Historical Figures Codexery

Prince William, Duke of Cumberland

Third son of George II, victor at Culloden, and known as 'Butcher' Cumberland.

Prince William, Duke of Cumberland

Joshua Reynolds · via Wikipedia: Prince William, Duke of Cumberland · Public domain

Caroline of Ansbach and George II of Great Britain and Ireland had a third and youngest son, Prince William Augustus, who became the Duke of Cumberland.[1] The 1746 Battle of Culloden, where he suppressed the Jacobite Rising, is the event for which he is most widely known.[1]

Quick Facts

Full name
William Augustus
House
Hanover
Father
George II of Great Britain
Mother
Caroline of Ansbach
Born
15 April 1721 (New Style)
Birthplace
Leicester House, London, England
Died
31 October 1765
Place of death
Mayfair, London, England

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

William was born in Leicester House, in Leicester Fields, Westminster, London.[2] On 27 July 1726, at only five years old, he was created Duke of Cumberland.[2] William exhibited bravery and skill from a young age, which made him the preferred child of his parents.[3] A promotion to major-general occurred in December 1742, and his first combat experience came the next year in Germany.[4]

After being summoned from Flanders, Cumberland began organizing efforts to suppress the Jacobite rebellion.[5] On 16 April, his forces engaged the main Jacobite army close to Culloden village, resulting in a decisive government victory.[6][7] At age 44, on 31 October 1765, he passed away at his Upper Grosvenor Street residence, never having married.[8]

What the cited sources add

A 2005 newspaper article reports that Cumberland was named the worst Briton of the eighteenth century in a BBC poll of historians.[9] The same article states that Professor Rab Houston of St Andrews University wrote that Cumberland "showed a particular disdain for the defeated Jacobites after Culloden"[9] Professor Houston said that Cumberland's actions amounted to an early example of ethnic cleansing.[9] The British Battles account of Fontenoy states that Cumberland was appointed to command the Pragmatic Army at age 24.[10]

Horace Walpole's letters record that "the soldiers adore him" and that "the Duke's name disperses armies".[11] An equestrian statue of the Duke was taken down from Cavendish Square in 1868.[12]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Prince William, Duke of Cumberland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "On This Day: 27th of June", University of Glasgow; Hannah Smith, 'Georgian Monarchy', Cambridge University Press, 2006; ; MacDonald, Callum (27 December 2005) "Butcher Cumberland among Britain's greatest villains". Glasgow. The Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2013. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Prince William, Duke of Cumberland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Prince William, Duke of Cumberland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Van der Kiste, p. 111; Van der Kiste, p. 78; Chisholm 1911, p. 623; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Prince William, Duke of Cumberland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; ; Chisholm 1911, p. 623; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Prince William, Duke of Cumberland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pollard pp. 41–42 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Prince William, Duke of Cumberland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Chisholm 1911, p. 623 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Prince William, Duke of Cumberland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chisholm 1911, p. 623; Pollard pp. 41–42 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Prince William, Duke of Cumberland" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; ; Van der Kiste, p. 212; ; Stanley, p. 200; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. MacDonald, Callum (27 December 2005) "Butcher Cumberland among Britain's greatest villains". Glasgow. The Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2013.. facts only, no text reused. heraldscotland.com
  10. "Battle of Fontenoy", British Battles. facts only, no text reused. britishbattles.com
  11. "The Letters of Horace Walpole, Volume 1 by Horace Walpole Part 15 out of 18", Fullbooks.com. facts only, no text reused. fullbooks.com
  12. "Cavendish Square Gets Statue Made From Soap", Londonist, 27 June 2012. facts only, no text reused. londonist.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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