George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland
George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland , KG , PC (born December 28, 1665 in Merton College , Oxford , † June 28, 1716 in Epsom ) was an English or British nobleman and military.
He was the third and youngest illegitimate son of King Charles II of England from his relationship with Barbara Palmer, Countess of Castlemaine , who was elevated to Duchess of Cleveland in 1670 suo iure .
On October 1, 1674, his father bestowed on him the hereditary titles Earl of Northumberland , Viscount Falmouth , in the County of Cornwall , and Baron Pontefract , in the County of York . On April 6, 1683 he also raised him to Duke of Northumberland .
In 1682 he was employed by the secret service in Venice . After his return to England , he was appointed Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter on January 10, 1684 and solemnly introduced on April 8, 1684. That summer he fought on the side of France in the siege of Luxembourg . In 1687 he became commander of the 2nd Company of the Royal Horse Guards . In December 1688 he received the court office of the Lord of the Bedchamber . In 1707 he was appointed Constable of Windsor Castle , in 1710 Lord Lieutenant of Surrey , and in 1712 Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire . In 1703 he succeeded the Earl of Oxford Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Horse. On January 10, 1710, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General . On April 7, 1713, he was appointed a member of the Privy Council and Chief Butler of England .
In March 1686 at the latest he married Catherine Wheatley, daughter of poultry farmer Robert Wheatley, from Bracknell in Berkshire . Catherine was the widow of Thomas Lucy from Charlecote Park, a captain in the Royal Horse Guards. Soon after the wedding, Northumberland and his brother Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton attempted to bring them to an English convent in Ghent , Belgium . After Catherine's death in May 1714, FitzRoy married Mary Dutton, sister of Captain Mark Dutton, in March 1715. Both marriages remained childless.
The duke lived at Frogmore House in Windsor , Berkshire . When he died at the age of 50 without offspring, his titles of nobility became extinct. He was buried in Westminster Abbey . His wife Mary died at Frogmore House in 1738.
literature
- James McMullen Rigg: Fitzroy, George (1665-1716) . In: Leslie Stephen (ed.): Dictionary of National Biography (DNB). Volume 19, Smith, Elder & Co., London 1889, p. 203.
Web links
- George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland on thepeerage.com
Individual evidence
- ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 37.
| predecessor | title | successor |
|---|---|---|
| New title created |
Earl of Northumberland 1674-1716 |
Title expired |
| New title created |
Duke of Northumberland 1685-1716 |
Title expired |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | FitzRoy, George, 1st Duke of Northumberland |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | illegitimate son of King Charles II of England |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 28, 1665 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Merton College , Oxford |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 28, 1716 |
| Place of death | Epsom |