Realising the danger, the Duke of Marlborough resolved to alleviate the peril to Vienna by marching his forces south from Bedburg and help maintain Emperor Leopold within the Grand Alliance.

Both the Imperial Austrian Ambassador in London, Count Wratislaw, and the Duke of Marlborough realised the implications of the situation on the Danube.

The John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough | Duke of Marlborough's march from Bedburg ( near Cologne ) to the Danube.

The Duke had assured the Dutch that if the French were to launch an offensive he would return in good time, but Marlborough calculated that as he marched south, the French commander would be drawn after him.

In this assumption Marlborough proved correct: Villeroi shadowed the Duke with 30, 000 men in 60 squadrons and 42 battalions.

Portrait of the Duke of Marlborough by Adriaen van der Werff ( December 1704 ) Uffizi

Some Allied officers who were acquainted with the superior numbers of the enemy, and aware of their strong defensive position, ventured to remonstrate with Marlborough about the hazards of attacking ; but the Duke was resolute – " I know the danger, yet a battle is absolutely necessary, and I rely on the bravery and discipline of the troops, which will make amends for our disadvantages ".

In February 1705, Queen Anne, who had made Marlborough a Duke in 1702, granted him the Park of Woodstock and promised a sum of £ 240, 000 to build a suitable house as a gift from a grateful crown in recognition of his victory – a victory which British historian Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy considered one of the pivotal battles in history, writing – " Had it not been for Blenheim, all Europe might at this day suffer under the effect of French conquests resembling those of Alexander in extent and those of the Romans in durability.

Memoirs of the Duke of Marlborough: vol. i. London, ( 1847 )

Also determined to fight a major engagement, the Duke of Marlborough, commander-in-chief of Anglo-Dutch forces, assembled his army – some 62, 000 men – near Maastricht, and marched past Zoutleeuw.

The Duke of Marlborough had intended the 1705 campaign – an invasion of France through the Moselle valley – to complete the work of Blenheim and persuade King Louis XIV to make peace, but the plan had been thwarted by both friend and foe alike.

The reluctance of his Dutch allies to see their frontiers denuded of troops for another gamble in Germany had denied Marlborough the initiative, but of far greater importance was the Margrave of Baden ’ s pronouncement that he could not join the Duke in strength for the coming offensive.

The year 1705 proved almost entirely barren for the Duke whose military disappointments were only partly compensated by efforts on the diplomatic front where, at the courts of Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Vienna, Berlin and Hanover, Marlborough sought to bolster support for the Grand Alliance and extract promises of prompt assistance for the following year ’ s campaign.

With these reverses, the Dutch now refused to contemplate Marlborough ’ s ambitious march to Italy or, indeed, any plan that denuded their borders of the Duke and their army.

Marlborough wrote an appeal to the Duke of Württemberg, the commander of the Danish contingent – " I send you this express to request your Highness to bring forward by a double march your cavalry so as to join us at the earliest moment …" Additionally, the King in Prussia, Frederick I, had kept his troops in quarters behind the Rhine while his personal disputes with Vienna and the States-General at The Hague remained unresolved.

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough ( 1650 – 1722 ) by Sir Godfrey Kneller.

The following day, at 01: 00, Marlborough dispatched Cadogan, his Quartermaster-General, with an advanced guard to reconnoitre the same dry ground that Villeroi ’ s army was now heading, country that was well known to the Duke from previous campaigns.

Marlborough ’ s horse tumbled and the Duke was thrown – " Milord Marlborough was rid over ," wrote Orkney some time later.

" Fortunately Marlborough ’ s newly appointed aide-de-camp, Richard Molesworth, galloped to the rescue, mounted the Duke on his horse and made good their escape, before Murray ’ s disciplined ranks threw back the pursuing French troopers.

After a brief pause, Marlborough ’ s equerry, Colonel Bringfield ( or Bingfield ), led up another of the Duke ’ s spare horses ; but while assisting him onto his mount, the unfortunate Bringfield was hit by an errant cannonball that sheared off his head.

The Duke of Marlborough receives captured standards at Ramillies.

Marlborough realised the great opportunity created by the early victory of Ramillies: " We now have the whole summer before us ," wrote the Duke from Brussels to Robert Harley, " and with the blessing of God I shall make the best use of it.

By the time Marlborough had closed down the Ramillies campaign he had denied the French most of the Spanish Netherlands west of the Meuse and north of the Sambre – it was an unsurpassed operational triumph for the English Duke.

In such cases it is the prime minister who holds the day-to-day powers of governance, while the King or Queen ( or other monarch, such as a Grand Duke, in the case of Luxembourg, or Prince in the case of Monaco and Liechtenstein ) retains only residual ( but not always minor ) powers.

The current legitimate, senior family member is Louis-Alphonse de Bourbon, known by his supporters as Duke of Anjou, who also holds the Legitimist ( Blancs d ' Espagne ) claim to the French throne.

* 1811 – In the second day of fighting at the Peninsular War Battle of Fuentes de Onoro the French army, under Marshall Massena, drive in the Duke of Wellington's overextended right flank, but French frontal assaults fail to take the town of Fuentes de Onoro and the Anglo-Portuguese army holds the field at the end of the day.

The Princess of Wales also holds the titles of Duchess of Cornwall and Countess of Chester, as spouse to the Prince of Wales who is also Duke of Cornwall and Earl of Chester.

The Duke of Cornwall holds both the dukedom ( title ) and Duchy ( estate holdings ), the latter being the source of his personal income ; whilst the Duke takes his Sovereign rights from Cornwall, those living in his estates are currently subjects of the British Sovereign.

* Duke of Normandy or duc de Normandie ( holds the first square banner )

* Duke of Aquitaine or duc d ' Aquitaine or-de Guyenne ( holds the second square banner )

Although the duchy eventually fell to the Ottoman Empire, even today the King of Spain still holds the title of ' Duke of Athens and Neopatria '.

Lancaster has several unique ties to the British monarchy ; the House of Lancaster was a branch of the English royal family, whilst the Duchy of Lancaster holds large estates on behalf of Elizabeth II, who herself is also the Duke of Lancaster.

The Duke of Wellington holds off the French at Fuentes d ' Onoro and Albuhera in the Peninsular War.

He is the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Hereditary Prince of Nassau and holds the title Prince of Bourbon-Parma.

The department of Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham holds a number of papers relating to the 1st Duke: the Cavendish Papers ( Pw 1 ), part of the Portland ( Welbeck ) Collection, includes some of his personal papers ; the Portland Literary Collection ( Pw V ), also part of the Portland ( Welbeck ) Collection, contains many of his literary papers ; and the Newcastle ( Clumber ) Collection ( Ne ) includes some estate papers from the time of the 1st Duke, for example, relating to his purchase of Nottingham Castle.

Apart from the British titles the Dukes of Wellington also holds the titles of Prince of Waterloo ( Prins van Waterloo, 1815 ) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo ( Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo, 1812 ) of the Kingdom of Spain, and Duke of Victoria ( Duque da Vitória, 1812 ), with the subsidiary titles Marquess of Torres Vedras ( Marquês de Torres Vedras, 1812 ) and Count of Vimeiro ( Conde de Vimeiro, 1811 ) of the Kingdom of Portugal.

The Duke of Rothesay also holds other Scottish titles, including those of Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland.

The department of Manuscripts and Special Collections, The University of Nottingham holds a number of papers relating to the 3rd Duke: the 3rd Duke's personal and political papers ( Pw F ) are part of the Portland ( Welbeck ) Collection ; and the Portland ( London ) Collection ( Pl ) contains correspondence and official papers of the 3rd Duke, especially in series Pl C.

Therefore, any member of the Royal Family who is not a peer, such as Prince Harry of Wales or Anne, Princess Royal, is ( technically ) a commoner, as is any member of a peer's family, including someone who holds only a courtesy title, such as the Earl of Arundel and Surrey ( eldest son of the Duke of Norfolk ) or Lady Victoria Hervey ( a daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol ).

The Duke holds several subsidiary titles, including: Marquess of Kintyre and Lorne ( created 1701 ), Earl of Argyll ( created 1457 ), Earl Campbell and Cowall and Viscount Lochow and Glenyla ( created 1701 ), Lord Campbell ( created 1445 ), Lord Lorne ( created 1470 ), Lord Kintyre ( created 1626 ), Lord Inveraray, Mull, Mover and Tiry ( created 1701 ), Baron Hamilton of Hameldon ( created 1776 ) and Baron Sundridge ( created 1766 ).

Children of the Duke of Orléans ( c. 1755 ); Bathilde holds an angel with her brother, the Duke of Chartres, is on the far right, François-Hubert Drouais.

* the Duke of Argyll ( who holds two Dukedoms of Argyll ); and