George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon
George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon (* 1649 , † December 7, 1716 in Leith ), was a Scottish nobleman .
Life
He was the son of Lewis Gordon, 3rd Marquess of Huntly from his marriage to Mary Grant. He was still a minor when he inherited his father's title of nobility as 4th Marquess of Huntly and the dignity of Chief of Clan Gordon when his father died in December 1653 .
Around 1667 he traveled to France to be trained at a Catholic seminary . He then went on a grand tour through Italy, Germany and Hungary. In 1673 he joined the French army as an officer in Oudenarde and was involved in the siege of Maastricht in the Dutch War . In 1674 he fought under Marshal Turenne on the Upper Rhine . Later he switched sides and fought against the French under William of Orange in Flanders . In November 1675 he returned to London .
On November 1, 1684 he was raised to Duke of Gordon , Marquess of Huntly , Earl of Huntly and Enzie , Viscount of Inverness and Lord Badenoch, Lochaber, Strathavon, Balmore, Auchindoun, Garthie and Kincardine. When in 1685 the outlawed and exiled Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll , landed with an invading army in Kintyre to overthrow King Jacob II , Gordon was appointed commander in chief of the northern forces, which were supposed to repel him. Argyll's rebellion collapsed so quickly that Gordon did not intervene. In 1685 he was also appointed constable of Edinburgh Castle . In 1686 he was accepted into the Scottish Privy Council and in 1687 as a founding member of the Thistle Order . In the Glorious Revolution he sided with King James II and withstood a three-month siege at Edinburgh Castle. He finally capitulated against safe conduct for his garrison. He submitted to King Wilhelm III. and traveled to London to pay homage to him . But then he also visited Jacob II in exile in St. Germain . He was repeatedly suspected of being a Jacobite . Around 1708 he was therefore placed under house arrest in Edinburgh . When he died in 1716, his only son inherited his title of nobility.
Marriage and offspring
In October 1676 he married Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk . Elizabeth was a staunch Jacobite, retired to a monastery in Flanders in 1697 and separated from him in 1707. The marriage had two children:
- Alexander Gordon, 2nd Duke of Gordon (around 1678–1728), ⚭ 1707 Lady Henrietta Mordaunt, daughter of Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough ;
- Lady Jane Gordon (around 1683–1773), ⚭ 1706 James Drummond, Lord Drummond († 1720), Jacobite “2nd Duke of Perth ”.
Literature and web links
- Thomas Finlayson Henderson: Gordon, George (1643-1716) . In: Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 22, New York City / London, 1890, pp 194 - 195 (English).
- George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon on thepeerage.com
- Gordon, Duke of (S, 1684-1836) at Cracroft's Peerage
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis Gordon |
Marquess of Huntly 1653-1716 |
Alexander Gordon |
| New title created |
Duke of Gordon 1684-1716 |
Alexander Gordon |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gordon, George, 1st Duke of Gordon |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gordon, George, 4th Marquess of Huntly |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish peer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1649 |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 7, 1716 |
| Place of death | Leith (Scotland) |