Rupert, Prince, also called Rupert of the Rhine 1619-82
English cavalry officer

Born in Prague, he was the third son of the Elector Palatine Frederick V and Elizabeth, daughter of James VI and I of Scotland and England, and nephew of Charles I. He fought against the Imperialists in the Thirty Years War (1618-48) until he was taken prisoner at Vlotho. In 1642 he returned to England and was appointed General of the Horse by Charles I. He served the king with great loyalty and courage and was the ablest Royalist soldier, showing tactical skill and swiftness in cavalry actions, although at times his pursuit was too headlong. Charming but lacking in tact, he was handicapped by royal indecisiveness and obstructionism by courtiers. After his defeat at Naseby and surrender of Bristol (1645), Charles (who in 1644 had created him Duke of Cumberland and Commander-in-Chief), dismissed him. He was acquitted by a court martial and resumed his duties, but surrendered at Oxford to Thomas Fairfax (1646). Banished by parliament from England, he took command of the small Royalist fleet (1648) and preyed on English shipping; in 1650 Admiral Robert Blake attacked his squadron, burning or sinking most of his vessels. Rupert escaped to the West Indies, and in 1653 returned to France, where he chiefly lived until the Restoration. Thereafter he served under the Duke of York (the future James VII and II) in naval operations against the Dutch, and took part in founding the Hudson's Bay Company (1670). One of the founders of the Royal Society, he experimented with firearms, and produced beautiful mezzotints.

Bibliography: Patrick Morrah, Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1976)