Henry FitzJames (6 August 1673 – 16 December 1702), titular 1st Duke of Albemarle in the Jacobite peerage, was an illegitimate son of King

James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

and VII of Scotland by Arabella Churchill, sister of the first Duke of Marlborough.

Life

FitzJames was born in St. James's Square,

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, then in the county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, during the reign of his uncle, Charles II. He was the younger brother of James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, the French

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

. He was also the brother of Henrietta FitzJames and Arabella FitzJames, who was named after her mother and became a nun. FitzJames was raised in France and educated at the

College of Juilly The College of Juilly ( French: ''Collège de Juilly'') was a Catholic private teaching establishment located in the commune of Juilly, in Seine-et-Marne (France). Directed by the French Oratorians, it was created in 1638 by the Congregationi ...

and the Collège Henri-IV. In 1687, at the age of thirteen, he was sent to England to gain military experience aboard HMS ''Sedgemoor'', named after his father's recent victory. Following the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

in 1688, FitzJames followed his father into exile in France. At the age of sixteen, his father made FitzJames the colonel of a regiment of infantry, which he led at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 during the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobitism, Jacobite supporters of James II of England, James II and those of his successor, William III of England, William III, it resulted in a Williamit ...

. In 1695, he was outlawed by the English government. The following year he was put in command of a fleet at Toulon, which had been given over by the French to the exiled King James to invade England; the planned invasion never took place. In 1702,

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

made FitzJames an admiral and a lieutenant-general in the French Royal Army, although he died at the age of 29 later that year. On 20 July 1700, he had married Marie Gabrielle d'Audibert de Lussan, daughter and heiress of Jean d'Audibert, Comte de Lussan and Marie Françoise Raimond. He had a

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

daughter, Lady Christine Marie Jacqueline Henriette FitzJames, born 29 May 1703 at Bagnols sur Cèze, Languedoc, France, who became a nun. His widow remarried in May 1707, at

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...

, John Drummond, Marquess of Forth, later 2nd Duke of Melfort (1682–1754).

Unrecognized title

FitzJames was created Duke of Albemarle, together with the subsidiary titles of Earl of Rochford and Baron Romney, by his father on 13 January 1696, but the title was only recognized by Jacobites and the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

. His titles became extinct upon his death. He was also appointed the Grand Prior of the revived Priory of the English Commandery of the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, known as the Knights of Malta.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:FitzJames, Henry 1673 births 1702 deaths 17th-century English nobility 18th-century English people Henry Illegitimate children of James II of England People from Westminster 301 Dukes in the Jacobite peerage Peers created by James II (1689–1701) Sons of kings