Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath ( bapt. 31 August 1661 – 4 September 1701) was an English soldier, politician, diplomat,

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...

and peer. Born with the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

of Lord Lansdown in 1661, he was the eldest son of John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath and his wife, the former Jane Wyche. On 19 November 1680, Granville was elected as Member of Parliament for Launceston following the by-election caused by the death of Sir John Coryton, Bt. but was defeated by William Harbord in the following general election of February 1681. In 1683, he fought in the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...

on the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

side and was created a Count of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

for his services, on 27 January 1684. Granville returned to Parliament after being elected MP for

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

in 1685 and was also appointed ambassador to Spain that year. After his defeat to Hugh Boscawen and

Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet (6 November 1635 – 1 August 1692) of Antony House, Antony, Cornwall, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons variously between 1660 and 1692. Origins Carew was the thi ...

, he was called to the House of Lords in his father's barony of Granville in 1689, appointed Joint

Lord Lieutenant of Devon The Office of the Lord Lieutenant was created during the reign of Henry VIII (1509–1547), taking over the military duties of the Sheriffs and control of the military forces of the Crown. From 1569 there was provision for the appointment of Dep ...

and

alongside his father in 1691 and a

Lord of the Bedchamber Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the Royal Household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household, the term being fir ...

in 1692. Granville inherited his father's earldom of Bath on 22 August 1701. On 4 September 1701, he was found dead in a chair in his bedroom, wounded in the head, with two pistols, one of which had been fired. It was noted that he had been melancholy. On 22 September, both father and son were buried at Kilkhampton., brigittegastelancestry.com, citing Leo van der Pas, accessed 11 September 2022

Personal life

On 22 May 1678, aged seventeen, Granville married Lady Martha Osborne, a daughter of

Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, (20 February 1632 – 26 July 1712) was an English Tories (British political party), Tory statesman. During the reign of Charles II of England, he was the leading figure in the English government for ro ...

, who was herself about fourteen. His first wife died on 11 September 1689 and was buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

as 'the Lady Lansdown'. 10 May 1691 (New Style), he married Isabella, the sister of

Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham (born Hendrik van Nassau, 16735 December 1754), was a British Army officer, courtier and peer who was a member of the House of Orange-Nassau and second cousin once removed to William III of ...

. They had one son, William Henry (1691–1711), to whom Bath's peerages and estates passed on his death. The third Earl died unmarried at the age of 19, and the earldom became extinct.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bath, Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of 1661 births 1701 deaths Lord-lieutenants of Cornwall Lord-lieutenants of Devon Diplomatic peers 2 Ambassadors of England to Spain Lansdown, Charles Granville, Lord Suicides by firearm in England People from Kilkhampton

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

English MPs 1685–1687 17th-century English diplomats Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath British politicians who died by suicide British military personnel who died by suicide Lansdown, Charles Granville, Lord