Marlborough: His Life and Times, Book One

Book Description

"It is my hope to recall this great shade from the past, and not only invest him with his panoply, but make him living and intimate to modern eyes."—from the preface to Volume One

John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough (1644-1722), was one of the greatest military commanders and statesmen in the history of England. Victorious in the Battles of Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706), and countless other campaigns, Marlborough, whose political intrigues were almost as legendary as his military skill, never fought a battle he didn't win. Although he helped James II crush the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth, Marlborough later supported William of Orange against James II in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and brilliantly managed England's diplomatic triumphs during the War of the Spanish Succession. Marlborough also bequeathed the world another great British military strategist and diplomat—his descendant, Winston S. Churchill, who wrote this book to redeem Marlborough's reputation from Macaulay's smears.

One million words long and ten years in the making, Churchill's Marlborough stands as both a literary and historical masterpiece, giving us unique insights into the Churchill of World War II, for just as Churchill's literary skill helps us understand the complexities of Marlborough's life, so too did his writing of Marlborough help Churchill master the arts of military strategy and diplomacy. This two-volume edition includes the entire text and almost all the original maps.

Customer Reviews:

Winston's Job Application.......2005-06-02

Winston Churchill, in a relatively well-known bad patch during the 1930s, began to write this history of his famous and much maligned ancestor. The first volume contains the first two books of the original four book set. The life of John Churchill, Duke of Malborough, is both a fascinating look at an historical era as well as a personal portrait of a great military general. Book One consists of a large chunk of history, spanning the downfall of Charles I through Cromwell, to the Restoration of Charles II, through the overthrowing of his brother, the Catholic James II by William of Orange married to James II's daughter, Mary, to the crowning of Queen Anne. The second Book of Volume one concentrates on a mere 3 years of Anne's rule.

I will not reiterate what other reviewers have already said. However, I would add that in the writing of this book, Winston Churchill prepared himself to become even greater than his general ancestor. It can hardly be surprising that as this history was being written, events were conspiring to lead Winston Churchill into the biggest world confrontation ever. After studying the campaigns in Europe of Lord Malborough, it can hardly be surprising that Churchill fully suspected the coming of the war long before his fellow MPs.

This is a scholarly work and shouldn't be undertaken without serious patience. Each of the two volumes are in themselves close to 1,000 pages long. The history is written from the point of view of a defender, though Winston Churchill is careful not to gloss over details that might cast an unfavorable opinion of his ancestor. Well worth the effort.

BOOK TWO -

Since I reviewed Book One, I felt it was important to follow up with a review of Book Two of this work. My initial comment is that sticking with something this huge is a task in itself, but often the reward is hard to describe. For me, I feel each time I finish a huge work like this (or Hegel, or Kant, or ... well, anything "Big") I sense my own mind has been exercised a bit. It's a reward in and of itself.

Firstly, like Book One, this is really Volume Three and Volume Four of the a Four Book series bound together in Two mammoth volumes. Reading these 2000 plus pages is like running a marathon: the beginning is difficult, then you break the pain barrier and coast for quite a long while until the last staggering climb to the finish. In Book Three we continue with the war of Spanish Succession. These 500 pages are essentially concerned with the gigantic battles Marlborough fought. It was a time in which his glory was highly esteemed. As we get into Book Four, much like Book One, the narrative returns to the over all political scene which dominated and brought down the Great Duke. It is also the point where the reader might become overwhelmed again by both the multifaceted political machinations as well as the constantly revolving names (John Churchill becomes the Duke of Marlborough, etc.)

However, for all these difficulties, the overall sense from both volumes is as thorough and detailed and enthralling as history can be written. There can be no doubt that Winston Churchill, as he surveyed the ever-mounting rearmament of the Germanic states and looking over the ancient maps of Europe imagining both the current and past, felt an immense burden of responsibility. By undertaking the task of "reforming" The Duke of Marlborough's image, he delved deep in to the vaults of history and warfare. It was not surprising that at the same moment he should be the first to recognize (at least in Britain) the significance of Hitler's intensions.

One other thing struck me as fascinating about this era. The whole course of European politics, war, peace, and financial stability were tied up in the lives of three bickering women: Sarah (Marlborough's wife), Abigail (cousin to Sarah), and Queen Anne (whom both served and guided with gossip and whisperings.) Out of this small time period bore the seeds of Napoleon, the American discontent with England, and Slavery. Big stuff.

I recommend these Four volumes (two books). The paperbacks are perhaps overstuffed, though. Book One split right down the middle. I was more careful with Book Two, though my hands suffered from it. Perhaps spending the money for the hardback editions in this case is worth it?

Learn as much about the author as his subject........2005-04-12

Winston Churchill was a man who rarely met a topic upon which he didn't harbor a strong opinion that he was willing to share. The Duke of Marlborough is no different. Churchill is clearly enamoured with this relative of his and lets it show. That said, Churchill plainly states that there are two camps on Marlborough and tells the world which camp he falls into. By doing so, he opens up the reader to get a feel not just for Marlborough and his times, but also for the debate by historians that rages around a polarizing historic figure like Marlborough. (Sound familiar to anyone else?) The result is a richly layered work.

Winston Churchill viewed history as something that was alive and tangible and his historic writings capture that feeling for readers. Marlborough's battles - both military and political - come to life in the hands of Churchill. We get to see one of the great military minds of the 18th century push military science closer and closer to its modern form. We also see him perform less well on the political front against his foes there.

Through the entire book, we get to listen to Winston Churchill in his element, telling us a story about a topic he feels passionately about. So many of the trials, trevails, and reactions that Churchill ascribes to Marlborough are so obviously parallels to Churchill's life and his reactions that the book has a clear autobiographical tone to it as well.

Highly recommended for history buffs and for people who want to understand Churchill more deeply.

Churchill, Champion of the Augustan Era.......2004-06-13

John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, is the uncontested military genius of late Stuart England, the uncrowned political/military heir to William of Orange and the famous ancestor of Winston Churchill. In tandem with Austria's general, Eugen of Savoy, he led the coalition armies in the War of the Spanish Succession, defeating in detail several of Louis XIV's French and Bavarian armies, most famously at Blenheim, but also at Ramilles, Ourdenarde and Malplaquet. Meanwhile, on the domestic front, his wife, the beautiful but intemperate Sarah Jennings, later Duchess of Marlbourough, became a "favorite" of Queen Anne and secured for him (at least for most of the war) the political support that necessary for him to field an army on the Continent for the many years.

As a writer of history, Churchill ranks with Gibbon for his mastery of prose and his ability to use vivid imagery to hold the reader's attention to minute detail. For each year of the Spanish Succession War, Churchill opens with a strategic appreciation of how the Anglo-Austrian forces plotted out each year's campaigns, and goes to great pains to explain the reasons behind Marlborough's various deployments. And he paints on a simply massive canvas: he begins with a detailed account of Charles II's Restoration, of James II's abortive reign (and Marlborough's role in ending it), of William III and Mary II's joint reign (Churchill is NOT a fan of William and Mary) and of the underlying workings of the French monarchy. He is not afraid to address the various failings in Marlborough's character, particularly his secret negotiations with both the enemy and the exiled Stuarts, but does seek to defend Marlborough (and Sarah) from the more libellous charges.

This book was written in the 1930s, politically Churchill's decade of exile (and personally, his worst years of depression). If everyone turned unemployment, financial crisis and depression to such good use, the world would be a far better place.

Churchill on Churchill.......2003-12-15

Winston Spencer Churchill's biography of his ancestor, John Churchill First Duke of Marlborough, stands out as a restoration of Marlborough's reputation, an account of England under the reigns of Charles II, James II, William III and Queen Anne, and an in-depth military and political history of the War of Spanish Succession.

WSC gives us a picture of the whole man, including his faults. One of WSC's purposes is to rescue Marlborough's reputation from the attacks of generations of historians. The book becomes a brilliant defense and of course it cannot be unbiased. WSC is Marlborough's defense attorney, not his judge.

By the 1920s, Marlborough had been called miserly, greedy, ambitious, duplicitous, disloyal and treacherous. As he recounts Marlborough's life, WSC continually picks up an episode that seemingly illustrates one of these traits, but turns it around.

Where unsympathetic historians saw miserly habits, WSC saw thrift and WSC goes further. Marlborough was miserly when it came to his own needs, such as when he insisted surgeons cut his stocking along the seem so that it could be resown. Yet he paid his army's bills and wages on time; apparently this was unusual in those days. He paid, from his own discretionary funds, which other generals often pocketed as a matter of course, for military intelligence that proved crucial to securing many of his victories.

Where accusers saw ambition needlessly prolonging a difficult war, WSC presents Marlborough has being bound by duty to achieve the best results possible, and to reject a timid peace, which would have left Europe in the hands of a despot.

WSC has a more difficult, but no less successful time defending Marlborough's continued correspondence with St-Germain, the exiled English court of James II and later his son, as recognized by Louis the XIV. The problem here is that today such acts would indeed be treason, but in the seventeenth century they were part of the normal workings of diplomacy, war time or not. After all, if passports and safe conduits were routinely given to enemies to allow them to rest and confer in between campaigns, it could not have been that unusual to keep in touch with people one knew, even if they were officially enemies.

WSC also presents Marlborough's most important relationships: with his wife Sarah Jennings; with his military ally Prince Eugene, with whom he won at Blenheim; with his political colleague Godolphin, who secured funds for his military work; with the kings and queen of England from James II to George I;

But WSC does accuse Marlborough on occasion of having been unwise. He is particularly critical of the Duke's obsession with his palace at Blenheim (where WSC himself was born). Marlborough didnft want an opulent residence, rather he wanted to leave a monument that would survive centuries and remember his name to future generations. WSC writes that as such Blenheim was a failure: it added nothing to the Duke's reputation and the worries it caused may have taken years from his life. Winston Churchill must have felt his biography was a better memorial to his ancestor.

I have to defend wellington from such major historical.......2003-11-21

oversight.

''one and only victory''?
What about the penninsular war, Between 1808-14 Wellingtons army fought up the spanish penninsular all the way to France constantly beating such noted Marshalls as Massena and Soult, battles include: Talavera, Vimeiro, Salamanca, Victoria and the sieges: Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz to name a few.
He didn't even consider Waterloo to be his greatest victory.
Wellington is the only general to have successfully came up with a tactic to beat the revolutionary armees (using line formations versus French coloums and obscuring his armys behind obstacles)therefore desrves praise.

Wellington only once called his men ''scum of the earth'' this was in relation to the english recruiting methods (picking up drunks, prisoners) so it is true, his armys where riff raff though by 1814 he called them ''the finest fighting force in the world''.

Churchills books are incredible,sorry for the off topic review.
Marlborough was a brilliant Commander. It was Wellington who said ''i can think of nothing finer then Marlborough at the head of a English army''

MARLBOROUGH: HIS LIFE AND TIMES: BOOK ONE & TWO.

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MARLBOROUGH: HIS LIFE AND TIMES: BOOK ONE & TWO.

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Marlborough: His Life And Times - Book One
Winston S. Churchill
Manufacturer: George G. Harrap & Co.
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Marlborough: His Life and Times, Book One
Winston Churchill
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOVX4E

Book Description

Peter Wilkinson's vivid insider account of the undercover campaigns of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War looks at the foundation and structure of the SOE, as well as his personal experience as an intelligence officer during the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the Polish Campaign of 1939. The book is a valuable contribution to the secret history of the Second World War. It concludes with an account of the SOE's hazardous attempt under the author's command to infiltrate the Third Reich from 1943-1945.

Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton: The Outline of Sanity, the End of the Armistice the Appetite of Tyranny, Utopia of Usurers and Other Essays (Collected Works of Gk Chesterton)
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More Brilliance from GKC

Rare Chesterton works once more available

Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton: The Outline of Sanity, the End of the Armistice the Appetite of Tyranny, Utopia of Usurers and Other Essays (Collected Works of Gk Chesterton)
G. K. Chesterton
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Customer Reviews:

More Brilliance from GKC.......2004-08-04

One thing for sure: GK was no fan of Prussia. Volume V of "Collected Works" contains political essays mainly dealing with events surrounding WWI. One of my favorite selections is "The Crimes of England', a candid confession of his homeland's crimes against humanity. GK lays much of the blame on Prussia, or more precisely, on England's government for cozying up to Prussia beginning with the William Pitt government around 1800. In GK's view, England should have stood with France, as inheritors of Roman/Christian values, in opposition to barbarian Prussia. Instead, England created a monster by propping up the Prussian regime, to the peril of all nations--particularly France, Poland, and Belgium. Moreover, barbaric Prussian values crept into English political and intellectual life as a result of this unholy association. English fascination with German social efficiency and scientific determinism hastened England's decline from a pastoral country to one overwhelmed by an ugly, dehumanizing urban capitalism. These are common themes in GK's writing, but I think never more fully fleshed out than here, as he traces all these developments from Pitt forward. It's a pity Chesterton does not show up more on reading lists for Western college courses in history.

Rare Chesterton works once more available.......2000-05-24

This volume of Chesterton's Collected Works brings back into print The End of the Armistice, the last book GKC wrote. I have always thought this was one of his finest pieces of non-fiction. It is thoughtful and articulate, as he always was. It shows how clearly he saw Hitler and the Nazis for what they were, at a time when an embarrassing number of English and Europeans who should have known better admired Nazi Germany. Finally, it connects Chesterton's abhorrence of the Third Reich with his religious convictions, making GKC in retrospect immensely more admirable as a Roman Catholic than Pius XII. The End of the Armistice is by itself worth the price of this book.

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You Say You Want a Revolution
A powerful vision that justly demands consideration

The Outline of Sanity
G. K. Chesterton
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An Essay on the Restoration of Property

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Book Description

As an advocate of Distributism, an early 20th-century school of social thought developed by the author and his colleagues, Chesterton addresses the topics of concentration of wealth, poverty, work, agriculture, machinery, and capital in this famous work. He favored distribution of wealth while being antisocialist; he advocated ownership of private property while being anticapitalist. He argues that the economic order is bound by moral law and that man should be served by the economy rather than serving it.

Customer Reviews:

You Say You Want a Revolution.......2007-05-12

Were Chesterton a camel, the thing that broke his back was a half- baked philosophy called Distribustism, a clunkily- named alternative to both Capitalism and Socialism. For a long time I believed that, because you can even read it in biographies of Chesterton and, naive reader that I am, I thought biographers knew what they were talking about.

Having dipped into this book, which reprints articles on that subject, however, I realize Distributism wasn't his hobby horse; it was his passion and his soul. It also strikes me as the best idea to come down the pike in about a hundred years, and if you want to call Chesterton a prophet (small 'p'), here's good reason for doing so. In other words, long before Marshall McLuhan, (an avid student of Chesterton) he said the medium is the message. In still other words, he said something I'm always saying, vote with your wallet. He even advocated the radical idea of making your own media choices.

In "The Bluff of the Big Shops" he points out that no matter how enticing a megoplis super mega store may be, you still always have the option to shop at small mart. In this book, first published in 1926, he meditated on the future of the then relatively recent, newly mass-produced Ford car. What Chesterton stands up for is private property and private enterprise. Although this sounds almost the same as free trade and free enterprise, to Chesterton there is an important distinction. One means the right of the wealthy to do what they like, and the other the right of the poor to do anything at all. His meaning is closer to the original draft of the American document, recognizing the right to life, liberty, and ownership of property.

I got this book through the American Chesterton Society, although I'm happy to see it's also on Amazon. The ACS's magazine, Gilbert, has continually run bits from these essays, which were so tantalizing as to make me want to read the book. This edition is from IHS Press, which bills itself as "the only publisher dedicated exclusively to the social teachings of the Catholic Church". Not that this is an overtly religious book. But it feeds from the same stream as the Catholic Worker Movement of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, and the still radical words of Pope Leo XIII in the 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum: "On the Condition of the Working Classes". What goes around comes around, and some eighty years later, Chesterton's words seem more true and relevant than ever. If this book seems a bit pricey, think of it not only as an enthralling read, but as a textbook for revolution.

A powerful vision that justly demands consideration.......2002-03-26

The Outline Of Sanity is a philosophical treatise on the social vision of renowned British author and Christian philosopher G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), known as "distributism". Chesterton presents his antithesis to the impersonal bustle of increasingly fast-paced modern life, and offers a logical means for human beings swept by the tide to regain control over life and future. With a Catholic foundation yet meant to encompass people of all religious persuasions, Chesterton's vision of Distributism is a powerful one that justly demands consideration, particularly in this modern day and age where his concerns of a society of alienation multiply a thousandfold!

The Outline of Sanity: A Life of G.K. Chesterton

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The Outline of Sanity: A Life of G.K. Chesterton
Alzina Stone Dale
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THE OUTLINE OF SANITY
Unknown
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THE OUTLINE OF SANITY
CHESTERTON
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The Outline of Sanity
Alzina Stone Dale
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The Outline of Sanity
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Manufacturer: Loreto Publications
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183 pages. For Chesterton fans this collection of articles written over eighty years ago are vintage G. K. The author arranged the articles in book format by sections and chapters giving to the whole the salient title: The Outline of Sanity. Accused by thickheaded social "progressives" of wanting to push society back into an antiquated agrarian provincialism, these insightful socio-economic indictions ought rather to have heralded the Catholic thinker as todays prophet for social sanity.

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The Outline of Sanity

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General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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The Outline of Sanity
Alzina Stone Dale
Manufacturer: Daedalus Books
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The Outline of Sanity
G. K. Chesterton
Manufacturer: Dodd
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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Evidence is mounting that top carnivores and other large mammals play a pivotal role in regulating ecosystem health and function, yet those are the species that are most likely to have been eliminated by past human activities. In recent decades, numerous efforts have been undertaken to return some of the species that were previously extirpated on local or regional scales.

Large Mammal Restoration brings together for the first time detailed case studies of those efforts, from restoring elk in Appalachia to returning bison herds to the Great Plains to the much- publicized effort to bring back the gray wolf to Yellowstone National Park. Together these case studies offer important lessons and new ways of thinking for wildlife managers and conservation biologists involved with restoration programs. Sections examine:

approaches to determining the feasibility of a restoration program
critical hands-on aspects of restoring large mammals
obtaining public input into the process and gaining community support for programs
the potential of some species to return without direct human intervention, and what can be done to facilitate that natural colonization

An introductory chapter by Reed F. Noss explores some of the reasons for restoring large mammals, as well as some of the ecological and social complications, and a concluding overview by David S. Maehr discusses the evolutionary importance of large mammal restoration. Contributors include Paul C. Paquet, Barbara Dugelby, Steven H. Fritts, Paul R. Krausman, Larry D. Harris, Johnna Roy, and many others. Large Mammal Restoration brings together in a single volume essential information on the lessons learned from previous efforts, providing an invaluable resource for researchers and students of conservation biology and wildlife management as well as for policymakers, restoration advocates, and others involved with the planning or execution of a restoration program.

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