On This Day

Battle at Hastenbeck: French army beats Duke of Cumberland

Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721 [N.S.] – 31 October 1765), was the third and youngest son of George II of Great Britain and Ireland and his wife, Caroline of Ansbach.

Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721 [N.S.] – 31 October 1765), was the third and youngest son of George II of Great Britain and Ireland and his wife, Caroline of Ansbach. He was Duke of Cumberland from 1726. He is best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which made him popular in certain parts of Britain. He is often referred to by the nickname given to him by his Tory opponents: 'Butcher' Cumberland.

For much of the War of the Austrian Succession, with the assistance of John Ligonier, Cumberland commanded the main allied field army in Flanders acting in defence of the Austrian Netherlands and the Dutch Republic.

Historical Significance

Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721 [N.

Events Before

  1. Prime Minister of Great Britain Frederick North (24) weds heiress Anne Speke

    Prime Minister of Great Britain Frederick North (24) weds heiress Anne Speke

  2. Frontiersman Daniel Boone (21) weds Rebecca Bryan (17) in Yadkin River, North Carolina

    Frontiersman Daniel Boone (21) weds Rebecca Bryan (17) in Yadkin River, North Carolina

  3. Britain and Prussia sign the Treaty of Westminster, agreeing to respect each other's European territories

    Britain and Prussia sign the Treaty of Westminster, agreeing to respect each other's European territories

  4. St. Patrick's Day is first celebrated in NYC at the Crown & Thistle Tavern

    St. Patrick's Day is first celebrated in NYC at the Crown & Thistle Tavern

  5. Governor Glen of South Carolina protests against 900 Acadia indians

    Governor Glen of South Carolina protests against 900 Acadia indians

Events After

  1. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establishes the starting point for standardized species names ac

    The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establishes the starting point for standardized species names across the animal kingdom, based on the binomial nomenclature in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus

  2. French astronomer Charles Messier mistakes the Crab Nebula for a comet while searching for Halley's Comet, leading him t

    French astronomer Charles Messier mistakes the Crab Nebula for a comet while searching for Halley's Comet, leading him to begin his Messier Catalogue

  3. Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East-Prussia [NS=Jan 22]

    Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East-Prussia [NS=Jan 22]

  4. Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East Prussia [OS=Jan 11]

    Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East Prussia [OS=Jan 11]

  5. Poems by Jamaican Black intellectual and writer Francis Williams are published

    Poems by Jamaican Black intellectual and writer Francis Williams are published

More from the 1750s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on July 26, 1757?
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721 [N.S.] – 31 October 1765), was the third and youngest son of George II of Great Britain and Ireland and his wife, Caroline of Ansbach. He was Duke of Cumberland from 1726. He is best remembered for his role in putting down the Jacobite Rising at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which made him popular in certain parts of Britain.
Why is Battle at Hastenbeck: French army beats Duke of Cumberland significant?
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721 [N.

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