John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton
John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton PC (* 1602 , † August 28, 1678 ) was an English royalist military leader in the English Civil War . He was a close confidante of the Duke of York .
Life
John Berkeley was the second son of Sir Maurice Berkeley and his wife Elizabeth Killigrew. He came from the family of Robert Fitzharding , who was enfeoffed with the Barony of Berkeley in Gloucestershire in the 12th century .
Until 1637 he was Charles I's ambassador to Christina of Sweden . From 1642 he fought on the side of the royalists in the English Civil War , including the victory in the Battle of Stratton in 1643. In 1647, John Berkeley enabled the captured King Charles I to escape from Hampton Court Palace . However, his escape ended on the Isle of Wight , where he was captured again, brought to London and finally executed on January 30, 1649. Between 1648 and 1658 Berkeley was in exile in France , where he was made Baron Berkeley of Stratton by Charles II in 1658 . After the death of Oliver Cromwell and the resignation of his son Richard Cromwell, Charles II ascended the throne of England on May 29, 1660. In 1661 he was appointed Lord President of Connaught , in 1663 a member of the Privy Council . From February 4, 1670 to May 21, 1672 he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland .
He was also one of the Lord Proprietors who were entrusted with the government and administration of the English colonies of Carolina and New Jersey . Shortly before his death, John Berkeley sold his portion of the province of New Jersey to the Quakers . Berkeley was buried in St. Mary's Church, Twickenham on September 5, 1678 .
John Berkeley was married to Christiana Riccard, a merchant's daughter, and had three sons and a daughter. His brother William Berkeley (1605–1677) was governor of the colony of Virginia from 1641 to 1652 and from 1660 to 1677 .
literature
- James McMullen Rigg: Berkeley, John (d.1678). In: Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 4, 1885, pp. 361–364, digitized version (English)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| New title created |
Baron Berkeley of Stratton 1658-1678 |
Charles Berkeley |
| John Robartes |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1670–1672 |
Arthur Capell |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Berkeley, John, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Berkeley, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English royalist military leader in the English Civil War |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1602 |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 28, 1678 |