George Monck

English military commander and politician

• Born: December 6, 1608
• Birthplace: Great Potheridge, Devonshire, England
• Died: January 3, 1670
• Place of death: London, England

A consummate professional soldier, Monck began the English Civil War on the Royalist side, but he later fought for Parliament in Scotland and defended his country at sea against the Dutch. He was also the central figure in the Restoration of Charles II, whom he served in a variety of roles until his death.

Early Life

George Monck (MUHNK) was born on December 6, 1608, in Great Potheridge, Devonshire, the fourth child and second son of a squire of modest means. Although the Monck family was an established part of the Devonshire gentry and had connections with a number of prominent west country families, George, as a younger son, would have to make his own way in life. As a youth, he spent time with his grandparents and an Exeter merchant, Sir George Smyth. Smyth was his godfather and saw that Monck received an education at a grammar school in Exeter.

Younger sons in Stuart landed families traditionally sought their fortunes in trade, in the Church, or in military service. One of Monck’s brothers, Nicholas, became a clergyman, but George turned to the military at age sixteen and spent virtually his entire life thereafter as a soldier. Given the west country’s traditions, particularly since the days of Elizabeth I, Monck’s career choice was not unusual.

What was unusual about Monck’s life’s work were the circumstances of his entry and his degree of success. In 1625, he joined a company commanded by his kinsman Sir Richard Grenville and served in the first duke of Buckingham’s ill-fated Cádiz expedition. Monck’s decision to volunteer was stimulated by a recent altercation with an undersheriff in Exeter, who had insulted his father. From that rather inauspicious beginning emerged perhaps the most complete and technically competent general to serve during the Civil War and Interregnum.

Buckingham’s failure at Cádiz did not sour Monck on military life. Indeed, Monck came to view it as his natural habitat and to find combat exhilarating. When Charles II recalled him from duty with the fleet in the Second Anglo-Dutch War to maintain order in London following the Great Fire in 1666, Monck was reported to have wept with disappointment.

Through the 1620’s, Monck continued to serve in Buckingham’s other unsuccessful expeditions. By the end of the decade, he turned to service with the Dutch in their ongoing struggle against Spain. His action was quite typical for Englishmen of his day. Most participants in the English Civil War with any prior military experience acquired it in the Low Countries.

Although commonly described as a rather slow and plodding man, Monck had an astute mind and was a careful student of his craft. He was neither particularly glamorous nor blessed with a magnetic personality, yet he was able to attract the loyalty, trust, and respect of the men in his command by his quiet self-confidence and thorough competence. Monck was, to be sure, unpolished by the standards of the wealthier landowners of his time, but he had learned much in the Low Countries and had an exceptional grasp of the art of warfare.

By the eve of the Civil War, Monck was back in Great Britain. He served as a lieutenant colonel against the Scots in the Bishops’ Wars and then led an infantry regiment in Ireland. When England divided between king and Parliament, Monck remained in the royal service as part of a force sent from Ireland to England in 1643. Captured by parliamentary forces in early 1644, he was consigned to the Tower of London for two years. During his captivity, two important events that would shape the rest of his life took place. After Charles I’s defeat, Monck agreed to change sides and serve Parliament. Before that, however, he became involved with his prison laundress and future wife, Anne Clarges Ratsford.

At the time, Anne was married to a London perfumer. She was from a family of some substance and education and was dissatisfied with her husband. By the time of Monck’s release, she was his mistress; they were married in January, 1653, her husband having vanished three years earlier. Although Anne was not popular at court after the Restoration and has been criticized by both her contemporaries and later writers, she was a major source of happiness for Monck and an important part of his life. She was also a none-too-subtle Royalist throughout the Interregnum.

Life’s Work

Service with Parliament’s forces ultimately placed Monck in a position to determine England’s fate, but in 1646 his new allegiance was simply that of a professional soldier accepting the new de facto civilian authority in his homeland. Monck always stressed the subordination of the military to civil authorities, and after the end of the Civil War he accepted the verdict of the battlefield and served a new master.

Monck was first sent to Ulster as a major general, and he performed well under very difficult circumstances. Despite parliamentary criticism over a militarily necessary armistice with Irish rebels, Oliver Cromwell recognized both his talent and his loyalty and made Monck a part of his 1650 campaign against Scotland. After the English victory at Dunbar, in which Monck personally led his men into the Scottish lines, Cromwell made him commander in chief for Scotland. Monck finished the pacification of that kingdom with ruthless efficiency. Except for one interlude, Monck served in Scotland until 1660.

In 1652, England became involved in a bloody naval war with the Dutch Republic, largely over trade. Along with Robert Blake and Richard Deane, Monck was appointed general at sea. All three men were experienced soldiers and were appointed primarily because of their expertise with artillery. Monck quickly distinguished himself in this unfamiliar environment. Although no seaman, he excelled at both the strategy and the tactics of war at sea, and with Deane he wrought a major change in naval warfare. Monck saw the value of keeping his ships in formation and concentrating on broadside fire to break the enemy. Capturing ships as prizes became a secondary goal. These changes allowed the navy to gain a decided advantage. In the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the Navy forgot these lessons under the duke of York’s leadership, much to England’s regret.

By the end of 1653, Monck was back in Scotland to crush a rebellion in the Highlands. He governed the kingdom for Cromwell with an effective mix of discipline and kindness. Whatever his future preferences, he was loyal to Cromwell until the lord protector’s death, and then Monck served Richard Cromwell loyally. Unfortunately, Richard was unable to replace his father effectively and England soon moved toward political confusion and renewed warfare. By mid-1659 the Rump of the Long Parliament was back in power, the army’s officers were maneuvering for advantage, and the threat of risings by both Royalists and religious radicals was very real. Monck watched and waited in Scotland, resisting pressure from the several pro-Royalists in his entourage, including his wife, and prepared for the uncertain future. He moved to ensure the loyalty of his officers and men through a combination of indoctrination and purges, and he obtained significant financial support from a Scottish assembly to supplement his well-stocked war chest.

After the army, led mainly by Major General John Lambert , expelled the Rump, Monck felt compelled to move. He called for the restoration of parliamentary rule, but he also indicated that the Rump ought to admit the members excluded by Thomas Pride’s Purge in 1648 and hold elections to fill vacant seats. Monck carefully articulated his demands in stages to minimize opposition and use the Rump to legitimate his challenge to Lambert and the army. Monck may have had the restoration of the Stuarts as his ultimate goal, but the evidence is largely circumstantial. He was deeply concerned about a religious settlement and feared that the radical sectarians, especially the Quakers, were on the verge of seizing power. Monck favored a broad and tolerant Presbyterian settlement and probably intervened in politics to protect that interest. As events unfolded, however, recalling Charles II took on an increasingly powerful logic.

By December of 1659, Monck and Lambert faced each other across the Scottish border, the former at Coldstream and the latter at Newcastle. Lambert had twice as many troops initially, but Monck’s were better trained, were more reliable, and, most important, were receiving regular pay. Monck waited, sure that Lambert could not afford to attack or withdraw. By the end of the year, the political situation in London and the south forced Lambert to withdraw, and at that point his unpaid troops melted away and the road to London was open for Monck.

Monck advanced slowly, gathering petitions for new elections and pledges of support as he went. By early February, when he arrived in London, he was England’s indispensable man of the moment. He thwarted one last effort by the Rump to remove him, secured financial backing from the City of London, and convinced the Long Parliament, which now included the secluded members from the 1640’s, to dissolve itself after nearly twenty years of rule.

Until late March, Monck hid his plans from his closest associates and the Royalist court. This act probably reflects both his caution and his uncertainty about a return of the Stuarts. Once he determined that the new Convention Parliament and most of the political nation desired a return to monarchy, Monck moved quickly to bring Charles II back to England. Charles’s Declaration of Breda, which sought to reassure Englishmen that a restoration would not be vengeful, was based on Monck’s advice. When Charles landed at Dover on May 25, 1660, Monck was there to greet him and accompany him to London.

Charles II rewarded Monck with numerous offices, stipends, and titles, the most important of which was the dukedom of Albemarle. Monck’s Coldstream Guards regiment was retained to protect the new monarchy, but Monck quickly left the political stage to enjoy his new wealth and position. Charles called on him regularly, particularly when he needed a show of stability, such as during the outbreak of plague in London in 1665 or after the Great Fire the following year. Monck was, however, content to remain in the background. His most notable service came during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Despite his age, he returned to active sea duty and managed to salvage a draw for England. He died at Whitehall on the tenth anniversary of his departure from Coldstream, a loyal soldier to the end.

Significance

Monck rose from a modest provincial beginning to a position of wealth, influence, and nobility. Of the principal figures who fought during the English Civil War and Interregnum, he was the most professional in both his background and his attitude. He served his country by serving the government in power at the moment. His changes of sides may be viewed as opportunism, but they also support the view that he was following the nation’s interests in order to serve England better. He always managed to hold the loyalty of his men while maintaining firm discipline, often while facing very difficult circumstances. When the crisis with the army leaders came in late 1659, Monck’s men stood by him while the popular and flamboyant Lambert saw his forces disintegrate. That in itself is a testimony to Monck’s thorough professionalism.

Monck was not an office-politician, as so many of Cromwell’s generals were. His one venture into politics was tremendously important, though, because he reestablished stability in the wake of Oliver Cromwell’s death and then orchestrated the Restoration of Charles II. This was, for Monck, an aberrant act, one forced on him by necessity and duty. His duty done, he accepted his rewards, which were plentiful, and moved offstage to await further orders from his new superior. Charles II relied on his duke of Albemarle because Monck understood the mind of the political nation and because his loyalty was beyond question. Monck was unquestionably fond of money, but he sold neither his sword nor his soul, and he served his country well.

Bibliography

Ashley, Maurice. Charles II: The Man and the Statesman. New York: Praeger, 1971. While focusing mainly on Charles, this work provides a good summary of Monck’s actions between the battle of Worcester and the Restoration. His career as Albemarle receives little attention here.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. General Monck. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1977. The only modern study of Monck, this replaces and expands upon Ashley’s treatment of Monck in Cromwell’s Generals (1955). Fair, but favorable and thorough, this is by far the best work on the subject.

Farr, David. John Lambert: Parliamentary Soldier and Cromwellian Major-General, 1619-1684. Rochester, N.Y.: Boydell Press, 2003. A recent biography about Monck’s opponent in the Scottish wars and in the struggle to control the military.

Hill, Christopher. The Century of Revolution: 1603-1714. New York: W. W. Norton, 1966. Reprint. 1982. A survey of the Stuart years organized into both narrative and topical chapters. A good source for Monck’s context, although challenging in places.

Hutton, Ronald. The Restoration: A Political and Religious History of England and Wales, 1658-1667. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. The best current account of the Restoration. Views the event in a sufficiently broad time frame to show the complexities and continuities involved. Very good on Monck’s role as both military leader and duke.

Jamison, Ted R., Jr. George Monck and the Restoration: Victor Without Bloodshed. Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1975. A step-by-step account of Monck’s role from Cromwell’s death through the Restoration. Accepts the traditional view of Monck as a secret Royalist and is somewhat short on analysis. Repeatedly confuses John and Robert Lilburne.

Jones, J. R. Country and Court: England, 1658-1714. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1978. Provides a good analysis and narrative of Monck’s actions from 1658 to 1660, with some attention to his career as Albemarle. Has several stimulating insights into Monck’s character and abilities.

Kenyon, J. P. Stuart England. 2d ed. New York: Penguin Books, 1985. A provocative account of the seventeenth century, with many original insights. Puts Monck’s times in perspective, but not for the neophyte.

Lee, Maurice, Jr. The Cabal. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1965. While concerned primarily with events after 1667, this work is useful for Monck’s later years and his relationship with the second generation of Charles II’s ministers.

Ogg, David. England in the Reign of Charles II. 2d ed. 2 vols. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1956. Reprint. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1979. Old, Whiggish, but still valuable for its solid narrative of Charles II’s times. Volume 1 covers the Monck/Albemarle years.

Powell, J. R. Robert Blake: General-at-Sea. New York: Crane-Russak, 1972. Provides a good discussion of Monck’s role in the First Anglo-Dutch War, when he was Blake’s colleague.

Stoyle, Mark. “The Honour of George Monck.” History Today 43, no. 8 (August, 1993): 43. Provides newly obtained information about Monck’s adolescence, describing how he committed murder to defend his family’s reputation. Discusses how the concept of “honour” pervaded upper-class Tudor and Stuart society.