Nationality British Name Arabella Churchill | Role Royal mistress Parents Winston Churchill | |
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Born 23 February 1648 ( 1648-02-23 ) Died May 30, 1730, London, United Kingdom Siblings John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough Grandchildren James Fitz-James Stuart, 2nd Duke of Berwick Similar People James FitzJames - 1st Duke, John Churchill - 1st Duke, James II of England, Sarah Churchill - Duchess, George Churchill | ||
Arabella Churchill (23 February 1648 – 30 May 1730) was the mistress of King James II, and the mother of four of his children (surnamed FitzJames Stuart, that is, "son of James Stuart").
Contents
- Glastonbury 2007 arabella churchill
- Life
- Children with James II of England
- Children with Charles Godfrey
- References
Glastonbury 2007 arabella churchill
Life
She was a daughter of Sir Winston Churchill, an ancestor of the Prime Minister of the same name, and Elizabeth Drake. She was the sister of the first Duke of Marlborough; her other brothers were George and Charles. The Churchills' loyalty to the royal household was ardent; their only feeling about Arabella's seduction by King James II "seems to have been a joyful surprise that so plain a girl had attained such high preferment."
She began her relationship with James, then Duke of York, around 1665, while he was still married to Anne Hyde. Churchill became the duchess's lady-in-waiting in that year, and gave birth to two children during Anne's lifetime. Churchill was described as a "tall creature, pale-faced, and nothing but skin and bone." She often displayed the quick wit and lively intelligence which bound James to her through ten years and four children.
On 1 June 1680 at Holy Trinity Minories, London, she married Charles Godfrey and had three more children. They lived happily together for 40 years. Godfrey died in 1714, at the age of 67.
Children with James II of England
From her children Henrietta, Countess of Newcastle, and James, Duke of Berwick, she is an ancestor of the Earls Spencer and Diana, Princess of Wales as well as of the Dukes of Berwick, the later Dukes of Alba and of Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba, the person with the most noble titles in the world.