Frederick Herman,Duke
of Schomberg (a.k.a. Friedrich Herman von Schonberg)
Schomberg was born
on December 16,1615 in Heidelberg, Palatinate. He died July 1, 1690
at the Battle of the Boyne.
He
was a soldier of fortune, a marshal of France and an English peer. Schomberg's
father was the Protestant court marshal of Frederick V. elector Palatine.
His Mother was Anne, daughter of the English peer -the 5th Lord Dudley.
He served under Frederick
Henry of Orange in 1633 and under Bernard of Saxe-Weimar during the
30 years war from 1634-1637 in the campaigns on the Upper Rhine. He
went to Holland again for service in 1639. In 1650 he served for Cardinal
Mazarin in the crisis of the Frond- He served at the battle of Rethel
on Dec. 15,1650. Schomberg became marechal de camp on Oct.28,1652 and
fought for Turenne against the Spaniards and the Prince de Conde.
In 1660 he
organized a Portuguese army against Spain. He placed Dom Pedro in power
during a palace revolution and returned to the French army in 1668 having
become naturalized as a Frenchman. Schombeg went to England in 1673
to aid Chales II in the formation of an army for an invasion of Holland
but then returned to the French army to be on hand with Louis XIV at
the siege and capture of Maastrict (June 1673). When Turenne died in
1675 he became one of 8 Marshals of France. When
the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685 Shomberg, a protestant , left
France.He was taken in by Frederick William of Brandenburn, "the Great
Elector". In 1688 he was lent together with a Prussian force to William
of Orange. He went to England and was naturalized as English in April
1689 and was made Duke of Schomberg in May (also made the baron of Teyes,
earl of Brentford and Marquess of Harwich). He was commander in Chief
against James II from August 1689 and was killed at the Battle of the
Boyne by some Irish cavalry. The
international composition of the English forces reflects the international
condemnation of James II, and Louis XIV.
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