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William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney
Lieutenant-General William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney, KB (7 September 1672 – 20 September 1761) was a British Army officer and politician who served from 1695 until 1756. From 1725 to 1757, he also sat in the Parliament of Ireland as MP for Kilmallock, although he rarely attended. A tough, reliable and courageous soldier, Blakeney was also known for his innovative approach to weapons drill and training. One of the few officers to bolster their reputation during the Jacobite rising of 1745, he was rewarded by being appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the British-held island of Menorca in 1748. When the Seven Years' War began in April 1756, the French occupied most of the island, although Blakeney and the garrison of Fort St. Philip held out for 70 days. Admiral John Byng was later court-martialled and shot for failing to relieve him, but Blakeney was made a baron in recognition of his resolute defence. Now over eighty years old, this ended his military career, and he retir ...
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The Right Honourable
''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is predominantly used today as a style associated with the holding of certain senior public offices in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and, to a lesser extent, Australia. ''Right'' in this context is an adverb meaning 'very' or 'fully'. Grammatically, ''The Right Honourable'' is an adjectival phrase which gives information about a person. As such, it is not considered correct to apply it in direct address, nor to use it on its own as a title in place of a name; but rather it is used in the Grammatical person, third person along with a name or noun to be modified. ''Right'' may be abbreviated to ''Rt'', and ''Honourable'' to ''Hon.'', or both. ''The'' is sometimes dropped in written abbreviated form, but is ...
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Battle Of Malplaquet
The Battle of Malplaquet took place on 11 September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession, near Taisnières-sur-Hon in modern France, then part of the Spanish Netherlands. A French army of around 75,000 men, commanded by the Duke of Villars, engaged a Grand Alliance force of 86,000 under the Duke of Marlborough. In one of the bloodiest battles of the 18th century, the allies won a narrow victory, but suffered heavy casualties. Allied advances in 1708 led to the renewal of peace talks, which collapsed in April 1709. After taking Tournai in early September, the allies besieged Mons, whose capture would allow them to enter France itself, and Louis XIV ordered Villars to prevent its loss. Although the two armies made contact on 10 September, the attack was delayed until the next day, giving Villars time to construct strong defensive positions. After an opening artillery barrage, the allied infantry made simultaneous assaults on the French flanks. These were intended to ...
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John Byng
Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral John Byng (baptised 29 October 1704 – 14 March 1757) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to Vice-admiral (Royal Navy), vice-admiral in 1747. He also served as List of governors of Newfoundland and Labrador, Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland Colony in 1742, Leith Station, Commander-in-Chief, Leith, 1745 to 1746 and was a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member of Parliament from 1751 until his death. Byng failed to relieve a besieged British garrison during the Battle of Minorca (1756), Battle of Minorca at the beginning of the Seven Years' War. He had sailed for Minorca at the head of a hastily assembled fleet of vessels, some of which were in poor condition. In the ensuing battle ...
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Menorca
Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the island's eastern end, although Menorca is not a province and forms a political union with the other islands in the archipelago. Ciutadella de Menorca, Ciutadella and Maó are the main ports and largest towns. Menorca had a population of 102,477 at the Census of 1 January 2025, Its highest point, called El Toro (Minorca), El Toro (from Catalan "''turó''" meaning ''hill''), roughly in the middle of the island, is Above mean sea level, above sea level. History The island is known for its collection of European megalithic culture, megalithic stone monuments: naveta, ''navetes'', taula, ''taules'' and ''talaiots'', which indicate very early prehistoric human activity. Some of the earliest culture on Menorca was influenced by other Mediterran ...
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British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve personnel and 4,697 "other personnel", for a total of 108,413. The British Army traces back to 1707 and the Acts of Union 1707, formation of the united Kingdom of Great Britain which joined the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland into a Political union, single state and, with that, united the English Army and the Scots Army as the British Army. The Parliament of England, English Bill of Rights 1689 and Convention of the Estates, Scottish Claim of Right Act 1689 require parliamentary consent for the Crown to maintain a peacetime standing army. Members of the British Army swear allegiance to the Charles III, monarch as their commander-in-chief. The army is administered by the Ministry of Defence (United Kingd ...
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Lieutenant General (United Kingdom)
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen), formerly more commonly lieutenant-general, is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines. It is the equivalent of a multinational three-star rank; some British lieutenant generals sometimes wear three-star insignia, in addition to their standard insignia, when on multinational operations. Lieutenant general is a superior rank to Major-general (United Kingdom), major general, but subordinate to a General (United Kingdom), (full) general. The rank has a NATO rank code of OF-8, equivalent to a Vice-Admiral (Royal Navy), vice-admiral in the Royal Navy and an air marshal in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. The rank insignia for both the Army and the Royal Marines is a crown over a crossed sabre and baton. During the reign of Elizabeth II, the St Edward's Crown, commonly known as the Queen's Crown, was depicted. Before 1953, and again since the accession of Charles III in 20 ...
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Robert Blakeney (died 1733)
Robert Blakeney (1679 – 1 May 1733) was an Irish Member of Parliament. He was the son of John Blakeney of Gallogh. William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney was a second cousin. He was appointed High Sheriff of County Galway for 1709 and 1729. He represented Athenry in the Irish House of Commons from 1721 to his death. He married Sarah, the daughter of Gilbert Ormsby, M.P. and had 3 sons and 4 daughters. His son John Blakeney and grandsons Robert, John, Theophilus Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (''theós'', "God") and φιλία (''philía'', "love or affection") can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend ... and William Blakeney were also MPs for Athenry. References * * http://thepeerage.com/p27663.htm#i276626 {{DEFAULTSORT:Blakeney, Robert 1679 births 1733 deaths People from Athenry Irish MPs 1727–1760 17th-century Irish politicians Politicians from Count ...
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Siege Of Fort St Philip (1756)
The siege of Fort St Philip, also known as the siege of Minorca, took place from 20 April to 29 June 1756 during the Seven Years' War. Ceded to Great Britain in 1714 by Spain following the War of the Spanish Succession, its capture by France threatened the British naval position in the Western Mediterranean and it was returned after the Treaty of Paris (1763). Background The Spanish island of Menorca was captured by the British in 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession and along with Gibraltar ceded to Great Britain under the 1714 Treaty of Utrecht. Although considered vital for control of the Western Mediterranean, it was also extremely vulnerable, since the Spanish deeply resented British occupation, while it was only two days sail from Cádiz, and one from the French naval base at Toulon. Attempts by William Blakeney, Lieutenant governor of Menorca and commander of the garrison of Fort St Philip, to reduce local opposition by encouraging his troops to marry local wom ...
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Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia versus Kingdom of France, France and Habsburg monarchy, Austria, the respective coalitions receiving by countries including Portuguese Empire, Portugal, Spanish Empire, Spain, Electorate of Saxony, Saxony, Age of Liberty, Sweden, and Russian Empire, Russia. Related conflicts include the Third Silesian War, French and Indian War, Carnatic wars, Third Carnatic War, Anglo-Spanish War (1762–1763), Anglo-Spanish War (1762–1763), and Spanish–Portuguese War (1762–1763), Spanish–Portuguese War. Although the War of the Austrian Succession ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), none of the signatories were happy with the terms, and it was generally viewed as a temporary armistice. It led to a strategic realignment kn ...
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Siege Of Stirling Castle (1746)
The siege of Stirling Castle took place from 8 January to 1 February 1746, during the Jacobite rising of 1745, 1745 Rising, when a Jacobite force besieged Stirling Castle, held by a government garrison under William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney, William Blakeney. Despite defeating a relief force under Henry Hawley at Battle of Falkirk Muir, Falkirk Muir on 17 January, the siege made little progress; when Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, Cumberland's army began advancing north from Edinburgh, it was abandoned and on 1 February the Jacobites withdrew to Inverness. Background One of the strongest fortifications in Scotland, Stirling Castle controlled access between the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands. In September 1745, the Jacobite army passed nearby en route to Edinburgh, but had neither the time nor the equipment needed to take it. Leaving William Drummond, 4th Viscount Strathallan, Viscount Strathallan in Perth, Scotland, Perth to recruit a ...
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Jacobite Rising Of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of the British Army was fighting in mainland Europe, and proved to be the last in Jacobite risings, a series of revolts that began in Jacobite rising of 1689, March 1689, with major outbreaks in Jacobite rising of 1715, 1715 and Jacobite rising of 1719, 1719. Charles launched the rebellion on 19 August 1745 at Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands, capturing Edinburgh and winning the Battle of Prestonpans in September. At a council in October, the Scots agreed to invade England after Charles assured them of substantial support from English Jacobitism, Jacobites and a simultaneous French landing in Southern England. On that basis, the Jacobite Army (1745), Jacobite army entered England in early November, but neither of these assurances proved ac ...
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