Prince Rupert

Bohemian nobleman, soldier, and inventor

• Born: December 17, 1619
• Birthplace: Prague, Bohemia (now in Czech Republic)
• Died: November 29, 1682
• Place of death: London, England

From his youth, Rupert chose a military life, fighting in Bohemia and England on behalf of his father, King Frederick V; his uncle Charles I; and his cousin Charles II. Rupert was also a talented inventor and engraver.

Early Life

Prince Rupert (RU-purt) was prince Palatine, the third son of Frederick V (the elector Palatine and briefly king of Bohemia) and of Princess Elizabeth Stuart , daughter of King James I of England. His parents, married on Valentine’s Day at age sixteen, were a romantic but unfortunate couple. During Rupert’s infancy, his father was defeated by supporters of a Catholic claimant to the Bohemian throne, who was a cousin of the Holy Roman Emperor. This defeat occurred at the onset of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), which ravaged the German states and in time would involve Denmark and Sweden as well.

In 1621, Rupert’s family settled in Holland under the protection of Frederick V’s uncle, the prince of Orange. Frederick died of a fever in 1632. Impoverished and with a family of ten children, Elizabeth, nicknamed the Queen of Hearts by her supporters and the Winter Queen by her husband’s enemies, contrived to raise her handsome, talented brood as best she could.

In his early teens, Rupert, who was tall and athletic, joined the prince of Orange’s bodyguard. In 1636, he visited his English relatives, charming Queen Henrietta Maria and her ladies and sharing the artistic interests of his uncle Charles I, one of the greatest art collectors in Europe. He returned home in 1637 and resumed service in the Dutch army with his younger brother Maurice. The following year, Rupert was taken prisoner by the Austrians and was confined at Linz until 1641. After his release, he briefly visited his mother; then, he and Maurice took ship for England in the summer of 1642 to assist Charles I and the Royalists’ cause in the English Civil War.

Life’s Work

On Rupert’s arrival in England, Charles I appointed him General of the Horse, a post that suited the young soldier’s fiery, independent nature. Rupert was a gifted cavalry leader, and with his experience as a professional soldier, he dominated much of the first phase of the Civil Wars. To Royalists, he was the very embodiment of a Cavalier, but Parliamentarians stigmatized him as ruthless and cruel. His white poodle “Boye,” for example, was even reputed by credulous Puritans to be a familiar, that is, Rupert’s link with the devil.

In 1642, Rupert distinguished himself at the battles of Powick Bridge (September 21) and Edgehill (October 23), and in 1643, at the captures of Cirencester (February 2) and Bristol (July 25). Although Rupert was popular with the rank and file, his blunt speech and quick temper angered a number of courtiers. His defeat by Oliver Cromwell at Marston Moor (July 2, 1644) and his surrender of Bristol to the Parliamentary forces (September 11, 1645) enraged Charles I, who dismissed both Rupert and Maurice, demanding that they leave the country. When Charles sought refuge with the Scots in May, 1646, Rupert and Maurice remained in Oxford, the Royalist capital; after it surrendered in June, the brothers returned to the Continent.

Still seeking action in 1647, Rupert led a group of English exiles serving with the French army; in 1648, he commanded part of the fleet that revolted against Parliament, but this ragtag Royalist navy was largely ineffective. During this time, Rupert was as rootless and impoverished as his exiled Stuart cousins, Charles, James, and Henry. Ill fortune had stripped them of hope, and on occasion, Rupert and Charles disagreed, usually about funds, or the lack of them. Rupert also quarreled with his elder brother, Elector Palatine Charles Louis, over a grant of land and personal matters and swore that he would never again set foot in the Palatinate. From 1655 to 1660, little is known of his adventures.

The prince’s fortunes rose in 1660 with the Restoration of Charles II, who granted him a pension and made him a member of his Privy Council. Rupert’s mother at last had the opportunity to return to her homeland, but Elizabeth’s long-delayed secure existence was brief. She died on February 13, 1662, in Charles II’s arms. Rupert was the chief mourner at her funeral.

Though he had made his reputation as an innovative army commander, Rupert’s last military exploits were at sea. In the Second Anglo-Dutch War , the English were initially successful, but by January, 1666, France and Denmark allied with the Dutch. Rupert and George Monck , duke of Albemarle, were appointed joint commanders of the English forces. In the Four Days’ Battle (June 1-4), both sides suffered heavy losses. Public blame fell on everyone, including Albemarle and Rupert. They soon defeated the Dutch fleet on July 25 and destroyed many merchant ships and naval stores. However, London’s Great Fire (September 2-9, 1666), which devastated the heart of the city, gave the Dutch time to renew the war: In June, 1667, they shattered much of the English fleet and towed away the flagship Royal Charles. Suffering from a head wound, Rupert did not take part in the battle. Peace was concluded in July, 1667.

When the Third Anglo-Dutch War broke out in 1672, Rupert felt the navy was still ill prepared. France and England were now allies, a situation he disliked. Rupert’s anti-Catholic sentiments created tension with James, duke of York, who had converted to that faith. However, efforts to attach Rupert to the anti-Catholic, anticourt faction (the future Whig party), led by Anthony Ashley Cooper, first earl of Shaftesbury , were not successful. Rupert remained loyal to the king and to James, his heir.

After 1673, Rupert played no major part in public affairs and increasingly immersed himself in science and inventions. Like Charles II, he was a founding member of the Royal Society ; both men had laboratories and conducted various experiments. Rupert developed a type of brass called “prince’s metal” and created modifications to various types of guns. He was also a notable mezzotint engraver. Rupert never married but had two children. By Francesca Bard, daughter of Irish Royalist Sir Henry Bard, Viscount Bellamont, he had a son named Dudley. With actress Margaret Hughes, he had a daughter, Ruperta. Rupert died of a fever on November 29, 1682, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Significance

Throughout a long life, Prince Rupert held true to the direction he had set for himself as a young man. He was a skillful warrior—on land and sea—and a loyal friend and faithful servant to his mother’s family, the Stuarts. He was the epitome of the Cavalier, hot-tempered, plainspoken, and brave, a model of honesty and simplicity in an age of courtiers and wily politicians. Although he remained a person of note at the court of Charles II, he had no real role in the political turbulence of later Restoration England. Perhaps for this reason, as well as his military prowess, Victorians considered Rupert a romantic hero. However, he is less a subject of interest to contemporary students of the later seventeenth century, due to his noninvolvement in English political and religious life.

Bibliography

Bowle, John, ed. The Diary of John Evelyn. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. Evelyn’s diary spans 1640 to 1706 and is very detailed. He describes meetings with the prince on numerous occasions.

Chapman, Hester. The Tragedy of Charles II. London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. A study of the king’s youth and exile. Deals with Rupert as a role model for his cousin Charles. Includes illustrations, notes, and bibliography.

Coote, Stephen. Royal Survivor: The Life of Charles II. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000. A biography that details Charles’s survival skills before and after his Restoration. Useful background on court life, various wars, and politics.

Fraser, Antonia. King Charles II. London: Phoenix, 2002. A lengthy account, fully describing the politics and personalities related to Charles II. Many illustrations and extensive bibliography.

Latham, Robert, and William Matthews, eds. The Diary of Samuel Pepys. 11 vols. London: Bell & Hyman, 1983. After the Restoration, Rupert was active as a naval commander. Pepys worked with him and mentions him frequently in his nine-year (1660-1669) diary.

Macray, W. Dunn, ed. The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England Begun in the Year 1641: Edward [Hyde] Earl of Clarendon. Reprint. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1958. Clarendon was Charles II’s chief adviser during his exile and most of the first decade of the Restoration. He wrote extensively about Rupert.

Morrah, Patrick. Prince Rupert of the Rhine. London: Constable, 1976. This scholarly work of several hundred pages was the first serious biography of Rupert in more than seventy-five years. Its extensive notes and bibliography make it an invaluable work for the serious student.

Powell, J. R., and E. K. Timings, eds. The Rupert and Monck Letter Book, 1666. London: Naval Records Society, 1969. A compilation of documents related to Rupert and General George Monck’s activities during the First Anglo-Dutch War; most deal with the technicalities of naval warfare. A detailed introduction, maps, and supplementary documents make it more accessible to nonspecialists.

Ross, Josephine. The Winter Queen: The Story of Elizabeth Stuart. New York: Dorset Press, 1986. Deals mainly with Elizabeth and her husband Frederick V. Rupert’s life and fortunes are part of the latter half of the book. However, it has no bibliography or notes.

Scott, Eva. Rupert Prince Palatine. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1900. Though a significant character in any Restoration study, Rupert has attracted few biographers. Eve Scott’s well-written and detailed biography is still the standard work on the prince.

Wedgwood, C. V. The Great Rebellion. 2 vols. London: Collins, 1969. One of the standard works on the English Civil Wars, in which Rupert played such an important part.