Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, KG

Order of the Garter

The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

, PC (14 August 1653 – 6 October 1688) was an English statesman and failed soldier.

He was the son of George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...

.

Monck entered politics in January 1667 (at the age of thirteen), when he became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Devonshire

Devon (UK Parliament constituency)

Devon was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Devon in England. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire, in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and finally the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from...

. He was forced to leave the House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

 in 1670, however, upon the inheritance of his father's peerage titles; that year, he became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber

Gentleman of the Bedchamber

A Gentleman of the Bedchamber was the holder of an important office in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Description and functions:...

 and inherited his father's great feudal title, Lord of Bowland. Albemarle, who had been created a Knight of the Garter

Order of the Garter

The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

 and a Privy Council

Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...

lor, became Lord Lieutenant of Devon

Lord Lieutenant of Devon

This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Devon. Since 1711, all the Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Devon.*John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford 1552–1555*John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath 1556–1561...

 in 1675, and would serve in that capacity for ten years. Meanwhile, he became a titular colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 of several horse regiments of the English Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

.
In his personal life, Monck married Elizabeth

Elizabeth Monck, Duchess of Albemarle

Elizabeth Monck, Duchess of Albermarle , was born Lady Elizabeth Cavendish and known for most of her life as the Mad Duchess of Albemarle....

, eldest daughter of Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle

Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle

Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, KG, PC , styled Viscount Mansfield until 1676, was the only son of the William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and his first wife, Elizabeth Basset. His maternal grandparents were William Basset and Judith Austen, daughter of Thomas...

 on 30 December 1669 at Whitehall

Whitehall

Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.
On 6th January 1681, the first recorded boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 match took place in Britain when Monck engineered a bout between his butler and his butcher, with the latter winning the prize. From 1682 until his death, he was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. In 1685, he resigned the Lord Lieutenancy of Devon to fight the Duke of Monmouth

James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth

James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, KG, PC , was an English nobleman. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II and his mistress, Lucy Walter...

's rebellion

Monmouth Rebellion

The Monmouth Rebellion,The Revolt of the West or The West Country rebellion of 1685, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland at the death of his elder brother Charles II on 6 February 1685. James II was a Roman Catholic, and some...

, but was largely unsuccessful as a military leader. In 1686 Monck was a major investor in treasure-seeking expedition headed by William Phips

William Phips

Sir William Phips was a shipwright, ship's captain, treasure hunter, military leader, and the first royally-appointed governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay....

. Phips located the wreck of the Spanish treasure ship Nuestra Señora de la Concepción in February 1687, returning to London with more than £200,000 worth of treasure, of which Monck received a 25 per cent share. After serving in a few more minor positions, Monck was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica in 1687. However the following year, in 1688, he died in Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

at the age of thirty-five. Monck was childless and all his titles became extinct on his death.