Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg

For other uses, see Schomberg (disambiguation).

Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg
Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg
Born	30 June 1641 Cologne, Germany
Died	5 July 1719 Hillingdon, London, England
Allegiance	England (1689–1707)  Great Britain (1707–1719)
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Battle of the Boyne Jacobite rebellion
Awards	KG

Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg, 1st Duke of Leinster, KG (30 June 1641 – 5 July 1719) was a general in the service of Prince William of Orange, later King William III of England.

Military career

Born in Cologne, Schomberg joined his father in the service of the Portuguese Army as a Lieutenant-Colonel and then as a Colonel.^[1] He then settled in La Rochelle with his father and became a French subject.^[1] He attained the rank of Brigadier and, afterwards, Field Marshal, during the Franco-Dutch War in 1678.^[1]

He travelled to England in Spring 1689 and was made Colonel of a cavalry regiment on 10 April 1690 and commissioned General of the Horse on 19 April 1689.^[1]

He commanded the right wing of William's army at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and, leading the crossing at Roughgrange on the Jacobites' flank, fought to avenge his father's death, which had taken place earlier that day.^[1] He became a British subject in 1691.^[1]

He was created a Knight of the Garter and Duke of Leinster for his part in the Battle.^[1] In 1691 he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Forces during the King's travels in Flanders.^[1] In 1693 he also inherited the title of Duke of Schomberg following the death of his younger brother Charles Schomberg at the Battle of Marsaglia.^[1]

Then in 1703 Schomberg was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Forces sent to Portugal: his command was not successful and he did not win the support of the Dutch and Portuguese Generals.^[1] He had Hillingdon House built in 1717 as a hunting lodge,^[2] where he died in 1719.^[1]

Family

Schomberg had Hillingdon House built in 1717

On 3 August 1667, Schomberg married Piedmontese Barbara Luisa Rizzi: the couple did not have any children.^[1] On 4 January 1682 Schomberg married Raugräfin Karoline Elisabeth (a daughter of Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine) and together they had four children:^[1]

• Charles Louis Schomberg, Marquess of Harwich (15 December 1683 – 14 October 1713), died from syphilis.
• Lady Caroline Schomberg (1686 – 18 June 1710)
• Lady Frederica Schomberg (c. 1688–1751), married (1) Robert Darcy, 3rd Earl of Holderness, (2) Benjamin Mildmay, 1st Earl FitzWalter.
• Lady Mary Schomberg (bap. 16 March 1692 – 29 April 1762), married Christoph Martin II, Graf von Degenfeld-Schönberg (1689–1762).

Legacy

Schomberg, Ontario was named for the Duke.

See also

• Schomberg House

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} Meinhardt Schomberg at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
2. ^ Sherwood, Philip (2007). Around Uxbridge Past & Present. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 97. ISBN 978-07509-4794-7. 

Military offices
Preceded by The Earl of Marlborough	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1691	Vacant Title next held by The Duke of Marlborough
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by New Creation	Duke of Leinster 1691–1719	Succeeded by Extinct
Peerage of England
Preceded by Charles Schomberg	Duke of Schomberg 1693–1719	Succeeded by Extinct
Titles of nobility
Preceded by Frederick Schomberg	Count of Mértola 1690–1719	Succeeded by Frederica Darcy

Persondata
Name	Schomberg, Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke Of
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	30 June 1641
Place of birth	Cologne, Germany
Date of death	5 July 1719
Place of death	Hillingdon, London, England