Arabella Churchill (royal mistress)

Arabella Churchill (February 23, 1648 - May 30, 1730) was the mistress of King James II of England and VII of Scotland, and the mother of at least four of his children. She was the child of Sir Winston Churchill (an ancestor of Sir Winston Churchill) and Elizabeth Drake.

An older sister of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, she began her relationship with James, then Duke of York, in about 1665,

while he was still married to Anne Hyde. Arabella became the duchess's lady-in-waiting in that year, and gave birth to two children during Anne's lifetime. Their affair continued after James's marriage to Mary of Modena in 1673, and produced two more children.

Children with James II of England and VII of Scotland

 

 

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