John Campbell ( English John Campbell ; 1598 - 1662 ), 1st Earl of Laudon (from 1637 ) - a prominent Scottish politician, one of the initiators of the covenant movement and Chancellor of Scotland in 1641 - 1660 .
| John campbell | |||||||
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| John campbell | |||||||
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| Predecessor | new title | ||||||
| Successor | James campbell | ||||||
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| Predecessor | James Hamilton | ||||||
| Successor | William Cunningham | ||||||
| Birth | 1598 | ||||||
| Death | 1662 | ||||||
| Kind | Campbell | ||||||
| Father | sir james campbell of loers | ||||||
| Mother | Gene Colville | ||||||
| Spouse | Margaret Campbell | ||||||
| Children | Margaret, Jane | ||||||
John Campbell of Laudon came from the sideline of the noble Campbell family, whose head bore the title of Count Argyle . The policy of King Charles I to limit the power of the Scottish aristocracy and the strengthening of the power of bishops in the 1630s brought John Campbell to the ranks of the noble opposition to the king. Already in Parliament in 1633, Campbell joined the party of discontent, trying to convince the king to abandon church reforms and "restore" the rights and privileges of the Scottish parliament. Angry Charles I in response refused Campbell to elevate him to the rank of count, despite the fact that the corresponding patent had already passed the office of the king (only in 1637 did John finally receive the title of Count Laudon).
This did not stop Campbell and he became one of the secret organizers of the rebellion in Edinburgh on July 23, 1637 , which quickly developed into a national uprising . Together with Routs , Balmerino and Henderson , Laudon was at the forefront of the Covenant movement and took part in editing the “ National Covenant of 1638. ” Soon all of Scotland united against the king and his church reforms. In 1639 - 1640, the Scots defeated the royal troops in the " Episcopal Wars " and achieved the approval of a parliamentary monarchy in Scotland. The royal power was significantly limited; the episcopal system was liquidated. Laudon took an active part in these events: in 1639, the detachment headed by him captured the royal castle of Tantallon , and in 1640 the count turned to France for help, which led to the arrest of Laudon.
During the visit of Charles I to Scotland in 1641, Laudon was liberated under pressure from Hamilton . Moreover, the king was forced to recognize the conquests of the covenants and appoint Laudon as Chancellor of Scotland. During this period, Campbell became close to the ultra-Protestant wing of the movement led by Argyll . After the outbreak of the civil war in England, Laudon supported the desire of the radicals to enter the war on the side of the English parliament, wishing to achieve the establishment of Presbyterianism as the state religion of England . The Chancellor met resistance from the moderate covenants and royalists led by Hamilton, who managed to prevail in the Privy Council of Scotland. However, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland supported the idea of intervention. Already in the spring of 1643, during negotiations between the Chancellor and the King at Oxford, Laudon threatened Scotland's last entry into the war if Charles I did not provide for the Presbyterian reforms in England.
Laudon supported the adoption of the Solemn League and Covenant in the fall of 1643, which formed the union of Scotland and the English Parliament, and in early 1644 arrived in London to negotiate the church unification of the two British states and the procedure for providing military assistance to the English parliament. However, the development of the English Revolution and the establishment in England by the end of 1647 of the sovereignty of the army and the " independents ", negatively related to the Presbyterian reforms and the monarchy in general, forced Laudon to make rapprochement with the king. On December 27, 1647, Laudon, Lanark, and Lauderdale , representing the Scottish government, entered into the Caribbeanbrook Treaty with Charles I, better known as the “ Engagement ”, under which the Scots undertook to support the king, including through military intervention, in exchange for establishing in England Presbyterianism.
“Inception” was supported by most of Scottish society, concerned about the decline of England to republicanism, and was approved by the Scottish Parliament. But the general assembly, in which the radicals dominated, sharply condemned the concessions to the king. On August 19, 1648, the Scottish troops were defeated by the British army at the Battle of Preston , and the uprising of the ultra-Protestants in Ayrshire overthrew the reign of the " ingamers ." Laudon, however, retained his post of chancellor in the new Argyll government, having managed to go over to the side of the radicals. Later, Laudon participated in the purge of the Scottish state apparatus and the expulsion from it of supporters of reconciliation with the king, fought with Montrose and supported his execution in 1650 . The landing in Scotland of Charles II in 1650 again forced Laudon to change his political camp: the chancellor joined the government of the young king and participated in his unsuccessful war with Cromwell . In 1651, Scotland was occupied by British troops and for many years was subordinated to the Cromwell regime. Laudon was expelled from the Amnesty Act (1654) due to his collaboration with Charles II and ceased to play a significant role in Scottish politics.
Laudon died shortly after the Stuart Restoration , in 1662 . By this time, the Earl's welfare had worsened, his estates in Scotland were mortgaged and re-mortgaged. As a result, his son and heir turned out to be the holder of an empty title and was forced to emigrate from the country.