MARLBOROUGH, JOHN CHURCHILL. first Duke of (1650-1722). A celebrated English gen eral. Be was born probably June 24, 1650. at Ashe in the Parish of Slusbury, Devonshire, the second son of Sir Winston Churchill. a politician and historian, and a stanch supporter of the Stuarts. John Churchill w•a.s educated at Saint Paul's School, but early in life entered the army. He saw some service at Tangier against the Moors, and from 1672 to 1677 he bore anus on the Continent against the Netherlands, serving part of the time under the great Tan•enne. A new era in the history of war was then beginning. Artillery and musketry had displaced entirely the old pikeman, and rapidity of movement hence forth decided campaigns. In 1674 Louis MY'. made Churchill a colonel of his regiment. and in 1678 lie was made colonel of foot in the English service. Though there was no question of Church ill's ability, still the rapidity of his promotion was due also to the fact that some time between 1665 and I668 his sister Arabella had become the mistress of the Duke of York. About 1676 Churchill fell in love with Sarah Jennings (q.v.), who was a lady-in-waiting of Princess Anne (later Queen Anne), and noted for her ness and her beauty. Throughout life she was the one person to whom Churchill was faithful: otherwise he was ever ready to betray if it suited his interests. The couple were married oarly in 167S, and thus Churchill gained the favor of Princess Anne, who was under the complete domination of her dictatorial attend ant. In the following years lie was occasion ally employed in diplomatic missions to 'Hol land, hut usually lie was in attendance an the Duke of York. In 1682 lie was erealtd baron. When in 1685 the Duke of York•as• emitted the throne as James IT. Churchill he Came still more prominent. He commanded a body of troops to suppress the rebellion of the Duke of :Nlioninouth (q.v.), and his coolness pre vented a serious disaster to the royal troops at Z*4edgeinoor (q.t.). Churchill was strongl? at tactic(' to the English Church, and his eulogists hate tuatintained that he would not have betrayed it under any circumstances. This may be doubted. but he certainly did not desert the cause of the Church when he noticed the current of public opinion turning litre and more against King James. The result was that he withdrew gratin. ally front participation in the act, of this reign, and, though still affecting loyalty to the King. he began negotiations with \\ illiam of I /range. and when the latter landed in England in 1088, Churchill was one of the first to go over to him with his troop... During the early part of the reign of \\*illitun Ill. he was in high favor; in 1689 was made Earl of Alarlborough, and dis tinguished himself greatly during the invasion of Ireland, hut lost all favor when he was sus pected. and justly so, of preparing to betray Wil liam III. and aid 'James IL to reem•.r the throne, of rvLfdt he hail helped to deprive Nevertheless, On the commencement of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1701 larlborough was intrusted by William 111. with the command of the British army in the Netherlands. On 1\ lareh S, 1702. however. the King died.
\Vith the aecessMn of .\nne began t he' great epoch of Marlborough's life. Through his wife he controlled the Queen. while the son of the
powerful minister Godolphin (9.1%1 had in 1098 married his daughter. Thus he had a fairly free hand to carry out his great military exploits.
though the Dutch and Germans. often en used d i ffietilt ies. The troops of the Entlyror Leo pold I. were commanded by the great Prince Eugene (q.v.). Marlborough. who had been elected also Captain-General of the Dutch forces, took command in 'May. 1702. and in 1)ecember was created Duke of Nlarlhorough. He had un der him about 10.000 English troops, 20.600 Dutch troops, and as many mercenaries. elmietly Germans. lie was opposed by a French army of seventy-five thousand men. The great danger to the Allies was that the French would control the Rhine and thus eompletely isolate tria. in order to prevent this. Nlarlborough. who had been conducting a series of brilliant opera. (ions in the Low Countries, in the simtnunrr of 1704 made a rapid march to ltavaria, and there joined Prince Eugene. His march was not marvelous a perform:Ince ifs has sometimes been claimed. but it enabled the .\Ilies to meet the French on equal at Blenheim (Tv.) on August 13, 1701. The battle was decided when .larlboromth. by a skillful use of his cavalry. broke through the French (valve. and the enemy retired in great eonfusion. In this series of operations. instead of the Old method of detailed operations and sieges. the two great leaders had concentrated all their forces in the important territory, and there by one deeisive victory had won the whole enilipaigli. Not the whole credit of the successes of the Allies is 'lite to Nlarl borough. a full half belonging to Eugene. For this vielory great honors and pecuniary rewards bestowed on \larlhorough. and he uas made a Prince of the Enwire 1.11istria1. (See 1111.FN 11E1A1 HOUSE.) Ile won other important %letorie? during the war, when he compelled the French under 111 the whole ..f Flanders by his victory :It Namillie• 011 Ilay 23, 1706, and, together with Eugene, defeated Vendome at Oudenarde on .1111y II. 1708. By this last %ictory and the capture of Lille time road to Paris Was ot?ened. bat Alarlborgingh had no longer a free hand. Ibis wife had had several quar rels with Anne, and the Queen was ridding her self of the complete ascendency of the Duchess. Alorcover. England was suffering from the bur dens imposed by the long struggle, and the Tories, who II"' were coming into power. on September 11, 1700. .larlborottgli and Eugene won a doubtful victory at Malplaquet, but it was the last great battle of the English general. The same veal. the Duchess was dismissed by .\nne, a Tory assumed otlice. and in 1711 :Marl borough was relieved of his command. Ills enemies aceused him of having embezzled the public money. and for a time he was deprived of Iris offices, though the charge was not pressed. In his last years he was without influenee or friends. being, in spite of his victories, unpopu lar on account of his avarice. Godolphin had died most of the great lords were his ene mies. Upon the accession of George 1. in 1714 he was made Captain-General and master of the ordminee. lint took little part in public af fairs. Ile died .(mine 1(1, 1722, leaving a large fortune.