Blenheim Palace is a UNESCO World Heri
tage site, the home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, the Birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, and one of Britain’s greatest houses.
In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, defeated the forces of Louis XIV near a small village called Blenheim. This was the first defeat that the French had suffered in decades, and had far-reaching impact into European development (click here for some entertaining reading about France’s proud military tradition). The most remarkable aspect of the victory was Churchill’s incredible logistical feat of marching an army of forty thousand men 250 miles in twenty one days and having them fresh enough at the end to defeat a French army of superior numbers.
His reward from the Queen was the Royal Manor of Woodstock and a new palace there (to be called Blenheim).
Photos here.