The Children of Adam and Eve

He is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history. From
1672 to 1673 he served with distinction under his patron, the duke of
York, later James II, king of England, who commanded the English troops
sent to assist France in a war against the Netherlands. In 1682 Churchill,
then a colonel, was raised to the peerage. During the rebellion of 1685,
which was led by James Scott, duke of Monmouth, Churchillwas second in
command of the forces of James II and was made a major general. Later,
fearing that James intended to make Roman Catholicism the state religion
of England, Churchilljoined the conspiracy to replace James with the
Dutch prince William of Orange. When William landed in England in 1688,
Churchillwas promoted to lieutenant general by James and sent to fight
William, but instead he deserted to the latter. William was crowned king
as William III, and in 1689 he made Churchilla privy councillor and earl
of Marlborough.

In 1692 and again in 1696 Marlborough was charged with treason because he
corresponded with James, who was then living in exile in France;
Marlborough was not imprisoned, but he lost favor at the royal court. When
James's daughter, Anne, succeeded as queen of England in 1702, Marlborough
regained his position at court. That same year, during the War of the
Spanish Succession, he was commander in chief of the armies of England and
the Netherlands, and he was created 1st duke of Marlborough as a reWard
for his brilliant victories over the French. Marlborough's greatest
triumphs were in the Battles of Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706), and
Oudenarde (1708).

In 1711 Marlborough was falsely accused of embezzling public funds,
removed as commander in chief, and stripped of the public offices that he
had been given in gratitude for his military exploits. He lived aBroad in
self-imposed exile from 1712 to 1714. After the accession of George I as
king of Great Britain, Marlborough returned to England in 1714, and his
military rank was restored to him.