Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings

Francis Rawdon, 1st Marquess of Hastings

Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings KG (born December 9, 1754 in Moira (Northern Ireland) , † November 28, 1826 near Naples ) was a British General and Governor General of India.

Life

He was the son and heir of John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira and his wife Elizabeth Hastings, 13th Baroness Hastings .

In 1771 he joined the British Army and took part in the American War of Independence between 1775 and 1781 .

On February 14, 1797 Francis Rawdon was together with Friedrich Ernst Count Marschall , Gottfried van Swieten and Johann Philipp Graf Stadion Thannhausen and the Honorary Citizen of the City of Vienna appointed. He had donated around 12,000 guilders for the wedding equipment of 24 bridal couples who were married together in St. Stephen's Cathedral .

In 1804 he married Flora Mure Campbell , 6th Countess of Loudoun (1780-1840), with whom he had six children, including Flora Hastings .

In 1813 he was appointed Governor General of India . Between 1814 and 1816 he waged the so-called Gurkha War and from 1817 to 1818 the Third Marath War .

After the end of the campaign, there was a dispute over the division of the booty, the so-called Deccan Prize . The Bengal Army had not been involved in any combat operations under the command of Rawdon-Hastings. In contrast, the Army of the Deccan under General Hislop had secured most of the booty. Nevertheless, Rawdon demanded a share of the sales proceeds for himself and his army. The matter came before the Privy Council . The latter decided that the Bengal Army was entitled to a share because it had been present and had tied up enemy forces.

In 1823 he returned home.

On November 28, 1826 Rawdon died on board the HMS Revenge , which was anchored off Naples . His body was brought to Malta and buried there after his right hand had been amputated. This was brought to England to be buried there with his wife. His eldest son, George Rawdon-Hastings, inherited his title of nobility .

literature

• Constantin von Wurzbach : Moira Lord Rawdon, Count . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 18th part. Imperial-Royal Court and State Printing Office, Vienna 1868, p. 448 f. ( Digitized version ).
• Hanns Jäger-Sunstenau : The honorary citizens and honorary citizens of the city of Vienna (= research and contributions to the history of the city of Vienna . Volume 23). Deuticke, Vienna 1992, ISBN 3-7005-4629-7 .
• Paul D. Nelson: Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Marquess of Hastings. Soldier, peer of the realm, Governor-General of India. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, Madison NJ 2005, ISBN 0-8386-4071-0 .
• Hastings, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 13 : Harmony - Hurstmonceaux . London 1910, p. 53 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).

Web links

• CV (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
New title created	Marquess of Hastings 1816-1826	George Rawdon-Hastings
John Rawdon	Earl of Moira 1793-1826	George Rawdon-Hastings
New title created	Baron Rawdon 1783-1826	George Rawdon-Hastings
Elizabeth Rawdon	Baron Hastings Baron Botreaux Baron Hungerford Baron de Moleyns 1808–1826	George Rawdon-Hastings