England, Churchill joined the conspiracy to replace James with the Dutch prince William of Orange. When William landed in England in 1688, Churchill was promoted to lieutenant general by James and sent to fight William, but instead he deserted to the latter. William was crowned king as William III, and in 1689 he made Churchill a privy councillor and earl of Marlborough.

In 1692 and again in 1696 Marlborough was charged with treason because he corresponded with James, who was then living in exile in France; Marlborough was not imprisoned, but he lost favor at the royal court. When James's daughter, Anne, succeeded as queen of England in 1702, Marlborough regained his position at court. That same year, during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), he was commander in chief of the armies of England and the Netherlands, and he was created 1st duke of Marlborough as a reward for his brilliant victories over the French. Marlborough's greatest triumphs were in the battles of Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706), and Oudenaarde (1708).

In 1711 Marlborough was falsely accused of embezzling public funds, removed as commander in chief, and stripped of the public offices that he had been given in gratitude for his military exploits. He lived abroad in self-imposed exile from 1712 to 1714. After the accession of George I as king of Great Britain and Ireland, Marlborough returned to England in 1714, and his military rank was restored to him. He died June 16, 1722, at Windsor.