Peterborough, Charles Mordaunt, 3rd earl of

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Peterborough, Charles Mordaunt, 3rd earl of (1658–1735). Politician, soldier, and diplomatist. Known until 1697 by his earlier title of earl of Monmouth, Peterborough's cleverness ran to dishonesty and to any ministry was a liability and a worry. An opponent of James II, he mixed with Whig radicals and was an early associate of William of Orange. In 1689 he was given the senior Treasury post of 1st commissioner, for which he was totally unsuited, and resigned a year later. He remained an assertive influence at William III's court, however, quarrelling and plotting against those whom he believed were thwarting his own ambitions. In 1696, when he accused Shrewsbury and Marlborough of involvement in the Fenwick conspiracy, he was sent to the Tower. In their propaganda the Tories claimed him as their hero after the expeditionary force he commanded captured Barcelona and overran Valencia in 1705, but his unreliability cost him any further advancement, and he was fortunate to escape parliamentary censure.

Andrew Hanham

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Charles Mordaunt 3d earl of Peterborough

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Charles Mordaunt 3d earl of Peterborough