George Goring, Caroline courtier and royalist general (1608-1657).
Item
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Title
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George Goring, Caroline courtier and royalist general (1608-1657).
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Identifier
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AAI9924829
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identifier
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9924829
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Creator
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Memegalos, Florene Susan.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Stuart E. Prall
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Date
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1999
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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History, European | History, Modern | Biography
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Abstract
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George Goring was one of the leading royalist commanders in the first English civil war of 1642--46. He served King Charles from the outset of the conflict and by 1644was commander of all the king's cavalry. His actions, therefore, were an integral part of the royalist war effort. Goring, in turn, had acquired his military skill on the Continent in the Dutch Wars, and he would finish his days as an exile under the Commonwealth, serving in the armies of the king of Spain. But no simple soldier was Goring, who, as heir to a wealthy and influential Sussex family, at various times in his career served as courtier, envoy, royal governor and Member of Parliament.;An examination of George Goring's life serves to illuminate the tumultuous times in which he lived, yet a review of the vast literature pertaining to the period shows that historians have paid him scant serious attention. This neglect stems from the damning assessment made of Goring by Sir Edward Hyde, later Earl of Clarendon. Although both men were active supporters of Charles I, a great antipathy developed between them in 1645 as they struggled for control of the royalist war effort in the West Country. These internecine clashes were still fresh in Hyde's mind in 1646 as he began to write his monumental History of the Rebellion, and his highly biased portrayal of Goring has survived and been cited all too frequently with little critical reappraisal.;This study reassesses the character and career of George Goring and adds to our understanding of the first half of the seventeenth century. In English social history, the Goring family provides an example of upward mobility, from gentry to courtiers to nobility, and the mutually advantageous relationship formed with the Stuart monarchy. George Goring's participation in the politics of the early 1640's sheds fight on the events leading up to war, and an examination of his subsequent actions as one of the king's chief officers increases our understanding of the royalist war effort.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
