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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Duke of Marlborough
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(John Churchill, 1650–1722, baron 1682, duke 1702)
Soldier and politician who dominated the early years of the War of the *Spanish Succession. His first advancement was typical of the *Restoration court; his sister was the mistress of the king's brother (the future *James II), and Churchill himself became the lover of one of *Charles II's most influential mistresses, Lady Castlemaine. An even more important thread of intrigue began with his marriage early in 1678 to Sarah Jennings (1660–1744), the favourite of the future Queen *Anne.
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It was in Anne's reign that his period of greatest influence began. A successful military campaign in Germany in 1702 brought him his dukedom, and after his great victory at *Blenheim the queen granted him an estate at Woodstock and secured £100,000 of public money for him to build on it *Blenheim Palace. His subsequent victories (Ramillies 1706, Oudenarde 1708, Malplaquet 1709) were all in the region to the north of France.
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The high cost in lives at Malplaquet proved that a military advance on Paris, long favoured by Marlborough, was not an acceptable option; this undermined his position in London, as did the queen's rejection of Sarah as her favourite. In 1710 there was a change of ministry to the Tories, who were in favour of peace negotiations. In 1711 Marlborough was dismissed from all his offices. He was reappointed after the *Hanoverian succession in 1714, but ill health made him ineffective in his final years.
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