English soldier and politician (1608?1670)
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
[a]
KG
PC
JP
(6 December 1608 ? 3 January 1670) was an
English
soldier, who fought on both sides during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
. A prominent military figure under the
Commonwealth
, his support was crucial to the
Restoration
of
Charles II
in 1660, who rewarded him with the title
Duke of Albemarle
and other senior positions.
The younger son of an impoverished Devon landowner, Monck began his military career in 1625 and served in the
Eighty Years' War
until 1638, when he returned to England. Posted to
Ireland
as part of the army sent to suppress the
Irish Rebellion of 1641
, he quickly gained a reputation for efficiency and ruthlessness. After
Charles I
agreed to a truce with the
Catholic Confederacy
in September 1643, he was captured fighting for the
Royalists
at
Nantwich
in January 1644 and remained a prisoner for the next two years.
Released in 1647, he was named
Parliamentarian
commander in Eastern
Ulster
, fought in Scotland under
Oliver Cromwell
in the 1650 to 1652
Anglo-Scottish War
, and served as
General at sea
during the 1652 to 1654
First Anglo-Dutch War
. From 1655 to 1660, he was army commander in Scotland, and his support for moderates in
Parliament
who wanted to restore the monarchy proved decisive in Charles II regaining his throne in May 1660.
Due to a combination of illness and lack of interest in politics, Monck faded into the background after 1660, but he returned to sea during the
Second Anglo-Dutch War
and played an important leadership role during the 1665
Great Plague of London
, as well as the
Great Fire of London
in 1666. He lived in retirement for the last three years of his life and died in January 1670.
Personal details
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Monck was born 6 December 1608 on the family estate of
Potheridge
in
Devon
, second son of Sir
Thomas Monck
(1570?1627) and Elizabeth Smith, daughter of
Sir George Smith
, three times
Mayor of Exeter
and reputed to be the richest man in
Exeter
.
His siblings included an elder brother Thomas (died 1647) and a younger,
Nicholas Monck
(1609?1661), later
Bishop of Hereford
and
Provost of Eton College
.
One of the oldest families in Devon, the Moncks were relatively poor while Smith allegedly failed to pay the
dowry
promised for his daughter, leading to a series of expensive legal disputes with his son-in-law.
In 1625, Sir Thomas was imprisoned for debt and died in jail two years later.
In January 1653, Monck married Anne Clarges (1619?1670), daughter of a London
farrier
and widow of Thomas Radford; his death was not legally confirmed until a year after their marriage, a fact which was later used against her.
Her brother
Thomas
(1618?1695) was a committed
Royalist
who was knighted after the
Stuart Restoration
and had a long career in
Parliament
.
They had one son who survived into adulthood,
Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle
(1653?1688).
Early career, pre-1641
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]
Monck became a professional soldier, a common career choice for younger sons of impoverished gentry. His first experience was the failed attack on
Cadiz
in November 1625, when he served as an
ensign
in a company commanded by his cousin
Sir Richard Grenville
. He later joined the equally disastrous expedition against
St Martin-de-Re
in July 1627; it is suggested one reason for doing so was his arrest for attempted murder in late 1626, when he and his brother Thomas assaulted Nicholas Battyn, the
undersheriff
responsible for jailing their father.
He spent most of the next decade serving in the
Dutch States Army
, then considered the best place to learn the 'art of war' due to its success in the
Eighty Years' War
against
Spain
. Many officers who later fought on both sides during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
did the same, among them Sir
Thomas Fairfax
and Sir
Philip Skippon
.
During the
capture of Maastricht
in 1632, he served in a regiment commanded by the
Earl of Oxford
, who was killed in the final assault and replaced by
George Goring
. By 1637, Monck was
lieutenant colonel
under Goring and played a decisive role in storming
Breda
, a Dutch success which was one of the last major actions of the war. After quarrelling with the civil authorities of
Dordrecht
, he surrendered his commission and returned to England in 1638.
During the 1639 and 1640
Bishops' Wars
, he was lieutenant colonel in a regiment raised by
Mountjoy Blount, 1st Earl of Newport
, who was also
Master-General of the Ordnance
. Monck was one of the few to emerge with any credit from the
Battle of Newburn
in 1640, when he saved the English artillery from capture. Lack of money meant the army was dissolved. Monck spent the next year unemployed.
Ireland and England, 1641?1646
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]
Following the
Irish Rebellion of 1641
,
Parliament
approved the recruitment of a
Royal Army
to suppress it. Monck was made colonel of a regiment raised by his distant relative
Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester
, which landed in
Dublin
in January 1642 and served under the
Earl of Ormond
.
Over the next eighteen months, he campaigned against rebel strongholds in
Leinster
, during which he was responsible for several alleged massacres in
County Kildare
and also took part in the March 1643
Battle of New Ross
.
However, the outbreak of the
First English Civil War
in August 1642 meant Ormonde could no longer receive reinforcements or money from England, and by mid-1643, the
Catholic Confederacy
controlled most of Ireland, with the exception of
Ulster
,
Dublin
and
Cork City
.
Most of Ormond's officers, including Monck, argued the Irish Army should remain neutral between
Parliamentarians
and
Royalists
but Charles was anxious to use these troops to help him win the war in England and in September 1643, Ormonde agreed a truce or "Cessation" with the Confederacy. Factions on both sides objected to the terms, which included negotiations on freedom of worship for Catholics and constitutional reforms. Protestants saw this as a threat, while many Confederates felt they were on the verge of victory and gained nothing from the truce; they were also well aware any concessions Charles made to Catholics in Ireland undermined his position in England and Scotland.
Monck was among those who refused to swear allegiance to the king and was sent by Ormonde as a prisoner to
Bristol
, where he eventually agreed to support the Royalists before being captured at
Nantwich
in January 1644. Although prisoners were commonly exchanged, his experience and ability were so highly regarded that he remained in custody for the next two years, during which he wrote a military manual entitled
Observations on Military and Political Affairs
. Following Charles' surrender in May 1646, he accepted an appointment in one of the regiments sent to Ireland by Parliament as reinforcements; in September 1647, he was appointed Parliamentarian commander in Eastern Ulster.
The Interregnum
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Monck proved his loyalty to Parliament by refusing to take part in the
Second English Civil War
and requiring all his officers to sign a declaration of support. However, his position in Ulster became extremely precarious following the
execution of Charles I
in January 1649, since it was dominated by
Scots Presbyterian settlers
, supported by a
Covenanter
army under
Robert Monro
.
The Scots did not only object to the English killing their king without consultation. As
Calvinists
, they viewed monarchy as divinely ordained, making the execution
sacrilegious
.
As a result, they defected to the Royalist?Confederate alliance led by Ormond and in desperation, Monck agreed to a secret truce with
Eoghan O Neill
, the Catholic leader in Ulster, which he did not communicate to Parliament until May.
Recalled to London, he was reprimanded by a Parliamentary committee, although they privately recognised the desperate circumstances which made it necessary. Although some mistrusted Monck as a former Royalist,
Oliver Cromwell
gave him command of a regiment in the 1650 to 1651
Anglo-Scottish War
, which fought at
Dunbar
, then
stormed Dundee
, an action in which 800 civilians were allegedly killed.
Throughout
the Protectorate
, Monck remained loyal to Cromwell, who appointed him military commander in Scotland until February 1652. At that time, Monck became seriously ill and retired to
Bath
in order to recover. Due to his expertise in utilising artillery, when the
First Anglo-Dutch War
began in November, Monck was made a
General at Sea
, along with
Robert Blake
and
Richard Deane
. He fought in the 1653 naval battles of
Portland
,
the Gabbard
and
Scheveningen
.
In April 1653, Cromwell dissolved the
Rump Parliament
and in June Monck was nominated
MP
for
Devon
in
Barebone's Parliament
.
Although the Dutch war did not formally end until the February 1654
Treaty of Westminster
, Monck was recalled and sent to Scotland to suppress the Royalist
Glencairn's rising
. Appointed military commander, he employed the ruthless tactics demonstrated in his previous assignments and by the end of 1655 the country had been pacified. He retained this position for the next five years, demonstrating his loyalty by removing any officers who expressed opposition to government policy and arresting religious dissidents.
The Restoration
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When Oliver Cromwell died in September 1658, Monck transferred his support to his son
Richard
, who was appointed
Lord Protector
. The
Third Protectorate Parliament
elected in January 1659 was dominated by moderate Presbyterians like Monck and Royalist sympathisers, whose main objective was to reduce the power and expense of the military. In April, army radicals led by
John Lambert
and
Charles Fleetwood
dissolved Parliament and forced the resignation of Richard Cromwell. Sometimes known as the
Wallingford House party
, the new regime abolished the Protectorate, reseated the
Rump Parliament
dismissed by Cromwell in 1653 and began removing officers and officials of suspect loyalty, including many of those serving in Scotland.
Monck was left in place largely because rumours of another Royalist rising made it preferable to retain him. Both his cousin
John Grenville
and brother Nicholas were connected with the
Royalist underground
and in July 1659, Nicholas brought him a personal appeal from
Charles II
, asking for his help and offering up to £100,000 per year for his assistance.
When
Booth's Uprising
broke out in August 1659, Monck considered joining it but the revolt collapsed before he had time to commit himself. In October, the Wallingford House group dismissed the Rump before being forced to reinstate it in early December.
By the end of 1659, England appeared to be drifting into anarchy, with widespread demands for new elections and an end to military rule. Monck declared his support for the Rump against the Republican faction led by Lambert, while co-ordinating with Sir
Theophilus Jones
, a former colleague in Ireland who seized
Dublin Castle
in late December.
At the same time, he marched his army to the English border, supported by a force raised by former
New Model Army
commander Sir
Thomas Fairfax
. Outnumbered and unpaid, Lambert's troops melted away; on 2 February Monck entered London and in April elections were held for a
Convention Parliament
.
While his backing was essential to the
Restoration
, modern historians question whether the policy was initiated by Monck as opposed to following majority opinion, which by now was overwhelmingly in favour of reinstating the monarchy.
Although elected MP for Devon, external observers noted he had little interest in politics while the lack of a regional power base in England and the proposed reduction of the army mitigated his future influence.
Nevertheless, the
Declaration of Breda
issued by Charles on 4 April 1660 was largely based on Monck's recommendations. It promised a general pardon for actions committed during the
civil wars
and
Interregnum
, with the exception of the
regicides
, retention by the current owners of property purchased during the same period, religious toleration and payment of arrears to the army.
Based on these terms, Parliament resolved to proclaim Charles king and invited him to return to England; he left Holland on 24 May and entered London five days later.
Later career and death
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In July 1660, Monck was made
Duke of Albemarle
and appointed to the
Privy Council
; he also received the former
Palace of Beaulieu
, lands in Ireland and England worth £7,000 per year, an annual pension of £700 and various offices, including
Lord Lieutenant of Devon
. He also obtained significant positions for his dependents and connections; John Grenville became
Earl of Bath
, while Nicholas Monck was appointed Bishop of Hereford, his cousin
William Morice
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
and his brother-in-law Thomas Commissary General of Musters.
Although appointed
Lord Deputy of Ireland
, Monck fell seriously ill once again in August 1661 and was replaced by Ormond, being "compensated" with the additional office of
Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex
. Thereafter he avoided front-line politics and focused on maximising his personal wealth; his wife was notorious for selling offices, although this was a common practice and probably reflected resentment at her humble origins. In his diary,
Samuel Pepys
attacks her as a "homely, plain dowd" and "filthy woman"; however, his views were coloured by the rivalry between Monck and his cousin
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich
, for control of the
Admiralty
.
In 1663, Monck was allocated lands in the
Province of Carolina
, now the modern US states of
South
and
North Carolina
, whose
Albemarle Sound
is named after him.
[25]
He was also made a shareholder in the
Royal African Company
, established to challenge Dutch control of the
Atlantic slave trade
and a major factor in the commercial tensions between the two countries that eventually led to the
Second Anglo-Dutch War
in 1665. The conflict was backed by Monck and other investors within the government, including
George Carteret
,
Shaftesbury
and
Arlington
.
Command of the fleet was given to
James, Duke of York
, with Sandwich as his deputy and Monck took over his administrative duties at the Admiralty. He also gained a great deal of popularity for remaining in London throughout the 1665
Great Plague
when most of the government fled to
Oxford
.
Monck and
Prince Rupert
shared command during the 1666 campaign; the
Four Days' Battle
in June was a Dutch victory, offset by English success at the
St. James's Day Battle
in July. In September he was recalled to help maintain order in the chaos created by the
Great Fire of London
.
This was his last active command; the fleet had to be laid up due to lack of money, culminating in the humiliating
raid on the Medway
in June 1667 which ended the war. One of the few to escape censure by Parliament, Monck was appointed
First Lord of the Treasury
but he was now suffering from severe
edema
which limited his ability to attend meetings.
He died on 3 January 1670, followed three weeks later by his wife, and was buried in
Westminster Abbey
.
Some years later a monument, by
William Kent
and
Peter Scheemakers
, was erected in the Abbey in Monck's honour.
Notes
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]
- ^
Also spelled
Monk
in older texts
References
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]
Sources
[
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]
- Allen, David (1979). "From George Monck to the Duke of Albemarle: His Contribution to Charles II's Government, 1660?1670".
Biography
.
2
(2): 95?124.
doi
:
10.1353/bio.2010.0843
.
JSTOR
23539339
.
S2CID
159829412
.
- BCW.
"The Cessation of Arms"
.
BCW Project
. Retrieved
13 November
2020
.
- Clavin, Terry (2009).
Monck, George in Dictionary of Irish Biography
.
- Dunthorne, Hugh (2017).
From Revolt to Riches: Culture and History of the Low Countries, 1500?1700
. UCL Press.
- General George Monck’s Regiment.
"General George Monck's Regiment of Foot"
.
BCW Project
. Archived from
the original
on 9 May 2021
. Retrieved
28 May
2021
.
- Harris, Tim (2006).
Restoration; Charles II and his kingdoms
. Penguin.
- Helms, MW; Naylor, Leonard (1983).
Clarges, Thomas (c. 1618?95), of Westminster and Stoke Poges, Bucks. in 'The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660?1690'
. Brewer & Boydell.
- Helms, MW; Ferris, John (1983).
Monck, George (1608?70), of Potheridge, Merton, Devon in 'The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660?1690'
. Brewer & Boydell.
- Hunneyball, Paul (2010).
Monck, Sir Thomas (1570?1627), of Potheridge, nr. Merton, Devon in 'The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604?1629'
. CUP.
- Hutton, Ronald (2004). "Monck, George, first duke of Albemarle (1608?1670)".
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
doi
:
10.1093/ref:odnb/18939
.
(Subscription or
UK public library membership
required.)
- Hutton, Ronald (1989).
Charles II: King of England, Scotland, and Ireland
. Clarendon Press.
ISBN
0198229119
.
- Jordan, Don; Walsh, Michael (2012).
The King's Revenge; Charles II and the Greatest Manhunt in British History
. Little, Brown.
ISBN
978-1408703281
.
- Macleod, Donald
(Autumn 2009).
"The influence of Calvinism on politics"
(PDF)
.
Theology in Scotland
.
XVI
(2).
- Royle, Trevor (2006) [2004].
Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638?1660
. Abacus.
ISBN
978-0349115641
.
- Scott, David (2003).
Politics and War in the Three Stuart Kingdoms, 1637?49
. Palgrave.
ISBN
978-0333658741
.
- Sharp, David (2000).
England in Crisis, 1640?60
. Heinemann.
ISBN
978-0435327149
.
- Sherman, Arnold A (1976). "Pressure from Leadenhall: The East India Company Lobby, 1660?1678".
The Business History Review
.
50
(3): 329?355.
doi
:
10.2307/3112999
.
JSTOR
3112999
.
S2CID
154564220
.
- Stoyle, Mark (1993). "The Honour of General Monck".
History Today
.
43
(8).
- Wedgwood, CV (2001) [1958].
The King's War, 1641?1647
. Penguin Classics.
ISBN
978-0141390727
.
- Westminster Abbey.
"George and Nicholas Monck"
.
Westminster Abbey burials
. Retrieved
25 May
2021
.
- Worden, Blair (2010). "Oliver Cromwell and the Protectorate".
Transactions of the Royal Historical Society
.
20
: 57?83.
doi
:
10.1017/S0080440110000058
.
JSTOR
41432386
.
S2CID
159710210
.
- Yerby, George; Hunneyball, Paul (2010).
Smith, George (d. 1619), of Madford House, Exeter, Devon in 'The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604?1629'
. CUP.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Chisholm, Hugh
, ed. (1911).
"Monk, George"
.
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 723?724.
- Jamison, Ted R.
George Monck and the Restoration: victor without bloodshed
(Texas Christian University Press, 1975)
- Keeble, Neil H.
The Restoration: England in the 1660s
(2 vol., John Wiley & Sons, 2008)
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