by JohnHussey (Author)
John Churchill was born in 1650, the son of a defeated Cavalier captain, in a household which had been ravaged and rendered almost destitute by the English Civil War. Yet by the time of his death in 1722 he was among the richest men in the country, with a dukedom, a palace and a principality to call his own. His rise to power came through a combination of good luck, astute political manoeuvring, and a brilliance on the battlefield that made him easily the most successful general of his time. In this concise biography of the man and his military genius, John Hussey describes in detail the campaigns that made Marlborough famous: the 1704 campaign to save the Austrian empire, which culminated in the great victory of Blenheim, and the audacious invasion across Louis XIV's Ne Plus Ultra lines in 1711. These campaigns are put in the context of the times, to create a portrait of a man who is still celebrated as one of the world's greatest ever military commanders.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 224
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Orion
Published: 14 Oct 2004
ISBN 10: 0297846868
ISBN 13: 9780297846864
Book Overview: A story of rags to riches, and of military brilliance unparalleled in his time Marlborough is one of England's most famous military commanders Impeccably researched, engagingly written