Thomas Belasyse, 1st Earl Fauconberg PC ( 1627 – ; 31 December 1700) was an English peer. He supported the

Parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

cause during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, becoming closely associated with

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

and marrying Cromwell's third daughter, Mary Cromwell. After the Restoration of the monarchy of the monarchy, he became a member of the Privy Council under Charles II and was created an earl by William of Orange.

Biography

Belasyse was the only son of Henry Belasyse, and Grace Barton.; His grandfather, Thomas Belasyse, was a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

who went into exile after the defeat at the Marston Moor in 1644. Unlike his

father and grandfather, Belasyse supported Parliament during the

and subsequently became a strong adherent of

. He married Cromwell's third daughter, Mary, in 1657. His father died in 1647, and he succeeded his grandfather as Viscount Fauconberg in the Bishopric of Durham in 1652.

Career

Belasyse aligned himself with the Royalist cause at the time of the Restoration of the monarchy. He was appointed a member of the Privy Council of England by Charles II and Captain of the Guard, succeeding his uncle The Lord Belasyse in the latter office. He also served as English ambassador in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. He was Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire from 1660 to ;1692, with responsibility for the North York Militia, personally commanding one of the

Troops A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a Squadron (cavalry), squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section (military unit), section or platoon. Exception ...

of Horse. He was among the noblemen who invited William of Orange to England, and was created Earl Fauconberg, in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...

, by that king on 9 April 1689. Fauconberg died on 31 December 1700 and was buried in the family vault in Coxwold. He had no children;; on his death, the earldom became extinct, but his viscountcy passed to his nephew, Thomas Belasyse.

Family

On 3 July 1651, Fauconberg married Mildred, daughter of Nicholas Saunderson, 2nd Viscount Castleton. She died on 8 May 1656. On 18 November 1657, he married Mary Cromwell, the third daughter of

. She outlived her husband by thirteen years, dying on 14 March 1713.

Bibliography

While in Italy, Fauconberg translated and published the ''Histoire du gouvernement de Venise'', by Abraham Nicolas Amelot de la Houssaye."

Arms

References

;Attribution *

Sources

* *Grant, Peter, "Belasyse ée Cromwell Mary, Countess Fauconberg (bap. 1637, d. 1713)", Oxford University Press 2004–2008,
Bellasis family 1500–1653
', page 7. Website o

Retrieved 5 March 2010. * Nicolas, Sir Nicholas Harris & Courthope, William. ''The historic peerage of England: exhibiting, under alphabetical arrangement, the origin, descent, and present state of every title of peerage which has existed in this country since the Conquest; being a new edition of the "Synopsis of the Peerage of England"'', John Murray, 1857. *

External links

by Andrew Marvell. , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fauconberg, Thomas Belasyse, 1st Earl 1620s births 1700 deaths Earls in the Peerage of England Lord-lieutenants of Durham Lord-lieutenants of the North Riding of Yorkshire North York Militia officers Members of the Privy Council of England Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Viscounts Fauconberg Ambassadors of England to the Republic of Venice Ambassadors of England to France