CNG 85, Lot: 1586. Estimate $500. Sold for $785. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

STUART. John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough. 1650-1722. AR Medal (37mm, 18.74 g, 12h). Battle of Blenheim. By G. Hautsch. Dated 1704. IOH · D · MARLEBVRG · ANG · EXER · CAPIT · GENER ·, armored bust right / MIRATVR TELIS AEMVLA TELA SVIS ·, Mars seated left, leaning upon shield inscribed MARS/VLTOR in two lines; battle scene to left; DE GALLOS ET BAVAROS/DEVICTOS · TALLARDO/DVC · AD HOCHSTAD ·/CAPTO · 1704 · in four lines in exergue. Edge: + FORTVNÆ OBSEQVENTI DVCIS FORTISSIMI POST PRIMITIAS SCHELLENBERGICAS. MI 256/50; Eimer 407. Superb EF, lightly toned, slightly mirror-like fields. Rare.

From a California Collection of British Historical Medals.

A major battle in the War of Spanish Succession, The Battle of Blenheim (also known as the Second Battle of Höchstädt) saw the decisive defeat of the forces of France and the Electorate of Bavaria by the allied powers of England, Denmark, the Dutch Republic, and the Holy Roman Empire. The two leading commanders of the latter’s forces were England’s John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, and the Holy Roman Empire’s Prince Eugene of Savoy, both astute in their tactical approach. Through their combined efforts, they saved the Habsburg Empire, and the Grand Alliance as a whole, from collapse.

Following the battle, the Duke was greatly rewarded by Anne, receiving Blenheim Palace as a gift from his grateful nation. This home later served as the birthplace and ancestral home of future Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Having become close friends during the battle, the two strategists joined forces once again in another important battle between the same two forces at the Battle of Malplaquet, also a victory for the allied forces.