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Prince Rupert of the Rhine ( 1619- 1682), soldier and inventor, was a younger son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Elizabeth Stuart, and the nephew of King Charles I of England. He was created Duke of Cumberland and Earl of Holderness, and was commander of the Royalist cavalry during the English Civil War.
Rupert was born in Prague in 1619 at the time of the Thirty Years War. Soon after his birth, the family fled from Bohemia to Holland where Rupert spent his childhood. His mother, Elizabeth of Bohemia, sometimes known as the "Winter Queen", was a sister of King Charles I of England. Consequently, Rupert gave his allegiance to Charles when the English Civil War broke out, as did his brother, Prince Maurice.
At an early age he took to soldiering and fought at the siege of Rheinberg in 1633 and at BredaBreda may refer to the folowing: Breda Meccanica Bresciana, an Italian small arms and ammunition manufacturer. Breda a city in southern Netherlands Breda a municipality in Selva ( comarca), Girona (province), Catalonia, Spain. in 1638Events March 29 Swedish colonists establish first settlement in Delaware, called New Sweden April 15 Shogunate forces defeat the last rebels of Shimabara Rebellion in the fortress of Hara May 11 French admiral d'Estrees runs his whole fleet aground in Cur. He was captured at VlothoVlotho is a city in Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It borders on Herford and Lohne in the west, Bad Oeynhausen and Porta Westfalica (both Minden-Lubbecke district) in the north, Kalletal in the east, and Lemgo and Bad Salzuflen (both Lippe dist during the invasion of WestphaliaWestphalia (in German, Westfalen is a (historic) region in Germany, centred on the cities of Dortmund, Munster, Bielefeld, and Osnabruck and now included in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia (and the (south-)west of Lower Saxony). Westphalia is rou and imprisoned in Linz, Austria, where he studied military textbooks. He was released on parole in 1641Events The Long Parliament passes a series of legislation designed to contain Charles I's absolutist tendencies. August 10 Charles I of England flees London for the north Rebellion of the Gaelic Irish in Ulster against the English settlers The Dutch found, on the condition that he never bore arms against the Holy Roman EmperorThe Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. The terminology of the title is somewhat confusing. The title of again.
In 1642, King Charles appointed him to lead the Royalist cavalry, and their early successes are largely attributable to Rupert. His dashing reputation earned him the nickname of the "Mad Cavalier". He is reputed to have taken a large dog, a poodle named "Boye", into battle with him on several occasions. This dog was feared by the soldiers of Parliament throughout the Civil War, who claimed it had supernatural powers.
Rupert was appointed General of the Horse, and his reputation prospered after routing a Parliamentarian force at Powick Bridge ; however he overextended himself at the Battle of Edgehill in 1643 and left the Royalist forces unsupported by cavalry at a critical time which cost them the victory and led almost to defeat.
After Edgehill, Rupert asked Charles for a swift cavalry attack on London before the Earl of Essex's army could return. The King, however, was urged by senior counsellors to advance slowly on the capital with the whole army. By the time they arrived, the city defences were organised against them and the Royalists had lost their best chance of winning the war. Nevertheless, Rupert continued to impress militarily; in 1643 he captured Bristol and in 1644 led the relief of Newark.
In November 1644 Rupert was appointed General of the Royalist army. This increased already marked tensions between Rupert and a number of the king's counsellors. In May 1645 Rupert captured Leicester but a reversal at the Battle of Naseby a month later was to prove politically damaging.
After Naseby, Rupert concluded that the Royalist cause was lost, and urged Charles to conclude a peace with Parliament. Charles, ever the political ingenu, still believed he could win the war. Faced with an impossible situation, Rupert surrendered Bristol in September 1645; in response, Charles dismissed him from his service. After demanding a court-martial, at which he was acquitted, Rupert was to play no further part in the English Civil War. After the fall of Oxford in 1646, Parliament banished both him and his brother from England.
By 1648 Rupert was fighting with the French against Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth forces. However, following a naval defeat by Admiral Robert Blake, Rupert took refuge in the West Indies. There he followed the life of a buccaneer, preying on English shipping.
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