James FitzJamesFrench commander, Marshal of France.
Date of Birth: 21.08.1670
Country: France |
Content:
- James FitzJames, Duke of Berwick
- In the Service of England and France
- The War of the Spanish Succession
- Marshal of France and Victory at Almansa
- Later Career and Legacy
- Marriages and Descendants
James FitzJames, Duke of Berwick
Early Life and Military ServiceJames FitzJames, the illegitimate son of the Duke of York and Albany (later King James II) and Arabella Churchill, was born in France in 1670. Raised in the Catholic faith, he received his education at the Jesuit colleges of Juilly, Plessis, and La Flèche.
At the age of sixteen, FitzJames joined the army of Charles of Lorraine, fighting against the Turks in the siege of Buda and the Battle of Mohács. In 1687, he received the titles of Duke of Berwick, Earl of Tinmouth, and Baron Bosworth from his father.
In the Service of England and France
Returning to England, FitzJames held the position of Governor of Portsmouth, but the deposition of James II in 1688 forced him to flee with his father. He accompanied James in the Irish Campaign, participating in the siege of Derry in 1689 and the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, where he was severely wounded.
After the Jacobite defeat, FitzJames joined the French army and fought against England in the Nine Years War. For his exploits in Flanders in 1691 and 1692, Louis XIV awarded him the rank of Lieutenant General and granted him French citizenship. Captured by the English at the Battle of Landen, he was exchanged for the Duke of Ormonde.
The War of the Spanish Succession
In the War of the Spanish Succession, Berwick commanded French forces in Spain in 1704. He was sent to the Languedoc in 1705 to suppress the Camisard rebellion, treating the rebels with extreme cruelty. Subsequently, he received command of French forces in Italy.
Marshal of France and Victory at Almansa
FitzJames's brilliant campaign against Nice in 1706 earned him the title of Marshal of France. On April 25, 1707, he won the decisive Battle of Almansa, where an Englishman commanded the French forces while a Frenchman led the opposing Anglo-Dutch army. For this victory, the French king rewarded him with the title of Duke de Fitz-James, and the Spanish king granted him the title of Duke of Liria y Xerica.
Later Career and Legacy
Berwick commanded armies on the Rhine and in Savoy in 1708. In September 1714, he led the final major battle of the war, the assault on Barcelona. After a brief term as Governor of Guyenne, he returned to Spain during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. In 1719, he invaded the Basque Country but retreated due to disease in his army. A long peace followed this short campaign.
In 1733, at the outbreak of the War of the Polish Succession, FitzJames was called to command the French army on the Rhine. On June 12, 1734, he was killed by a cannonball at Philippsburg.
Marriages and Descendants
FitzJames's marriages were to Jacobite noblewomen in exile. In 1695, he married Honora de Burgh, daughter of the 7th Earl of Clanricarde and widow of the Earl of Lucan. She died three years later. Their son, Jacob FitzJames (better known as Duke de Liria), was Spain's ambassador to Russia from 1727 to 1730 and received Russian orders of knighthood. He married an heiress to the County of Monterey, and their descendants established the Liria Palace in Madrid and received the ancient Castilian title of Duke of Alba. In 2010, the head of the family was the 14th Duke of Berwick.
In 1700, FitzJames married Anne Buckley. Children from this marriage (including François, Bishop of Soissons) remained in France, with the head of their branch holding the title of Duke of FitzJames. The last of this line died in 1967.