Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg
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Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg, 1st Duke of Leinster, KG
(30 June 1641 – 5 July 1719) was a general in the service of Prince William of Orange, later King William III of England
.
, Schomberg joined his father in the service of the Portuguese Army as a Lieutenant-Colonel and then as a Colonel
. He then settled in La Rochelle
with his father and became a French
subject. He attained the rank of Brigadier
and, afterwards, Field Marshal
, during the Franco-Dutch War
in 1678.
He travelled to England
in Spring 1689 and was made Colonel
of a cavalry regiment on 10 April 1690 and commissioned General of the Horse on 19 April 1689.
He commanded the right wing of William's army at the Battle of the Boyne
in 1690 and, leading the crossing at Roughgrange on the Jacobites
' flank, fought to avenge his father
's death, which had taken place earlier that day. He became a British subject in 1691.
He was created a Knight of the Garter
and Duke of Leinster for his part in the Battle. In 1691 he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
during the King's travels in Flanders
. In 1693 he also inherited the title of Duke of Schomberg following the death of his younger brother Charles Schomberg
at the Battle of Marsaglia
.
Then in 1703 Schomberg was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Forces sent to Portugal: his command was not successful and he did not win the support of the Dutch
and Portuguese
Generals. He had Hillingdon House
built in 1717 as a hunting lodge, where he died in 1719.
ese Barbara Luisa Rizzi: the couple did not have any children. On 4 January 1682 Schomberg married Raugräfin Karoline Elisabeth (a daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine
) and together they had four children:
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
(30 June 1641 – 5 July 1719) was a general in the service of Prince William of Orange, later King William III of England
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
.
Military career
Born in CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Schomberg joined his father in the service of the Portuguese Army as a Lieutenant-Colonel and then as a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. He then settled in La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
with his father and became a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
subject. He attained the rank of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
and, afterwards, Field Marshal
Field Marshal (France)
Maréchal de camp was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848.The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general . Sergeant Major General was third in command in an army, after the General and the Lieutenant General. One of his tasks was to dispose the troops on the...
, during the Franco-Dutch War
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by France, Sweden, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the United Netherlands, which were later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance...
in 1678.
He travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in Spring 1689 and was made Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of a cavalry regiment on 10 April 1690 and commissioned General of the Horse on 19 April 1689.
He commanded the right wing of William's army at the Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
in 1690 and, leading the crossing at Roughgrange on the Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
' flank, fought to avenge his father
Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg
Friedrich Hermann , 1st Duke of Schomberg , KG , was a marshal of France and a General in the English and Portuguese Army....
's death, which had taken place earlier that day. He became a British subject in 1691.
He was created a Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
and Duke of Leinster for his part in the Battle. In 1691 he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, or just the Commander-in-Chief , was the professional head of the British Army from 1660 until 1904, when the office was replaced by the Chief of the General Staff, soon to become Chief of the Imperial General Staff . From 1870, the C-in-C was subordinate to...
during the King's travels in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. In 1693 he also inherited the title of Duke of Schomberg following the death of his younger brother Charles Schomberg
Charles Schomberg, 2nd Duke of Schomberg
Charles Schomberg, 2nd Duke of Schomberg was a General in the British Army, the second person to be Duke of Schomberg, a title in the Peerage of England...
at the Battle of Marsaglia
Battle of Marsaglia
The Battle of Marsaglia was a battle in the Nine Years' War, fought in Italy on 4 October 1693 between the French army of Marshal Nicolas Catinat and the Allied army of Duke Victor Amadeus II of Savoy ....
.
Then in 1703 Schomberg was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Forces sent to Portugal: his command was not successful and he did not win the support of the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Generals. He had Hillingdon House
Hillingdon House
Hillingdon House is a Grade II listed mansion in Hillingdon, Greater London. The original house was built in 1717 as a hunting lodge for the Duke of Schomberg. It was destroyed by fire and the present house was built in its place in 1844....
built in 1717 as a hunting lodge, where he died in 1719.
Family
On 3 August 1667, Schomberg married PiedmontPiedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
ese Barbara Luisa Rizzi: the couple did not have any children. On 4 January 1682 Schomberg married Raugräfin Karoline Elisabeth (a daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine
Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine
Charles Louis, , Elector Palatine KG was the second son of Frederick V of the Palatinate, the "Winter King" of Bohemia, and his wife, Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James I of England ....
) and together they had four children:
- Charles Louis Schomberg, Marquess of HarwichCharles Schomberg, Marquess of HarwichCharles Schomberg, Marquess of Harwich was a British soldier.He was the only son of Meinhardt Schomberg and his second wife Raugravine Caroline Elizabeth, daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine and Marie Luise von Degenfeld...
(15 December 1683 – 14 October 1713), died from syphilisSyphilisSyphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
. - Lady Caroline Schomberg (1686 – 18 June 1710)
- Lady Frederica SchombergFrederica Mildmay, Countess FitzWalterFrederica Susanna Schomberg Mildmay, Countess FitzWalter, 3rd Countess of Mértola was a British peeress.Frederica was the eldest surviving daughter of Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg and his second wife, Karoline, a daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine...
(c. 1688–1751), married (1) Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of HoldernessRobert Darcy, 3rd Earl of HoldernessRobert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness, PC was a British peer and politician.Darcy was the second son of John Darcy, Lord Conyers, himself the eldest son of Conyers Darcy, 2nd Earl of Holderness. He was styled Lord Conyers when his father died in 1688 and later inherited his grandfather's earldom...
, (2) Benjamin Mildmay, 1st Earl FitzWalter. - Lady Mary Schomberg (bap. 16 March 1692 – 29 April 1762), married Christoph Martin II, Graf von Degenfeld-Schönberg (1689–1762).