The Earl of Sandwich | |
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![]() Portrait by Peter Lely | |
Ambassador to Spain | |
In office 1666–1668 | |
Ambassador to Portugal | |
In office 1661–1662 | |
Joint Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire | |
In office September 1660 – May 1672 | |
Member of Parliament for Dover | |
In office May 1660 – August 1660 | |
General at sea | |
In office 1656–1660 | |
English Council of State | |
In office 1653–1659 | |
Member of Parliament for Huntingdonshire | |
In office October 1645 – December 1657 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 27 July 1625 Barnwell, Northamptonshire, England |
Died | 28 May 1672 Sole Bay, Suffolk, England | (aged 46)
Resting place | Westminster Abbey |
Spouse |
Jemimah Crew (m. 1642) |
Children | 10, including Edward, Sidney, and John |
Parent(s) | Sir Sidney Montagu Paulina Pepys |
Residence | Hinchingbrooke House |
Occupation | Army and naval officer, diplomat |
Military service | |
Battles/wars | |
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, 27 July 1625 to 28 May 1672, was an English military officer, politician and diplomat from Barnwell, Northamptonshire. During the First English Civil War, he served with the Parliamentarian army, and was an Member of Parliament at various times between 1645 and 1660. Under The Protectorate, he was also a member of the English Council of State and General at sea.
In the political infighting that followed the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658, he played an important role in bringing about the Stuart Restoration in May 1660. Created Earl of Sandwich by Charles II, he served as Ambassador to Portugal from 1661 to 1662. Appointed Ambassador to Spain in 1666, he helped negotiate the 1667 Treaty of Madrid.
When the Second Anglo-Dutch War began in 1665, he commanded a naval squadron but was later suspended in a dispute over prize money. Restored to command when the Third Anglo-Dutch War began in May 1672, he was killed at the Battle of Solebay in June. Montagu is one of the best-known characters of the 1660s, being a central figure in the diaries of his distant cousin, the naval official Samuel Pepys.