Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
Encyclopedia
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus; 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was a member of the Hanoverian
and British Royal Family
, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III
. From the death of his father in 1820 until his own death in 1827, he was the heir presumptive
to his elder brother, King George IV
, both to the United Kingdom
and the Kingdom of Hanover.
As an inexperienced young military officer, he presided over the unsuccessful campaign against the forces of France in the Low Countries
, during the war which followed the French Revolution. Later, as commander-in-chief of the British army, he reorganised the army's forces, putting in place administrative reforms. He also founded the United Kingdom's renowned military college, Sandhurst
, which promoted the professional, merit-based training of future commissioned officers. In the opinion of Sir John Fortescue, York did "more for the army than any one man has done for it in the whole of its history.
. He was born on 16 August 1763, at St. James's Palace
, London
. His father was the reigning British monarch, King George III. His mother was Queen Charlotte
(née Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz). He was christened on 14 September 1763 at St James's, by The Archbishop of Canterbury
, Thomas Secker
— his godparents were his great-uncle The Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
(for whom The Earl Gower
, Lord Chamberlain
, stood proxy), his uncle The Duke of York (for whom The Earl of Huntingdon
, Groom of the Stole
, stood proxy) and his great-aunt The Princess Amelia.
On 27 February 1764, when Prince Frederick was six months old, his father secured his election as Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück in today's Lower Saxony
. He received this title because the prince-electors of Hanover
(which included his father) were entitled to select every other holder of this title (in alternation with the Holy Roman Emperor
), to which considerable revenues accrued, and the King apparently decided to ensure that the title remained in the family for as long as possible. At only 196 days of age he is therefore listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest bishop in history. He was invested as Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath
in 1767 and as a Knight of the Order of the Garter
on 19 June 1771.
Even though he was the second son, Frederick was favoured over his elder brother The Prince of Wales.
George III decided that his second son would pursue an army career and had him gazetted colonel in 1780. From 1781 to 1787, Prince Frederick lived in Hanover, where he drank and fornicated immoderately yet still found time to earnestly attend the manoeuvres of the Austrian and Prussian armies and studied (along with his younger brothers, Prince Edward, Prince Ernest
, Prince Augustus
and Prince Adolphus
) at the University of Göttingen. He was appointed colonel of the 2nd Horse Grenadier Guards (now 2nd Life Guards) in 1782, and promoted major-general and appointed colonel of the Coldstream Guards
in 1784.
He was created Duke of York
and Albany
and Earl of Ulster
on 27 November 1784 and became a member of the Privy Council
. He retained the bishopric of Osnabrück until 1803, when, in the course of the secularization preceding the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
, the bishopric was incorporated into Hanover.
In the summer of 1787, American newspaper accounts said that a government plot was under way to invite Prince Frederick to become "King of the United States
". On his return to Britain, the Duke took his seat in the House of Lords
, where, on 15 December 1788 during the Regency crisis, he opposed William Pitt
's Regency Bill in a speech which was supposed to have been caused by the Prince of Wales
.
In 1795 The Duke of York took command of the regular British Army, including the Ordnance Corps
, the Militia, and the Volunteers, and immediately declared
to institute reforms that created the force which later was able to serve in the Peninsular War
, as well as the preparations for the expected French invasion of United Kingdom in 1803.
The Duke of York was his father's favourite son. He remained, however, somewhat in the shadow of his flashy elder brother, George, Prince of Wales, especially after the latter became Prince Regent due to the mental incapacity of the King. However, the two brothers continued to enjoy a warm relationship. They had many interests in common and they both enjoyed indulging their physical desires; but generally speaking, the Duke of York took a more diligent approach to the discharge of his public duties than did the Prince Regent.
The 72nd Regiment of Foot
was renamed 72nd (Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders) Regiment of Foot on 19 December 1823.
, the Duke of York married his cousin Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia
, the daughter of King Frederick William II of Prussia
and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg
. The new Duchess of York received an enthusiastic welcome in London, but the marriage was not a happy one. The couple soon separated and the Duchess retired to Oatlands Park, Weybridge, where she lived eccentrically and died in 1820. Their relationship after separation appears to have been amicable, but there was never any question of reconciliation.
The Duke and Duchess of York had no children, but the Duke was rumoured to have sired several illegitimate offspring by different mothers over the years. Believed to be among the Duke's extra-marital children are: Captain Charles Hesse (circa 1786-1832), a British military officer; Frederick George (1800–1848) and Louisa Ann (1802–1890) Vandiest; Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787-1873), who served as a commissioned British officer in the Napoleonic Wars and became Collector of Customs for the Colony of New South Wales
, Australia, from 1834 until his retirement in 1859; and army Captain John Molloy
(1788/89-1867), a landowner and pioneer of Augusta in Western Australia.
in command of the British contingent of Coburg's army destined for the invasion of France
. The Duke and his command performed well during the campaign
under trying conditions, winning several notable engagements while tied to the overall strategy of Coburg and the British government, however the campaign ended with a humiliating retreat to Holland in the winter of 1794. On his return to Britain at the end of that year, George III promoted him to the rank of field marshal
, and on 3 April 1795, appointed him Commander-in-Chief
in succession to Lord Amherst
. His second field command was with the army sent to invade Holland
in conjunction with a Russian corps d'armée in 1799. Sir Ralph Abercromby
and Admiral Sir Charles Mitchell, in charge of the vanguard, had succeeded in capturing the Dutch ships in Den Helder. However, following the Duke of York's arrival with the main body of the army, a number of disasters befell the allied forces. On 17 October, the Duke signed the Convention of Alkmaar
, by which the allied expedition withdrew after giving up its prisoners.
These military setbacks were inevitable, given the Duke's lack of moral seniority as a field commander, the poor state of the British army at the time, conflicting military objectives of the protagonists, and the intervention of pure bad luck during the campaign. Nonetheless, because of Flanders, the Prince was destined to be unfairly pilloried in the rhyme The Grand Old Duke of York
, which goes:
Historians such as Alfred Burne
and Richard Glover have done much to reappraise York's military reputation.
Mindful of the poor performance of the British army that he had experienced in Flanders, the Duke of York carried out many significant structural, training and logistical reforms to the British military forces during his service as the army's commander-in-chief during the early 19th Century. These reforms contributed to Great Britain's subsequent successes in the wars against Napoleon. In these positive outcomes, the Duke was aided by the Duke of Wellington
, who eventually would succeed him as commander-in-chief of the army. It should be noted that the Duke resigned for a time as commander-in-chief, on 25 March 1809, as the result of a scandal caused by the activities of his latest mistress, Mary Anne Clarke
. Clarke was accused of illicitly selling army commissions under the Duke's aegis. A select committee was appointed by the British House of Commons
to enquire into the matter. The parliament eventually acquitted the Duke of having received bribes by 278 votes to 196. He nevertheless resigned because of the high tally against him. Two years later, on 29 May 1811, after it was revealed that Clarke had received payment from the Duke's disgraced chief accuser, the Prince Regent reappointed the now exonerated Duke of York as commander-in-chief. The Duke would hold this post for the rest of his life. In addition, the Prince Regent created his brother a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
. In 1815 the Duke received parliament's acclaim for his services during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Duke of York maintained a country residence at Oatlands
near Weybridge, Surrey; but he was seldom there, preferring to immerse himself in his administrative work at Horse Guards (the British army's headquarters) and, after hours, in London's high life, with its gaming tables and attendant vices. (The Duke was perpetually in debt due to his excessive gambling on cards and racehorses.) Following the unexpected death of his niece, Princess Charlotte of Wales, in 1817, the Duke became second in line to the throne, with a serious chance of inheriting it. This opportunity to become king improved further in 1820 when he became heir presumptive
with the death of his father, the elderly and mentally ill George III.
The Duke of York died of dropsy and apparent cardio-vascular disease at the home of the Duke of Rutland
on Arlington Street, London, in 1827. His dissipated lifestyle had no doubt led to his relatively early demise, thus denying him the throne. After lying in state in London, the Duke's remains were interred in St. George's Chapel, at Windsor
.The funeral became notorious for the appalling discomfort endured by the mourners who were required to kneel on a damp stone floor in an unheated chapel on a winter night. Several of the frailer mourners succumbed to pneumonia and George Canning
who became Prime Minister two months later became so ill after the funeral that when he took office he was already a dying man.
His full style, recited at his funeral, was "Most High, Most Mighty, and Illustrious Prince, Frederick Duke of York and of Albany, Earl of Ulster, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, First and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order".
Fredericton
, the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick
, was named after Prince Frederick. The city was originally named "Frederick's Town". Fredericksburgh Township, now part of Greater Napanee, Ontario, was named after the Duke of York. When Toronto
was re-founded to be the capital of Upper Canada
in 1793, it was named York
after Prince Frederick. Although the city's name was changed back to Toronto in 1834, many surrounding localities still bear the name of York.
The Albany and Albany Street
in London are also named after him.
The towering Duke of York Column
on Waterloo Place, just off The Mall
, London was completed in 1834 as a memorial to Prince Frederick. It was paid for by the soldiers of the British Army who each gave up one day's wages to pay for the column. A statue to Frederick's honour is also in Edinburgh
. The inscription reads in main: "Field Marshal His Royal Highness Frederick Duke Of York and Albany KG Commander in Chief of the British Army". He founded The Duke of York's Royal Military School in 1803 in Chelsea, which relocated to Dover in 1909. Originally named the Duke of York's Royal Military Asylum, it was set up to look after orphans of military families. Now co-educational, the school remains exclusive to military children.
The 72nd Regiment of Foot
was given the title Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders in 1823 upon its resumption as a Highland regiment, following its previous withdrawal of Highland status in 1809. In 1881, the regiment became 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders
(Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's).
The only pub in the UK called The Prince Frederick is located at 31, Nichol Lane, Bromley, Kent, BR1 4DE.
The first British fortification in southern Africa, Fort Frederick, Port Elizabeth, a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, was built in 1799 to prevent French assistance for rebellious Boers in the short-lived republic of Graaff-Reinet. Its history and that of the city is interwoven and the fort was declared a national monument in 1936.
The Duke of York Bay
in Canada
was named in his honor, since it was discovered on his birthday, 16 August.
The City of Albany, Western Australia
was initially named Frederickstown but later named Albany in tribute to him.
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
and British Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. From the death of his father in 1820 until his own death in 1827, he was the heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to his elder brother, King George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, both to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the Kingdom of Hanover.
As an inexperienced young military officer, he presided over the unsuccessful campaign against the forces of France in the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
, during the war which followed the French Revolution. Later, as commander-in-chief of the British army, he reorganised the army's forces, putting in place administrative reforms. He also founded the United Kingdom's renowned military college, Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, which promoted the professional, merit-based training of future commissioned officers. In the opinion of Sir John Fortescue, York did "more for the army than any one man has done for it in the whole of its history.
Early life
Prince Frederick Augustus, or the Duke of York as he became in later life, belonged to the House of HanoverHouse of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. He was born on 16 August 1763, at St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK...
, 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...
. His father was the reigning British monarch, King George III. His mother was Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
(née Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz). He was christened on 14 September 1763 at St James's, by The Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, Thomas Secker
Thomas Secker
Thomas Secker , Archbishop of Canterbury, was born at Sibthorpe, Nottinghamshire.-Early life and studies:In 1699, Secker went to Richard Brown's free school in Chesterfield, staying with his half-sister and her husband, Elizabeth and Richard Milnes...
— his godparents were his great-uncle The Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg , was a duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.-Biography:He was the eldest son of Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Magdalene Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst....
(for whom The Earl Gower
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford
Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford PC , known as Viscount Trentham from 1746 to 1754 and as The Earl Gower from 1754 to 1786, was a British politician.-Background:...
, Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
, stood proxy), his uncle The Duke of York (for whom The Earl of Huntingdon
Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon
Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon PC was a British peer and politician.He was the son of the 9th Earl of Huntingdon and his wife, Selina. Hastings succeeded as Earl of Huntingdon and Baron Botreaux on his father's demise in 1746...
, Groom of the Stole
Groom of the Stole
Groom of the Stole in the British Royal Household is a position dating from the Stuart era but which evolved from the earlier Groom of the Stool, an office in existence until the accession of Elizabeth I. The original nomenclature derived from the chair used in the performance of the function...
, stood proxy) and his great-aunt The Princess Amelia.
On 27 February 1764, when Prince Frederick was six months old, his father secured his election as Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück in today's Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. He received this title because the prince-electors of Hanover
Electorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the ninth Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation...
(which included his father) were entitled to select every other holder of this title (in alternation with the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
), to which considerable revenues accrued, and the King apparently decided to ensure that the title remained in the family for as long as possible. At only 196 days of age he is therefore listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest bishop in history. He was invested as Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1767 and as a Knight of the Order 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...
on 19 June 1771.
Even though he was the second son, Frederick was favoured over his elder brother The Prince of Wales.
Army
Ernest Augustus I of Hanover
Ernest Augustus I was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death. He was the fifth son and eighth child of George III, who reigned in both the United Kingdom and Hanover...
, Prince Augustus
Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex
The Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex , was the sixth son of George III of the United Kingdom and his consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He was the only surviving son of George III who did not pursue an army or naval career.- Early life :His Royal Highness The Prince Augustus...
and Prince Adolphus
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
The Prince Adolphus, 1st Duke of Cambridge , was the tenth child and seventh son of George III and Queen Charlotte. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 1801 until his death. He also served as Viceroy of Hanover on behalf of his brothers George IV and William IV...
) at the University of Göttingen. He was appointed colonel of the 2nd Horse Grenadier Guards (now 2nd Life Guards) in 1782, and promoted major-general and appointed colonel of the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
in 1784.
He was created Duke of York
Duke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
and Albany
Duke of Albany
Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish, and later the British, royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover....
and Earl of Ulster
Earl of Ulster
The title of Earl of Ulster has been created several times in the Peerage of Ireland and Peerage of the United Kingdom. Currently, the title is a subsidiary title of the Duke of Gloucester, and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's son, Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster...
on 27 November 1784 and became a member of the 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...
. He retained the bishopric of Osnabrück until 1803, when, in the course of the secularization preceding the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, the bishopric was incorporated into Hanover.
In the summer of 1787, American newspaper accounts said that a government plot was under way to invite Prince Frederick to become "King of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
". On his return to Britain, the Duke took his seat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, where, on 15 December 1788 during the Regency crisis, he opposed William Pitt
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
's Regency Bill in a speech which was supposed to have been caused by the Prince of Wales
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
.
In 1795 The Duke of York took command of the regular British Army, including the Ordnance Corps
Ordnance Corps
The United States Army Ordnance Corps is a Sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Lee, Virginia.-Mission Statement:The U.S...
, the Militia, and the Volunteers, and immediately declared
reflecting on the Netherlands campaigns of 1793-94. The Duke of York's participation in the Anglo-Russian invasion of North Holland in 1799 made a strong impression on him, and he was the single most responsible person in the British Army
"that no officer should ever be subject to the same disadvantages under which he had laboured"
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...
to institute reforms that created the force which later was able to serve in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, as well as the preparations for the expected French invasion of United Kingdom in 1803.
The Duke of York was his father's favourite son. He remained, however, somewhat in the shadow of his flashy elder brother, George, Prince of Wales, especially after the latter became Prince Regent due to the mental incapacity of the King. However, the two brothers continued to enjoy a warm relationship. They had many interests in common and they both enjoyed indulging their physical desires; but generally speaking, the Duke of York took a more diligent approach to the discharge of his public duties than did the Prince Regent.
The 72nd Regiment of Foot
72nd Regiment of Foot
The 72nd Highlanders was a British Army Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line raised in the late 18th Century in Scotland for service against the French...
was renamed 72nd (Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders) Regiment of Foot on 19 December 1823.
Marriage
On 29 September 1791 at Charlottenburg, Berlin, and again on 23 November 1791 at Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, the Duke of York married his cousin Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia
Frederica Charlotte of Prussia
Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia was the only daughter of Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia, later King Frederick William II and his first wife and double first cousin Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, the daughter of King Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:...
and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , was the first wife of Prince Frederick William, her cousin and the future king Frederick William II of Prussia....
. The new Duchess of York received an enthusiastic welcome in London, but the marriage was not a happy one. The couple soon separated and the Duchess retired to Oatlands Park, Weybridge, where she lived eccentrically and died in 1820. Their relationship after separation appears to have been amicable, but there was never any question of reconciliation.
The Duke and Duchess of York had no children, but the Duke was rumoured to have sired several illegitimate offspring by different mothers over the years. Believed to be among the Duke's extra-marital children are: Captain Charles Hesse (circa 1786-1832), a British military officer; Frederick George (1800–1848) and Louisa Ann (1802–1890) Vandiest; Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787-1873), who served as a commissioned British officer in the Napoleonic Wars and became Collector of Customs for the Colony of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia, from 1834 until his retirement in 1859; and army Captain John Molloy
John Molloy
Captain John Molloy was an early settler in Western Australia. He was one of the original settlers of Augusta.-Early life:...
(1788/89-1867), a landowner and pioneer of Augusta in Western Australia.
Flanders
In 1793, the Duke of York was sent to FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in command of the British contingent of Coburg's army destined for the invasion of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The Duke and his command performed well during the campaign
Flanders Campaign
This feature refers to the conflict that took place during the Wars of the French Revolution 1792–1801.For the Low Countries campaigns of the War of the Grand Alliance 1688–97 see Nine Years' War...
under trying conditions, winning several notable engagements while tied to the overall strategy of Coburg and the British government, however the campaign ended with a humiliating retreat to Holland in the winter of 1794. On his return to Britain at the end of that year, George III promoted him to the rank of field marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
, and on 3 April 1795, appointed him Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, or just the Commander-in-Chief , was the professional head of the British Army from 1660 until 1904, when the office was replaced by the Chief of the General Staff, soon to become Chief of the Imperial General Staff . From 1870, the C-in-C was subordinate to...
in succession to Lord Amherst
Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst
Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst KCB served as an officer in the British Army and as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.Amherst is best known as one of the victors of the French and Indian War, when he conquered Louisbourg, Quebec City and...
. His second field command was with the army sent to invade Holland
Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland
The Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland refers to the campaign of 27 August to 19 November 1799 during the War of the Second Coalition, in which an expeditionary force of British and Russian troops invaded the North-Holland peninsula in the Batavian Republic...
in conjunction with a Russian corps d'armée in 1799. Sir Ralph Abercromby
Ralph Abercromby
Sir Ralph Abercromby was a Scottish soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars, and served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.He twice served as MP for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire, and was...
and Admiral Sir Charles Mitchell, in charge of the vanguard, had succeeded in capturing the Dutch ships in Den Helder. However, following the Duke of York's arrival with the main body of the army, a number of disasters befell the allied forces. On 17 October, the Duke signed the Convention of Alkmaar
Convention of Alkmaar
The Convention of Alkmaar was a 1799 agreement concluded between the commanders of the expeditionary forces of Great Britain and Russia on the one hand, and of those of the First French Republic and the Batavian Republic on the other, in Alkmaar, by which the British and Russians agreed to withdraw...
, by which the allied expedition withdrew after giving up its prisoners.
These military setbacks were inevitable, given the Duke's lack of moral seniority as a field commander, the poor state of the British army at the time, conflicting military objectives of the protagonists, and the intervention of pure bad luck during the campaign. Nonetheless, because of Flanders, the Prince was destined to be unfairly pilloried in the rhyme The Grand Old Duke of York
The Grand Old Duke of York
‘The Grand Old Duke of York’ is an English children's nursery rhyme, often performed as an action song. The Duke of the title has been argued to be a number of the holders of that office, particularly Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany and its lyrics have become proverbial for futile action...
, which goes:
- The grand old Duke of York,
- He had ten thousand men.
- He marched them up to the top of the hill
- And he marched them down again.
- And when they were up, they were up.
- And when they were down, they were down.
- And when they were only halfway up,
- They were neither up nor down.
Historians such as Alfred Burne
Alfred Burne
Alfred Higgins Burne was a soldier and military historian. He invented the concept of Inherent Military Probability; in battles and campaigns where there is some doubt over what action was taken, Burne believed that the action taken would be one which a trained staff officer of the twentieth...
and Richard Glover have done much to reappraise York's military reputation.
Later life
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, who eventually would succeed him as commander-in-chief of the army. It should be noted that the Duke resigned for a time as commander-in-chief, on 25 March 1809, as the result of a scandal caused by the activities of his latest mistress, Mary Anne Clarke
Mary Anne Clarke
Mary Anne Clarke was the mistress of Frederick, Duke of York. Their relationship began in 1803, while he was Commander-in-Chief of the army. Later in 1809, she wrote her memoirs which were published...
. Clarke was accused of illicitly selling army commissions under the Duke's aegis. A select committee was appointed by the British 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...
to enquire into the matter. The parliament eventually acquitted the Duke of having received bribes by 278 votes to 196. He nevertheless resigned because of the high tally against him. Two years later, on 29 May 1811, after it was revealed that Clarke had received payment from the Duke's disgraced chief accuser, the Prince Regent reappointed the now exonerated Duke of York as commander-in-chief. The Duke would hold this post for the rest of his life. In addition, the Prince Regent created his brother a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
. In 1815 the Duke received parliament's acclaim for his services during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Duke of York maintained a country residence at Oatlands
Oatlands
Oatlands is a village and small district near Weybridge in Surrey which has acquired its name from the Royal Tudor and Stuart Oatlands Palace, the site of which is now a luxury hotel...
near Weybridge, Surrey; but he was seldom there, preferring to immerse himself in his administrative work at Horse Guards (the British army's headquarters) and, after hours, in London's high life, with its gaming tables and attendant vices. (The Duke was perpetually in debt due to his excessive gambling on cards and racehorses.) Following the unexpected death of his niece, Princess Charlotte of Wales, in 1817, the Duke became second in line to the throne, with a serious chance of inheriting it. This opportunity to become king improved further in 1820 when he became heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
with the death of his father, the elderly and mentally ill George III.
The Duke of York died of dropsy and apparent cardio-vascular disease at the home of the Duke of Rutland
Duke of Rutland
Earl of Rutland and Duke of Rutland are titles in the peerage of England, derived from Rutland, a county in the East Midlands of England. The Earl of Rutland was elevated to the status of Duke in 1703 and the titles were merged....
on Arlington Street, London, in 1827. His dissipated lifestyle had no doubt led to his relatively early demise, thus denying him the throne. After lying in state in London, the Duke's remains were interred in St. George's Chapel, at Windsor
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
.The funeral became notorious for the appalling discomfort endured by the mourners who were required to kneel on a damp stone floor in an unheated chapel on a winter night. Several of the frailer mourners succumbed to pneumonia and George Canning
George Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
who became Prime Minister two months later became so ill after the funeral that when he took office he was already a dying man.
Titles and styles
- 16 August 1763 – 27 November 1784: His Royal Highness The Prince Frederick
- 27 February 1764–1802: The Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück
- 27 November 1784 – 5 January 1827: His Royal Highness The Duke of York and Albany
His full style, recited at his funeral, was "Most High, Most Mighty, and Illustrious Prince, Frederick Duke of York and of Albany, Earl of Ulster, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, First and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order".
Honours
- Privy CouncilPrivy Council of the United KingdomHer 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...
- Order of the BathOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
- Order of the GarterOrder of the GarterThe 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...
- Royal Guelphic OrderRoyal Guelphic OrderThe Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
Arms
As a son of the sovereign, Frederick was granted use of the arms of the kingdom, differenced by a label argent of three points, the centre point bearing a cross gules. The quarter/inescutcheon of Hanover had an inescutcheon argent charged with a wheel of six spokes gules for the Bishopric of Osnabrück.Legacy
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
, the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, was named after Prince Frederick. The city was originally named "Frederick's Town". Fredericksburgh Township, now part of Greater Napanee, Ontario, was named after the Duke of York. When Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
was re-founded to be the capital of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
in 1793, it was named York
York, Upper Canada
York was the name of Old Toronto between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.- History :The town was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the last French 'Fort Toronto'...
after Prince Frederick. Although the city's name was changed back to Toronto in 1834, many surrounding localities still bear the name of York.
The Albany and Albany Street
Albany Street
Albany Street is a road in London running from Marylebone Road to Gloucester Gate following the east side of Regent's Park. It is about three-quarters of a mile in length....
in London are also named after him.
Duke of York Column
The Duke of York Column is a monument in London, England, to Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the second eldest son of King George III. The designer was Benjamin Dean Wyatt. It is located near where Regent Street meets The Mall at Waterloo Place, in between the two terraces of Carlton House...
on Waterloo Place, just off The Mall
The Mall (London)
The Mall in central London is the road running from Buckingham Palace at its western end to Admiralty Arch and on to Trafalgar Square at its eastern end. It then crosses Spring Gardens, which was where the Metropolitan Board of Works and, for a number of years, the London County Council were...
, London was completed in 1834 as a memorial to Prince Frederick. It was paid for by the soldiers of the British Army who each gave up one day's wages to pay for the column. A statue to Frederick's honour is also in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. The inscription reads in main: "Field Marshal His Royal Highness Frederick Duke Of York and Albany KG Commander in Chief of the British Army". He founded The Duke of York's Royal Military School in 1803 in Chelsea, which relocated to Dover in 1909. Originally named the Duke of York's Royal Military Asylum, it was set up to look after orphans of military families. Now co-educational, the school remains exclusive to military children.
The 72nd Regiment of Foot
72nd Regiment of Foot
The 72nd Highlanders was a British Army Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line raised in the late 18th Century in Scotland for service against the French...
was given the title Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders in 1823 upon its resumption as a Highland regiment, following its previous withdrawal of Highland status in 1809. In 1881, the regiment became 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders
Seaforth Highlanders
The Seaforth Highlanders was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the Great War...
(Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's).
The only pub in the UK called The Prince Frederick is located at 31, Nichol Lane, Bromley, Kent, BR1 4DE.
The first British fortification in southern Africa, Fort Frederick, Port Elizabeth, a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, was built in 1799 to prevent French assistance for rebellious Boers in the short-lived republic of Graaff-Reinet. Its history and that of the city is interwoven and the fort was declared a national monument in 1936.
The Duke of York Bay
Duke of York Bay
Duke of York Bay is an arm of Foxe Basin, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in northeastern Southampton Island. The bay is directly south of the southern end of White Island, with Comer Strait at the western entrance and Falcon Strait at the eastern entrance.-History:Sir...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
was named in his honor, since it was discovered on his birthday, 16 August.
The City of Albany, Western Australia
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
was initially named Frederickstown but later named Albany in tribute to him.
Ancestors
See also
- Beer moneyBeer moneyBeer money is the nickname for an allowance, established in the year 1800, that was given to non-commissioned officers and soldiers in the British Army. The practice was started at the suggestion of the Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany. Beer money payments were 1 penny per day and was a...
- a notable military allowance of the time - List of famous duels
Sources
- Glover, Richard, Elton G.R., (ed.), Britain at Bay: Defence against Bonaparte, 1803–14, Historical problems: Studies and documents series No.20, George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 1973
Further reading
- Burne, Alfred (1949), The Noble Duke of York: The Military Life of Frederick Duke of York and Albany, London: Staples Press
- Richard Glover Peninsular Preparation: The Reform of the British Army 1795-1809