Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich

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Edward Montagu; Painting by Sir Peter Lely (1666)
Coat of arms of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich

Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich KG ( July 27, 1625 - May 28, 1672 ) was an English admiral and politician.

Life

He was the eldest son of Sir Sydney Montagu († 1644) from his first marriage to Paulina Pepys (around 1593-1638). On his father's side he was a nephew of Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton and Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester .

He was a close friend and collaborator of Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War . He was Deputy Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire from 1643 and fought on the side of Parliament in the battles of Marston Moor (1644) and Naseby (1645). From 1645 to 1648, and 1653 to 1658 he was Knight of the Shire for Huntingdonshire member of the English House of Commons . After the execution of King Charles I and the proclamation of the Republic ( Commonwealth of England ) he became a member of the Council of State in 1653, was Commissioner of the Treasury from 1654 to 1659 and became a member of the Privy Council in 1657 .

In 1655 he became a member of the Admiralty Commission which held the office of Lord High Admiral , and in January 1657 he became Commander in Chief of the Fleet . In April 1660 he was re-elected to the House of Commons as a member of the Weymouth borough . After Cromwell's death in 1658, he belonged to the group of Commonwealth politicians who worked to restore the Stuart kingdom . He negotiated with Charles II about his return from exile in the Netherlands and in May 1660 personally commanded a naval unit that brought it back to England. In this way, the former republican was able to continue his career in the English navy under the restored royal rule. Charles II accepted him in 1660 as a Knight Companion in the Order of the Garter , awarded him the court office of Master of the Great Wardrobe . On July 12, 1660 the king bestowed on him the titles of nobility Earl of Sandwich , Viscount Hinchingbrooke and Baron Montagu of St. Neots , whereby he resigned from the House of Commons and received a seat in the House of Lords .

In March 1661 he was appointed Admiral of the Narrow Seas , in July 1664 he was promoted to Vice-Admiral and in November 1664 he was promoted to Admiral of the Blue . From 1665 to 1668 he was ambassador extraordinary to the Spanish court in Madrid . In the Second Anglo-Dutch naval war he fought in June 1665 in the naval battle near Lowestoft . In 1670 he became president of the council of trade and plantations . In 1672 he took part in the Third Anglo-Dutch Sea War as deputy commander-in-chief of the English fleet in the sea ​​battle in the Solebay . He died in the course of the battle after his ship, the HMS Royal James , caught fire. His captain Richard Haddock survived the ship's sinking and was honored by the English king.

Edward Montagu was a cousin and patron of the well-known English diary writer Samuel Pepys . His diary is also the main source of information about the earl's military career.

Marriage and offspring

On November 7, 1642 he married the Hon. Jemima Crewe (1625–1674), daughter of John Crewe, 1st Baron Crewe . With her he had six sons and four daughters:

  • Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Sandwich (1648–1688) ⚭ 1668 Lady Anne Boyle, daughter of Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Cork ;
  • Hon. Sydney Wortley-Montagu († 1727), MP, ⚭ Anne Wortley, heir to Sir Francis Wortley, 2nd Baronet;
  • Hon. Oliver Montagu (around 1655–1693), MP, Solicitor General;
  • Very Rev. Hon. John Montagu (ca 1656–1729), Dean of Durham ;
  • Hon. Charles Montagu, ⚭ (1) Elizabeth Forster, ⚭ (2) Sarah Rogers;
  • The Hon. James Montagu;
  • Lady Jemima Montagu, ⚭ Sir Philip Carteret († 1672);
  • Lady Paulina Montagu;
  • Lady Anne Montagu († 1729), ⚭ (1) Sir Richard Edgcumbe († 1688), ⚭ (2) Christopher Montagu;
  • Lady Catherine Montagu, ⚭ Nicholas Bacon.

literature

  • Richard Lawrence Ollard: Cromwell's Earl. A Life of Edward Mountagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich. HarperCollins Publishers, London 1994, ISBN 0-00-255003-2 .
  • Samuel Pepys : The Diaries 1660–1669. Edited by Gerd Haffmans and Heiko Arntz; Translated by Georg Deggerich, Michael Haupt, Arnd Kösling, Hans-Christian Oeser , Martin Richter and Marcus Wegelt, 9 volumes, Haffmans Verlag bei Zweiausendundeins, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-942048-18-7 .

Web links

predecessor Office successor
New title created Earl of Sandwich
1660-1672 		Edward Montagu
personal data
SURNAME Montagu, Edward, 1st Earl of Sandwich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sandwich, Edward Montague, 1st Earl of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English admiral and politician
DATE OF BIRTH July 27, 1625
DATE OF DEATH May 28, 1672
Place of death Solebay