James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick
| James FitzJames | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Berwick | |
 |
|
| Spouse(s) |
Honora de Burgh Anne Bulkeley |
|
Issue
James Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick
Henry James Fitzjames, 2nd Duke of Fitzjames Henriette de Fitzjames François Fitz-James, 3rd Duke of Fitzjames Henry Fitzjames Charles de Fitzjames, 4th Duke of Fitzjames Laure Anne de Fitzjames Marie Emilie de Fitzjames Edouard de Fitzjames Anne Sophie de Fitzjames Anne de Fitzjames |
|
| Noble family | FitzJames |
| Father | James II of England |
| Mother | Arabella Churchill |
| Born | 21 August 1670 Moulins, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 12 June 1734 (aged 63) |
| James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 August 1670 |
| Died | 12 June 1734 |
| Allegiance |
 Stuart-ruled Britain Kingdom of France
|
| Rank | Marshal of France |
James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Fitz-James, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica (21 August 1670 – 12 June 1734) was an Anglo-French military leader, illegitimate son of King James II of England by Arabella Churchill, sister of the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Berwick was a successful general in the pay of Louis XIV of France.
FitzJames was born at Moulins in France before his father's accession to the throne, and was brought up in France as a Roman Catholic. He was the son of James and his mistress Arabella Churchill, who was the sister to the English captain general and statesman John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. He was educated at the Stuarts' expense in the College of Juilly, the Collège du Plessis, and the Jesuit College of La Flèche. He went into the service of Charles, Duke of Lorraine and was present at the siege of Buda. FitzJames was created Duke of Berwick, Earl of Tinmouth and Baron Bosworth by his father in 1687. He then returned to Hungary and participated at the Battle of Mohács.
Berwick returned to England and was made Governor of Portsmouth. King James made him a Knight of the Garter, and appointed him Colonel of The Blues to replace the Protestant Earl of Oxford. The post had been coveted by his uncle the Earl of Marlborough, but FitzJames was earmarked for command, as Catholics replaced Anglicans. Officers were required to answer 'three questions' designed by the king to test their loyalty. Berwick was with his father at Salisbury, when key units deserted to the Prince of Orange. James II was overthrown in December 1688 and Berwick went into exile with him, taking an active part in the Irish campaign, including the Battle of the Boyne during which he led a charge, was unhorsed and almost killed in the melee. But due to the invasion of the Prince of Orange and the subsequent Glorious Revolution, the installation never took place. Berwick in all conscience could not remain with the Colonel of The Blues' Troop he had served since 1682; he refused to betray his old patronne. On 2 August he was one of the Generals, with Patrick Sarsfield and Boisselau who shored up the defences at Limerick awaiting the Williamite assault; thereafter they rode north across the Shannon with a few Guards. On 22 June 1691, Berwick was with the French general's command, St Ruth, at Aughrim, a site of his choosing when General Ginckel appeared over the hill with a superior force of 18,000 Williamites. The defenders were surrounded on one side by peat bog, and on the other Kilcommodon Hill. Berwick was with Sarsfield's corps on the Irish right, who had an uncommitted reserve, when The Blues smashed through the Irish lines on the left, broke the Irish Dragoons, and caused a general panic to ensue. General St Ruth was decapitated by a stray cannonball, but Sarsfield was too late to rescue the situation. He retired with Berwick to the relative safety of Limerick, which Ginckel besieged on 25 August. Under the terms of Treaty of Limerick, signed on 3 October, all Irish contingents were banished to the continent forever. These soldiers became known as the Wild Geese: mercenaries forbidden from setting foot in Britain. James II created Berwick Colonel of the 1st Troop, Wild Geese. Berwick arrived too late at the siege of Cork with 4,000 French troops, but unable to effect a result, he withdrew; Marlborough marched west to Kinsale to deal with 18,000 Frenchmen. It was at this time that he undertook a number of secret visits to England on behalf of the Jacobite cause.
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