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John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, is considered by many to have been Britain's greatest military commander, winning a series of major victories at Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde and Malplaquet, each time defeating one of France's main armies in the main theatre of conflict during the War of the Spanish Succession. The first of these victories, at Blenheim, was the end result of a manoeuvre that took his army from Flanders to the Danube, a scale of movement entirely unexpected at the time (in contrast the Duke of Wellington won most of his victories in Spain, generally seen as less important than the campaigns in Russia, Germany and France that forced Napoleon's first abdication - only Waterloo was fought in the main theatre of the war).
This useful short biography of Marlborough looks at each of these major battles and the way in which each was won, as well as covering the less well known but equally impressive campaigns that saw the French forced out of their major defensive lines and Marlborough's successful sieges. Konstam also looks at the way in which Marlborough's career was affected by the political developments of the period, starting with his betrayal of James II and his falling out with William of Orange. His great victories came during a period when Marlborough and his wife were in favour at the court of Queen Anne, but when this faded his command career came to an end.
The text is well supported by battlefield maps, illustrations and contemporary paintings, complete with useful captions noting where the paintings are inaccurate (mainly due to the artistic conventions of the period, in which commanders are almost always show watching the battle develop from a convenient hill). There is also an interesting section looking at the way in which Marlborough's reputation has fluctuated over the years, perhaps reaching its peak in Winston Churchill's biography of his most famous ancestor.
Chapters
The Early Life
The Military Life
The hours of destiny
Opposing commanders
Inside the mind
When war is done
A life in words
Bibliography
Author: Angus Konstam
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 64
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2010