John Middleton, 1st Earl of Middleton
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John Middleton 1st Earl of Middleton |
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| Born | c. 1608 |
| Died | 3 July 1674 (aged 66) Tangier, Morocco |
| Allegiance | Scottish Covenanters - Charles II |
John Middleton, 1st Earl of Middleton (c. 1608 – 3 July 1674) was a Scottish army officer, who belonged to a Kincardineshire family which had held lands at Middleton since the 12th century.
John was born around 1608. He was the eldest son of Robert Middleton of Caldhame and his wife Catherine Strachan; the elder brother of Alexander Middleton and uncle of Alexander's first son George Middleton DD, both of whom served as Principal of King's College, Aberdeen; great uncle of George's son John Middleton (1678–1739); and great-great uncle of Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham.
In early life he served as a soldier in France; later he fought against Charles I both in England and in Scotland, being especially prominent at the Battle of Philiphaugh and in other operations against James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose.
He held a high command in the Scottish army which marched to rescue the king in 1648, and he was taken prisoner after the Battle of Preston. He joined Charles II when that monarch reached Scotland in 1650, but he was soon at variance with the party which at that time was dominant in church and state and was only restored to favor after doing a public penance at Dundee. He was a captive for the second time after the Battle of Worcester, where he commanded the Royalist cavalry, but he escaped from the Tower of London to Paris.
In 1653, Middleton was chosen by Charles II to head the projected rising in Scotland. He reached Scotland in February 1654, but the insurrection was a complete failure. Its leader, who could not be held responsible for this result, remained in Scotland until 1655, when he rejoined Charles II, who created him Earl of Middleton in 1656.
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