The Earl of Middleton | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of the Earl of Middleton | |
| Secretary of State for Scotland | |
| In office 26 September 1682 – 1684 Serving with The Earl of Moray | |
| Monarch | Charles II |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Moray |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Moray John Drummond |
| Secretary of State for the Northern Department | |
| In office August 1684 – September 1688 | |
| Monarch | Charles II |
| Preceded by | The Lord Godolphin |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Preston |
| Secretary of State for the Southern Department | |
| In office September 1688 – December 1688 | |
| Monarch | James II & VI |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Sunderland |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Shrewsbury |
| Jacobite Secretary of State | |
| In office 1693–1713 | |
| Monarchs | James II James Francis Edward Stuart |
| Preceded by | John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Higgons |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Middleton 1650 |
| Died | 9 August 1719 (1719-08-10) |
| Resting place | Saint-Germain, France |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Spouse | Lady Catherine Brudenell (c. 1648–1743) |
| Parent | |
| Occupation | Politician and soldier |
Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton, Jacobite 1st Earl of Monmouth,PC (1649/1650 – 9 August 1719) was aScottish andEnglish politician who held several offices underCharles II andJames II & VII.[1] He served as Secretary of State forScotland, theNorthern Department and theSouthern Department, before acting asJacobite Secretary of State and chief advisor to James II and then his sonJames III during their exile in France.
Charles Middleton was born around 1650, the only son ofJohn Middleton, 1st Earl of Middleton, and his first wife Grizel Durham. He had two elder sisters, Helen and Grizel.
Originally fromKincardineshire, in the first part of the 1638 to 1651Wars of the Three Kingdoms, John Middleton supported theCovenanters, who appointed him commander-in-chief in 1644. After switching sides in 1648, he accompaniedCharles II into exile, and Charles grew up in exile, returning home in the1660 Restoration.[2]
His father died in 1674 leaving him little except for the title and debts; in 1683, Charles married Lady Catherine Brudenell, (1648–1743), daughter of the CatholicEarl of Cardigan. They had four children:[3]
Middleton was described byGilbert Burnet as ‘a man of generous temper, but without much religion’; he remained a Protestant until 1701, when he converted to Catholicism at the request of the dyingJames II.
Middleton is thought to have spent 1669 to 1671 in France and Italy; in 1673, he was commissioned as a captain in the3rd Foot, later the Buffs, which served in the 1672-1678Franco-Dutch War as part of the DutchScots Brigade. By 1678, he was a Lieutenant-Colonel and governor ofBruges.[5]
Shortly after this, he was suggested asSecretary of State for Scotland, in place of theDuke of Lauderdale. This went toAlexander Stuart, 5th Earl of Moray and in June 1680, Middleton was made envoy toEmperor Leopold I.
He returned to Scotland in July 1681, where he became a close associate ofJames and his wifeMary of Modena. He was appointed to theScottish Privy Council and made joint Secretary of State for Scotland with Moray on 26 September 1682.
In 1684, he relocated to London and joined theEnglish Privy Council in July andSecretary of State for the Northern Department in August. After James succeeded as king in February 1685, he was elected forWinchelsea and given the task of managing theHouse of Commons. Parliament was suspended for refusing to repeal theTest Act, while James' reliance on a small circle of Catholics made Middleton suspect as one of the few remaining Protestants.[5]
He was present at the birth of thePrince of Wales in June 1688 and becameSecretary of State for the Southern Department in September 1688. When James fled to France after the November 1688Glorious Revolution, he remained in England; in 1692, he was held in theTower of London for plotting to restore him and after his release, joined the exiled court atSaint-Germain.[5]
He proposed a more moderate declaration for a Jacobite restoration than James' chief advisor andSecretary of State,John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort. He became joint Secretary of State with Melfort, responsible for correspondence with England and Scotland, and became sole Secretary of State after Melfort was dismissed in June 1694. In England, he was tried in absentia for treason and outlawed on 23 July 1694,[6] andattainted on 2 July 1695.
He continued as Secretary until James' death in September 1701, when he was appointed to the Regency Council during the minority of his son,James III. Despite his wish to resign, he was persuaded to remain in office and made theEarl of Monmouth in theJacobite peerage.
With his two sons, Middleton accompanied James in 1708 during the attemptedFranco-Jacobite landing in Scotland and allowed to resign as Secretary in 1713. He briefly joined James in Scotland during the1715 Rising, before returning to France, where he served as Mary'sLord Chamberlain until her death in 1718. Granted a pension by the French government, he died on 9 August 1719 and was buried at the parish church of Saint-Germain.[7]
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWinchelsea 1685–1689 With:Cresheld Draper | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Scotland 1682–1684 With:The Earl of Moray | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for the Northern Department 1684–1688 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for the Southern Department 1688 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Jacobite Secretary of State 1693–1713 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Middleton 1674–1695 | Attainted |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New creation | — TITULAR — Earl of Monmouth Jacobite peerage 1701–1718 | Succeeded by John Middleton |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
