The Earl of Holland | |
|---|---|
 Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland by Anthony van Dyck, circa 1640 | |
| Chancellor of the University of Cambridge | |
| In office 1628–1649 | |
| Governor of Windsor Castle and Landguard Fort | |
| In office 1628–1648 | |
| Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire & Middlesex | |
| In office 1628–1643 | |
| Groom of the Stool | |
| In office 1636–1643 | |
| Privy Council of England | |
| In office 1624–1642 | |
| Member of Parliament for Leicester | |
| In office April 1614 – June 1614 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 August 1590 (baptised) London |
| Died | 9 March 1649 (aged 58) New Palace Yard, Westminster |
| Resting place | St Mary Abbots |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse | Isabel (1612 – until his death) |
| Children | Frances (1617–1672); Robert (1619–1675); Henry (1620–1669); Isabella (1623–1670); Susannah (1628–1649); Diana (d. 1659); Charles (d. 1645); Cope (1635–1676); Mary (1636–1666) |
| Parent(s) | Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick Penelope Devereux |
| Residence | Holland House |
| Alma mater | Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Soldier and courtier |
| Military service | |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | War of the Jülich Succession Siege of Jülich (1610); Eighty Years War Anglo-French War (1627–1629) Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré; Wars of the Three Kingdoms First Battle of Newbury; Battle of St Neots (1648) |
Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland KG KB PC (baptised 15 August 1590, died 9 March 1649), was an English courtier and politician executed by Parliament after being captured fighting for the Royalists during the Second English Civil War. Younger brother of Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, a Puritan activist and commander of the Parliamentarian navy during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Henry was better known as an "extravagant, decorative, quarrelsome and highly successful courtier".[1]
A close friend of Charles I and his favourite the Duke of Buckingham, Rich performed various diplomatic errands, including negotiations for Charles' marriage to Henrietta Maria of France in 1625. He took part in the unsuccessful attack on Saint-Martin-de-Ré in 1627 and held a number of important positions at court during the 1630s. When the First English Civil War began in August 1642, Rich remained in London rather than joining the Royalists, but like other moderates became disillusioned with the war. He defected in July 1643 after failing to persuade his cousin and commander-in-chief of the Parliamentarian army, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, to negotiate peace terms.
When Charles agreed a truce with the Catholic Confederation in September 1643, Rich returned to London and narrowly escaped being tried for treason. After peace talks between Charles and Parliament broke down in late 1647, he fought for the Royalists in the Second English Civil War and was captured in July 1648. Having escaped trial previously, he was executed in March 1649, although Rich claimed he had always been faithful to Parliament and never changed the "principles that ever I professed". This was a view shared by many Parliamentarian moderates, particularly after the Execution of Charles I in January 1649.[2]
- ^ Donagan 1976, p. 317.
- ^ Hopper 2010, p. 242.