caption laterwork branch commands death_place birth_place allegiance awards battles rank image article_title
the der werff . duke of marlborough . oil by adriaen van governor of the hudson 's bay company english army british army commander-in-chief of the forces master-general of the ordnance windsor lodge , berkshire , england ashe house , devon , england kingdom of great britain -lrb- 1707 -- 22 -rrb- of england -lrb- 1667 -- 1707 -rrb- kingdom kg , pc '' '' ` nine years ' war '' ' battle of ` walcourt '' ` war of the spanish succession '' ' monmouth battle of schellenberg battle of blenheim battle of elixheim battle rebellion of ramillies battle of oudenarde siege of lille battle of '' malplaquet siege of bouchain ' battle of sedgemoor general 250px 200px john churchill , 1st duke of marlborough

john churchill , 1st duke of marlborough

john churchill , 1st duke of marlborough , prince of mindelheim , kg , pc -lrb- , often ; 26 may 1650 -- 16 june 1722 o.s -rrb- , was an english soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs .
rising from a lowly page at the court of the house of stuart , he served 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 , yet just three years later he abandoned his catholic patron for the protestant dutchman , william of orange .
honoured for his services at william 's coronation with the earldom of marlborough , he served with further distinction in the early years of the nine years ' war , but persistent charges of jacobitism brought about his fall from office and temporary imprisonment in the tower .
it was not until the accession of queen anne in 1702 that marlborough reached the zenith of his powers and secured his fame and fortune .
his marriage to the hot-tempered sarah jennings -- anne 's intimate friend -- ensured marlborough 's rise , first to the captain-generalcy of british forces , then to a dukedom .
becoming `` de facto '' leader of allied forces during the war of the spanish succession , his victories on the fields of blenheim -lrb- 1704 -rrb- , ramillies -lrb- 1706 -rrb- , oudenarde -lrb- 1708 -rrb- , and malplaquet -lrb- 1709 -rrb- , ensured his place in history as one of europe 's great generals .
but 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 , who had brought glory and success to anne 's reign , was forced from office and went into self-imposed exile .
he returned to england and to influence under the house of hanover with the accession of george i to the british throne in 1714 .
marlborough 's insatiable ambition made him the richest of all anne 's subjects .
his family connections wove him into the fabric of european politics -lrb- his sister arabella became james ii 's mistress , and their son , the duke of berwick , emerged as one of louis xiv 's greatest marshals -rrb- .
his leadership of the allied armies consolidated britain 's emergence as a front-rank power .
he successfully maintained unity among the allies , thereby demonstrating his diplomatic skills .
throughout ten consecutive campaigns during the spanish succession war marlborough held together a discordant coalition through his sheer force of personality and raised the standing of british arms to a level not known since the middle ages .
although in the end he could not compel total capitulation from his enemies , his victories allowed britain to rise from a minor to a major power , ensuring the country 's growing prosperity throughout the 18th century .
