George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle

George Monck; Portrait of Sir Peter Lely (1665).

Monck's signature:

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle , also "Monk", KG (born December 6, 1608 in Potheridge , Devonshire , † January 3, 1670 in The Cockpit, Whitehall in London ) was a general in the English Civil War and in 1660 was instrumental in the Involved in the Stuart restoration .

Probation period

George was the second son of Sir Thomas Monck. Because his father was mistreated by the authorities, George Monck took revenge on the county's sub-sheriff, which resulted in his being forced to leave the country and do voluntary service. After participating in a military expedition to Cadiz (1626), he went to Holland in 1629 , where he earned a good reputation as a troop leader. In 1638 he fell out with the civil authorities and returned to England .

During the Episcopal War (1639-1640) he proved himself especially in the Battle of Newburn (1640). When the Irish Rebellion broke out in 1641, he became regimental commander and showed all the qualities for which he was known throughout his life: a talent for making himself indispensable, an unshakable temperament and iron secrecy.

Initially, George Monck was slated to be governor of Dublin, but King Charles I preferred another favorite. Although Monck wisely let him go first, he was escorted to Bristol under guard . In a personal conversation he impressed the king with his militarily sound criticism of the conduct of the war in Ireland and was given a command in the king's army.

English Civil War

In the English Civil War , Monck first fought on the side of the king, but was captured at Nantwich in 1644 and thrown into the Tower of London . He spent two years there, which he found very difficult because of his lack of means. Charles I sent him 100 pounds, for which he was very grateful to the king. During his time in the Tower, he wrote a pamphlet: Observations on Military and Political Affairs .

On Cromwell's side

Since Monck had gained experience in Ireland, he was released and offered to fight for Parliament in Ireland. Monck assumed that he didn't have to face King Charles I that way. He fought very successfully for two years, but in 1649 many soldiers deserted as a result of the beheading of Charles I, and he had to agree to an armistice with the Irish rebel Eoghan Rua Ó Néill .

Under Oliver Cromwell , Monck fought against royalist troops in Scotland . Cromwell set Monck as commander in chief of the troops in Scotland, Monck ensured the subjugation of the country.

In 1652 he had to regenerate his ailing health in Bath , but after nine months he accepted a position as "General at Sea", equivalent to an admiral's position. Ten days after setting his flag, Monck fought alongside Robert Blake and Richard Deane as part of the Anglo-Dutch War in the naval battle of Portland . In the naval battle of Gabbard that followed soon after , he took over command after Deane had fallen. The naval battle of Scheveningen followed , in which England won a decisive victory.

Back on land, he married Anne Clarges, a woman of simple descent who was probably still married to her first husband at the time.

The following year Monck put down a royalist rebellion in the Scottish highlands and stayed in Edinburgh as governor for five years .

It is not very likely that Monck was considering reinstating kingship at the time, but such a skilled diplomat will have weighed the odds of such a move. His secrecy in this regard alarmed some and fueled hope in others. In 1655 he received a letter from the future King Charles II. He immediately sent a copy to Cromwell, who in his response instructed him to arrest Charles II if possible and send him to London.

Cromwell died on September 3, 1658, and although Monck first thought of providing military support to Cromwell's son Richard , he abandoned this plan when his ineptitude became apparent.

Restoration of the monarchy

Charles II tried several times to get Monck to act, but his natural caution kept him waiting in Edinburgh. Several royalist uprising attempts were suppressed and in autumn 1659 Monck sat at the head of the troops loyal to parliament. On February 3, 1660, he entered London with his troops.

His behavior in London was obscure. On the one hand, he secretly supported the demands of the royalist City of London, but on the other, demanded support for the rump parliament - but advised the parliamentarians to dissolve themselves and ultimately refused to take an oath in which he should swear off the House of Stuart. On February 21, 1660 he reinstated the parliamentarians who had been removed in Pride's Purge , the rump parliament once again had the composition of the Long Parliament . Elections were announced, the Long Parliament dissolved on April 16, 1660, and the newly elected Convention Parliament met for the first time on April 25 . On May 8, Parliament adopted the Breda Declaration drafted by Charles II with Monck's assistance and declared that Charles II had been the rightful monarch since the death of Charles I in 1649.

This was how Monck succeeded in achieving the restoration of royalty in England without bloodshed. He received numerous honors from Charles II, he was Duke of Albemarle , Earl of Torrington , Baron Monck , Baron Beauchamp and Baron Teyes , and Knight of the Order of the Garter ; his annual pension was £ 7,000.

Second Anglo-Dutch naval war

At the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Dutch Sea War (1665–1667), Monck was again a fleet leader alongside the Duke of York and on an equal footing with Prince Rupert , who had already fought on the side of Charles I in the English Civil War .

When the plague broke out in London in 1665 and numerous citizens and the king fled, he showed himself to be an intrepid leader. Monck was commissioned by the king to stay in London and pay special attention to attempted republican coups.

In 1666 he commanded together with the king's cousin, Prince Rupert, in the four-day battle with moderate success. During the great fire of London in the same year he was called to help by the king, but only arrived in London after the fire had gone out. George Monck served his country one last time during the Medway raid , when the shipyards at Chatham were threatened. From then on he devoted himself to private life.

Monck died of dropsy , "like a Roman general, surrounded by all his officers". His son Christopher Monck (1653–1688) inherited his title of nobility as the 2nd Duke.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle on thepeerage.com , accessed September 11, 2016.

literature

• Maurice Ashley : General Monck , Jonathan Cape Publishing, London 1977. ISBN 0-224-01287-8
• Ted R. Jamison: George Monck and the Restoration , Texas Christian University Press, Fort Worth / Texas 1975. ISBN 0-912646-04-7

predecessor	Office	successor
Edmund Ludlow (Lord Deputy)	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1660–1662	James Butler
New title created	Duke of Albemarle 1660-1670	Christopher Monck