John Mordaunt, Viscount Mordaunt (c. 1681 – 5 April 1710) was an English soldier and politician.

The eldest son of Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough

Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough

Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough and 1st Earl of Monmouth, KG, PC was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the son of John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt, and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter and sole heiress of Thomas Carey, the second son of Robert Carey, 1st Earl of Monmouth...

, he was a political ally of his father's and managed the attempt to impeach Lord Somers

John Somers, 1st Baron Somers

John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, PC, FRS was an English Whig jurist and statesman. Somers first came to national attention in the trial of the Seven Bishops where he was on the their defence counsel. He published tracts on political topics such as the succession to the crown, where he elaborated his...

 in 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 1701.

He saw distinguished service during the War of the Spanish Succession

War of the Spanish Succession

The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...

. As a captain

Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)

Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...

, he led the forlorn hope

Forlorn hope

A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high....

 of the 1st Foot Guards

Grenadier Guards

The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...

 at the Battle of Schellenberg

Battle of Schellenberg

The Battle of Schellenberg, also known as the Battle of Donauwörth, was fought on 2 July 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement was part of the Duke of Marlborough's campaign to save the Habsburg capital of Vienna from a threatened advance by King Louis XIV's Franco-Bavarian...

 in 1704, and was one of the few to survive that bloody assault. Shortly thereafter, he helped lead another furious assault at the Battle of Blenheim

Battle of Blenheim

The Battle of Blenheim , fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV of France sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna, the Habsburg capital, and gain a favourable peace settlement...

 and lost an arm. On 25 August 1704, he was made colonel of the Scots Fuzileers in place of Brigadier Archibald Rowe, killed in the attack at Blenheim. On 26 June 1706 he exchanged regiments with Sampson de Lalo, then colonel of the 28th regiment

28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot

The 28th Regiment of Foot was a British infantry regiment from 1782 to 1881.For their conduct at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801 the 28th were given the unique honour of wearing a badge on both the front and rear of their head dress.. They served throughout the Peninsula War including the battles...

, but resumed the colonelcy of the Scots Fuzileers in 1709 when de Lalo was killed at the Battle of Malplaquet

Battle of Malplaquet

The Battle of Malplaquet, fought on 11 September 1709, was one of the main battles of the War of the Spanish Succession, which opposed the Bourbons of France and Spain against an alliance whose major members were the Habsburg Monarchy, Great Britain, the United Provinces and the Kingdom of...

.

In 1708, he married Lady Frances Powlett (d. 1715), daughter of Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton

Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton

Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton KG PC was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Member of Parliament for Hampshire and a supporter of William III of Orange....

. They had two sons:

• Charles Mordaunt, 4th Earl of Peterborough
  Charles Mordaunt, 4th Earl of Peterborough
  Charles Mordaunt, 4th Earl of Peterborough, 2nd Earl of Monmouth was a British peer and Member of Parliament, styled Viscount Mordaunt from 1710 to 1735....
  
   (1708–1779)
• Lt.-Col. John Mordaunt
  John Mordaunt (MP)
  The Honourable John Mordaunt , was a British soldier and politician.Mordaunt was the second son of John Mordaunt, Viscount Mordaunt and Frances Powlett. He was a cornet in the Royal Horse Guards from 1726 to 1736. He married Hon. Mary Howe , the daughter of Scrope Howe, 1st Viscount Howe, in...
  
   (c. 1709–1767)

He died of smallpox

Smallpox

Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...

 on 5 April 1710, and was buried at Turvey on 13 April.