George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland

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George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, portrait by Nicholas Hilliard, circa 1590. This portrait commemorates Clifford's appointment as Master of the Queen

George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland KG (born August 8, 1558 in Brougham Castle , Westmorland , England , † October 30, 1605 in The Savoy, Middlesex , England) was an English naval commander and courtier to Queen Elizabeth I.

He was an orphan after the death of his father, Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland , in 1570 . His education took Francis Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford , the young Clifford in 1577 with his daughter Margaret married.

George Clifford's coat of arms

Clifford became a recognized joiner and became the Queen's second master after the retirement of Sir Henry Lee. The Queen made him Knight of the Order of the Garter and he peered in the trial of Mary Queen of Scots .

He later commanded a ship in the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585 . He later received recognition for his naval battles against the Spanish fleet and in particular against the Spanish ships in the Caribbean . He gained fame in 1598 with the temporary conquest of La Fortaleza , the fortress of San Juan . He reached Puerto Rico on June 15, but by November that year, Clifford and his men fled the island in the face of fierce resistance from the locals.

As a pirate he made a lot of money, but apparently he lost so much in jousting and horse racing that he eventually had to sell his inherited property. He had only one child, his daughter Anne , to whom he bequeathed £ 15,000 on his death . His brother Francis Clifford inherited the title of Earl of Cumberland , while the title of Baron de Clifford , which was also transferable in the female line, went to the daughter.

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predecessor Office successor
Henry Clifford Earl of Cumberland
1570-1605
Francis Clifford
Henry Clifford Baron de Clifford
1570-1605
Anne Clifford