James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick (21 August 1670 – 12 June 1734) was a French military leader, illegitimate son of King
James II of England by
Arabella Churchill, sister of the
1st Duke of Marlborough. In 1695 he married
Honora Burke, the daughter of
William Bourke, 7th Earl of Clanricarde and the widow of the
1st Earl of Lucan, who died in 1698. His second marriage, with
Anne Bulkeley, daughter of
Henry Bulkeley, took place in 1700.
History
FitzJames was born at
Moulins in France before his father's accession to the throne, and was brought up a
Roman Catholic and educated in the
College of Juilly, the
Collège du Plessis, and the
Jesuit College of La Flèche. He went into the service of
Charles, Duke of Lorraine and was present at the siege of
Buda. FitzJames was created
Duke of Berwick,
Earl of Tinmouth and
Baron Bosworth by his father in 1687. He then returned to Hungary and participated at the
Battle of Mohács.
Berwick returned to England and was made Governor of
Portsmouth. King James made him a
Knight of the Garter, but due to the invasion of the
Prince of Orange and the subsequent
Glorious Revolution, the installation never took place. In the following year, James was overthrown and Berwick went into exile with him, taking an active part in the
Irish campaign, including the
Battle of the Boyne. After his father's final exile, Berwick served in the French army. He fought at the battles of
Steenkerque and
Landen. At the latter, Berwick was taken prisoner, but was exchanged for the
Duke of Ormonde. Because of his support for his father and service in the French army against England, he was attainted in 1695, and his British peerages forfeit.
As a soldier, Berwick was highly esteemed for his courage, abilities and integrity. As a result of distinguished service in the
War of the Spanish Succession, he became a French subject and was appointed a
Marshal of France after his successful expedition against
Nice in 1706. On 25 April 1707, Berwick won the great and decisive victory of
Almanza, where an Englishman at the head of a Franco-Spanish army defeated
Ruvigny, a Frenchman at the head of an Anglo-Portuguese-Dutch army. After Almanza, Berwick was created
Duc de Fitz-James in the
Peerage of France by
Louis XIV, and
Duque de Liria y Xérica and Lieutenant of Aragon by
Philip V of Spain. The last great event of the War of the Spanish Succession was the storming of
Barcelona by Berwick, after
a long siege, on 11 September 1714.
Not long thereafter, Berwick was appointed military governor of the province of
Guienne, where he became friendly with
Montesquieu. In 1718 he found himself under the necessity of once more entering Spain with an army; and this time he had to fight against Philip V (
War of the Quadruple Alliance). Many years of peace followed this campaign, and Berwick was not again called to serve in the field until 1733. In that year he was chosen to lead the Army of the Rhine in the
War of the Polish Succession, successfully besieging
Kehl in 1733, but was decapitated by a cannon ball at the siege of
Philippsburg, 12 June 1734.
Berwick had children by both his marriages. His descendants were the French Ducs de Fitz-James and the Spanish Duques de Liria and later the
Dukes of Alba.
Marriages and children
James FitzJames, Duke of Berwick
James was married twice, first to Lady
Honora de Burgh, Countess de Lucan on 26 March 1695. They had one child together.
- James Francis Fitz-James Stuart, or Jacobo Francisco Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick, 2nd Duque de Liria, 2nd Duque de Xérica, (21 October 1696 - 2 June 1738, Naples, Italy). He married Catalina Ventura Colón de Portugal, Duquesa de Veragua, and Duquesa de la Vega, a descendant of Admiral Cristóbal Colón.
He was appointed a
Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1714.
In 18 April 1700 he was remarried, this time to
Anne Bulkeley, with whom he had ten children.
- Henry James Fitzjames, described in France as Jacques de Fitjames, 1st Duke of Fitzjames
- Charles de Fitzjames, 4th Duke of Fitzjames
- Marie Emilie de Fitzjames
Ancestry
