John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

**John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough** <small>KG PC</small> (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722) was an important English soldier and statesman who lived in the rules of five monarchs in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Rising from a lowly page at the court of the House of Stuart, he faithfully served James, Duke of York in the 1670s and the early 1680s. That gave him military and political advancement through his brave and clever skill. Churchill helped secure the Duke of York, now King James II, on the throne.

However, just three years later he left the Catholic king for a Protestant Dutchman, William of Orange. For Churchill's help during  in the Glorious Revolution, William at his coronation made him Earl of Marlborough (pronounced /'mɔ:l b<sup>_ə_</sup>ɹə/).

Marlborough served during the early years of the Nine Years' War and became famous. However, charges of Jacobitism made him fall from office. For some time, he was imprisoned in the Tower. When Queen Anne came to throne in 1702, however, Marlborough secured his fame and lots of money.

His marriage to the irritable Sarah Jennings, Anne's close friend, helped Marlborough's rise. Marlborough first became the Captain-Generalcy of British forces and then  became a duke. Later, he became the richest of Anne's subjects. In the end, he could not completely crush his enemies, but his victories allowed Britain to rise to very great power. Through him, Great Britain became richer and richer in the 18th century.

## Titles

|Title|Years|Followed by|
| --- | --- | --- |
|Duke of Marlborough|1702–1722|Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough|
|Earl of Marlborough|1689–1722||
|Baron Churchill of Sandridge|1685–1722||
|Lord Churchill of Eyemouth|1682–1722|extinct|
|Prince of Mindelheim|1705–1714|Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria|

## Titles and styles

- **26 May 1650 - 21 December 1682**: John Churchill, Esq.
- **21 December 1682 – 14 May 1685**: _The Right Honourable_ The Lord Churchill of Eyemouth
- **14 May 1685 – 9 April 1689**: _The Right Honourable_ The Lord Churchill of Sandridge and Eyemouth
- **9 April 1689 – December 1702**: _The Right Honourable_ The Earl of Marlborough
- **December 1702 – 16 June 1722**: _His Grace_ The Duke of Marlborough
    - _in the Holy Roman Empire_: **18 November 1705 – ??? 1714**: _His Serene Highness_ The Prince of Mindelheim
    - _in the Holy Roman Empire_: **??? 1714 – 16 June 1722**: _His Serene Highness_ The Prince of Mellenburg

## References

- Barnett, Correlli (1999). _Marlborough_. Wordsworth Editions Limited.
- Chandler, David G (1998). _A Guide to the Battlefields of Europe._ Wordsworth Editions Limited.
- Chandler, David G (2003). _Marlborough as Military Commander._ Spellmount Ltd.
- Chesterton, G. K. (2008). _A Short History of England_. BiblioBazaar.
- Churchill, Winston (2002). _A History of the English-Speaking Peoples: Age of Revolution_. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
- Churchill, Winston (2002). _Marlborough: His Life and Times, Bk. 1, vols. i & ii_. University of Chicago Press.
- Churchill, Winston (2002). _Marlborough: His Life and Times, Bk. 2, vols. iii & iv_. University of Chicago Press.
- Coxe, William (1847). _Memoirs of the Duke of Marlborough: 6 volumes._ London
- Field, Ophelia (2002). _The Favourite: Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough._ Hodder and Stoughton.
- Gregg, Edward (2001). _Queen Anne_. Yale University Press.
- Hamilton, Elizabeth (1968). _The Backstairs Dragon: The Life of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford_. Hamish Hamilton
- Hibbert, Christopher (2001). _The Marlboroughs_. Penguin Books Ltd.
- Holmes, Richard (2008). _Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius_. HarperCollins.
- Jones, J. R (1993). _Marlborough_. Cambridge University Press.
- Lynn, John A (1999). _The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714_. Longman.
- Macaulay, Thomas (1968). _The History of England (abridged)_. Penguin Books.
- McKay, Derek (1977). _Prince Eugene of Savoy._ Thames and Hudson Ltd.
- Miller, John. _James II_ (2000). Yale University Press.
- Tincey, John, (2005). _Sedgemoor 1685: Marlborough's First Victory._ Leo Cooper Ltd.
- Trevelyan, G. M (1930–34). _England Under Queen Anne: 3 volumes._ Longmans, Green and co.

## Infobox (military person)

- **name**: John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
- **birth date**: 26 May 1650
- **birth place**: Ashe House, Devon
- **death date**: 16 June 1722 (aged 72)
- **death place**: Windsor Lodge
- **image**: John Churchill Marlborough porträtterad av Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722).jpg
- **alt**: John Churchill
- **signature**: John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough Signature.svg
- **branch**: British army
- **caption**: The Duke of Marlborough. Oil by Adriaen van der Werff.
- **allegiance**: (1667–1707)
 (1707–1722)
- **awards**: Order of the Garter