John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

Blenheim - 1704, Ramillies - 1706, Oudenard - 1708 and Malplaquet – 1709, were the famous victories of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Every educated schoolchild up to the 1950s would have known of these battles and been able to recite them off by heart.

Even I remember, at the age of about 10, being taught that the great Duke of Marlborough had cloth coverings put on his cavalry horses’ shoes so they could move quietly at night to surprise the enemy. Sadly, in recent years, his fame has diminished, something that would have horrified his descendant and biographer, Winston Churchill.

Marlborough, as he became in 1689, when given an earldom by King William III in advance of his coronation, was of a minor, not especially prosperous, gentry family, albeit tinged with purple. His mother's grandfather was the beautiful favourite of James I – George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham.

Born in 1650, it was from his great-grandfather that he inherited remarkable good looks which helped him in his way at the court of Charles II. In his early twenties, he became a favourite of his cousin, Barbara Villiers, by then the Duchess of Cleveland, and the mistress of the King. As Winston Churchill put it, “desire walked with opportunity and neither was denied”, as they became lovers.

This proved profitable for Marlborough, as Barbara received all the money she wanted from the king and passed on £5,000 to him. When caught in bed together by Charles II, he wryly commented upon this saying, “you are a rascal, but I forgive you, for you do it to get your bread”.