Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland

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Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, Portrait of Anthony van Dyck in the National Portrait Gallery (around 1640)
Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, 1640
Coat of arms of Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland

Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland KG , PC (baptized August 19, 1590 - March 9, 1649 in London ) was an English courtier , peer , politician and officer .

Career

He was the second son of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick and Lady Penelope Devereux , daughter of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex . His older brother was Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick .

He began his career in 1610 when he was promoted to Knight of the Bath as Prince of Wales as part of Crown Prince Henry's investiture . From 1610 to 1614 and 1614 he was a member of the House of Commons as MP for the Borough of Leicester . He served from 1617 to 1630 as captain of the royal bodyguard ( Yeomen of the Guard ). He quickly became one of the favorites of King James I , who raised him to Baron Kensington on March 5, 1623 and Earl of Holland on September 24, 1624 , making him a member of the House of Lords . Between 1624 and 1626 he was sent several times as a diplomat to the French court in Paris . There he was one of the many lovers of the lady-in-waiting Marie de Rohan . In 1625 he was accepted into the English Privy Council and as a Knight Companion in the Order of the Garter.

After Charles I's accession to the throne , he received the court office of Gentleman of the Bedchamber in 1626 . From 1628 he was Chancellor of Cambridge University , from 1629 Constable of Windsor Castle and Steward of the Household for Queen Henrietta Maria . From 1631 he also acted as a travel judge (Chief Justice on Eyre, South of Trent) and from 1636 to 1642 he held the court office of the Groom of the Stool . In 1639 he was used as general of the cavalry in the Episcopal Wars in Scotland and in 1641 was also accepted into the Scottish Privy Council.

During the English Civil Wars he first fought on the side of Parliament and was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex and Berkshire from 1642 to 1643 . In 1643 he took part in the Westminster Synod . Later he switched to the side of the royalists. On July 10, 1648 he was captured by troops of Parliamentarians during the fighting in the town of St Neots in Huntingdonshire and executed in London on March 9, 1649 the following year.

Last months

The following are the events that led to Rich's capture in St Neots by parliamentary forces and the subsequent execution in London:

Retreat from Kingston

On Sunday, 9 July 1648, seven months before the execution of Charles I. Rich met with a military unit into St Neots of approximately 400 men. The men were hungry and tired after their flight from Kingston upon Thames , where parliamentary troops overran them. Of his original 500 men, Rich escaped with only about 100 horsemen, but was immediately pursued by a small group of Puritan and parliamentary horsemen. After much hesitation in which direction to flee, Rich decided on Northampton . The group took the route via St Albans and Dunstable . On the outskirts of Bedford , the group turned east towards St Neots. On the way from Kingston, he was joined by the young Duke of Buckingham and the Earl of Peterborough . They were then joined by Colonel John Dalbier , a seasoned German officer who was hated by the Roundheads , having previously served with them under the 3rd Earl of Essex until he took up arms in favor of the Cavaliers .

Rich's staff officers wanted nothing but calm and security. Colonel Dalbier convened a council of war , where many officers voted for the dissolution and distribution in the area. Others suggested moving further north. Colonel Dalbier, however, advised to consider the strategic position of St Neots and the fact that their troop strength has increased significantly since the withdrawal from Kingston. So he suggested attacking their pursuers. He added that gaining a victory could turn the fortunes of war in their favor. Because of his extensive war experience, his words carried some weight. In addition, he offered to take over the night watch in the event of a surprise attack or the death of a soldier while defending the city. A vote was held and Dalbier's plan was approved.

Rich once said that he was better at making public speeches than handling a sword. He subsequently stood on the side of the Duke of Buckingham and Earl of Peterborough and spoke to the mayors and citizens of St Neots. The Duke of Buckingham then spoke. He admitted that they did not wish to continue a bloody war, but only wanted a permanent government under Charles I. Assurances were also given that there would be no rioting or damage to the property of the townspeople by the royalist troops. In this context it should be mentioned that they kept their promise regarding the last part.

Tired of their battle and the resulting retreat from Kingston, the field officers eagerly requested a rest. True to his word, Colonel Dalbier took over the night watch. The small group of Puritan horsemen that had pursued them met Colonel Adrian Scroope and his roundhead troops from their Colchester military unit when they reached Hertford .

At two o'clock on Monday morning, July 10th, a vanguard of 100 dragoons arrived at Eaton Ford in front of the main army of parliamentary forces . Dalbier noticed their arrival immediately and immediately gave the alarm: "To horse, to horse!" The dragoons, armed with muskets and swords, crossed St Neots' bridge. At that time the royalists were surprised by the arrival of parliamentary troops and were therefore insufficiently prepared.

Combat operations in St Neots

The few royalists who guarded the bridge gave way to the superior number of dragoons approaching them. The battle that followed was now fought in the main square and streets of the city. The rest of the royalists were now fully prepared for battle. In the meantime, the main Round Heads army arrived and another wave of Puritans crossed the bridge into the city. The fighting was bitter. The Puritans won on the ground.

Colonel Dalbier died at the start of the fighting. Other prominent royalists, such as Buckingham's younger brother Francis Villiers and Kenelm Digby, son of the natural philosopher of the same name , also fell. Still other officers and men drowned while trying to cross the river Ouse . The young Duke of Buckingham was surprised by the speed of events and fled to Huntingdon with 60 riders . He wanted to make his way to Lincolnshire , but the round heads were on his heels, so he changed his plans and took an alternative route back to London , from where he later fled to France .

Rich and his bodyguard fought their way to the inn where they stayed the previous night. The gates were locked and barred, but opened quickly to let them in, and then locked again as soon as they entered. The parliamentarians soon beat it and gained access to the inn. The door to Rich's room was broken into. Rich stood facing them with his sword in hand. It is reported that he offered them his surrender , as well as that of his army and the city of St Neots, on the condition that his life be spared.

The Puritans grabbed Rich and took him to Colonel Scroope, who ordered them to be handcuffed and put under guard. The remaining royal prisoners were locked up in the parish church of St Neots overnight and then taken to Hitchin the following morning . Rich and five other staff officers were transferred to Warwick Castle , which was a military base for parliamentarians during the war. Up until his treason trial , Rich spent the next six months as a prisoner. In London it was said: "His Lordship may spend time as well as he can and have leisure to repent his juvenile folly."

The Earl of Peterborough was also able to escape by disguising himself as a gentleman merchant , but was later recognized and arrested. Friends helped him escape when he was on his way to London for his trial. He stayed in various secret shelters ( safe houses ), financed by his mother, until he was able to flee the country.

Trial and execution

On February 27, 1649, Rich was transferred to London for his trial, where he was charged with high treason . He pleaded not guilty, claiming that he surrendered the town of St Neots on condition that his life be spared. It was also stated that Rich had joined Parliament in 1643, but changed sides that same year and defected to the Royalists. He took part in the Battle of Chalgrove , but stole away in the dark of night before the end.

On March 3, Rich was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. His brother, the Earl of Warwick, and his sister-in-law, the Countess of Warwick, and other ladies of the rank petitioned Parliament for his life. In the following vote, there was a tie in parliament, so that the speaker cast the casting vote . The petition for clemency only delayed the execution by two days. Rich was seriously ill these days, neither ate nor slept.

On the morning of March 9th, Rich walked unassisted to his place of execution in front of Westminster Hall . He told everyone he went on his way that his surrender at St Neots was only possible on condition that his life be spared. He prayed at the scaffold , then forgave his executioner and gave him all the money he had with him, approximately £ 10 . He then put his head on the block and signaled to the hangman that he was ready by stretching his arms outward. The executioner severed his head from the torso with one blow with an ax. Due to his recently weakened health, very little blood flowed and many had the strong feeling that even if the execution had not taken place, he probably would not have had much longer to live.

The Second English Civil War culminated in August 1648 at the Battle of Preston . At that time, despite bad weather conditions, the Round Heads marched 250 miles in 26 days and defeated the Royalists at Preston . By winning, they ensured that the royalists would never again raise an army.

The residents of St Neots, who appeared to have been neutral throughout the conflict, continued their peaceful existence.

Marriage and offspring

He married in 1616 Isabel Cope († 1665), daughter of the government official Sir Walter Cope (1553-1614) and his wife Dorothy Grenville (1563-1638). Through her he inherited the family seat of Cope Castle in Kensington , which he expanded considerably between 1625 and 1635 and renamed it to Holland House . The couple had ten children together:

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Martyn Bennett: The A to Z of the British and Irish Civil Wars 1637-1660 . Rowman & Littlefield, 2010, ISBN 9780810876262 , p. 206.
  2. ↑ Scroope, Adrian: A Great Victory Obtained by Collonell Scroope Against the Duke of Buckingham at Saint Needs in Huntingtonshire, on Munday, on July the 10th in 1648 , 1648
  3. ^ The parish: Descendants of Rich and the Advowson. at British History Online
  4. ↑ Holland, Earl of (E, 1624-1759) at Cracroft's Peerage
  5. ↑ Isabel Cope on thepeerage.com , accessed September 11, 2016.
  6. ^ Gordon Goodwin: Dictionary of National Biography , 1885-1900, Volume 28
predecessor Office successor
New title created Baron Kensington
1623-1649 		Robert Rich
New title created Earl of Holland
1624-1649 		Robert Rich
personal data
SURNAME Rich, Henry, 1st Earl of Holland
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rich, Henry, 1st Baron Kensington
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English nobleman, politician and officer
DATE OF BIRTH baptized August 19, 1590
DATE OF DEATH March 9, 1649
Place of death London