The Sea Cavalier

By Norman Tucker

Left with only three ships Rupert was undismayed. When in the harbor of Toulon he was joined by his brother Maurice who had been missing for some time. The writer of the account of Rupert’s voyages at this time records His Highness, seeing himself reduced to three sail, strained the utmost of his treasure, and bought another, which was named the Honest Seaman. Rupert, in this harbor also experienced a noble gesture on the part of an English gentleman, called Captain Craven, who had a ship at Marseilles.

This man showed his royalist sympathies by taking out a commission under Prince Rupert, and, anchoring his own vessel with the royalist ships, offered it to the Prince. The ship thus generously given was re named the Loyal Subject. With five ships Rupert now put to sea and steered for the Barbary Coast North Africa where he captured a Genoa ship, and soon after a Spanish galleon homeward bound from the Indies. By flying the Parliament’s flag, he was able to get the Spanish officers to come on board his flagship. He then took their ship and put the officers ashore.

Turning his back on the Mediterranean, Rupert now headed for Madeira, which belonged to Portugal and where he looked for a friendly welcome. During the Civil War Rupert was admired for his dash and bravery. He now showed a cooler kind of courage by refusing to accept defeat and pushing on with his ambitious scheme in spite of his reverses. Secretly he planned to sail for what he called the Western Isles, but he kept the secret to himself for fear that some of his officers and men would object to crossing the Atlantic.

Rupert felt that were royalists in the West Indies who would help them, and that he could have a harbour there something denied him in Europe. He also reasoned that it would cost the Parliament a lot of trouble and money to attack him. It was the only way, he finally told his crews, that they had of making their fortunes, and to please them he put into the Canary Isles, hoping to capture more ships there but he found none. A council of war decided upon the Azores as their next place of call, and to this destination they went, capturing another Spanish galleon on their way. Having taken on board provisions they sailed for the West Indies.

Here disaster awaited them. The Constant Reformation sprang a leak which defied all attempts to check. As the weather grew worse, so did the leak. The pumps could not cope with the water. SO desperate were the men that they endeavoured to plug the leak by thrusting into it one hundred and twenty pounds of raw beef. Guns were heaved overboard, but efforts were useless.

The flagship in which was stored most of the treasure was doomed. The crew tried to persuade Rupert to escape by boat to his brother’s ship because of his value to the royal cause, but he refused to leave his comrades who had stayed by him in all his misfortunes. The men loved Rupert and thought otherwise. Secretly they hoisted out a boat into which was put a crew of undaunted lads and then, taking the Prince by surprise, they forced him into the boat and rowed him to his brother’s ship. Then the flagship went down with 333 men whose actions speak their merits, wrote the man who told the story. Rupert was overcome with grief for a time, but his troubles were only starting.

The Royal Subject struck a rock and was lost. And then, an even greater disaster, occurred. The Honest Seaman with Prince Maurice on board was caught in a hurricane off Hispaniola and lost with all hands. Rupert, crushed by the loss of his favorite brother, now felt that, with only one ship left, he must return to Europe. He turned towards the Azores where they had taken stores on board, These islands were the recognized half way house for ships crossing the Atlantic. There was no friendly reception this time. Shots from the forts warned him off. He could not go to England; Spain was his enemy; Portugal had come to terms with the Parliamentarians only France remained as a possibly place of refuge. The lone ship and her weary crew sailed for the mouth of the Loire. Though they entered the river in safety Rupert’s troubles were not yet ended. The ship, going up river, ran on a sandbank and was only refloated whit great trouble. Then she was left in harbour to be refitted. Rupert went ashore only to be taken ill; suffering doubtless from the strain of all he had been forced to endure.

His ship seems to have been destroyed by fire for the scribe states like a grateful servant having brought her princely master through so many dangers, she consumed herself, scoring after being quitted by him, that any inferior person should command her. Rupert received a grateful letter from Charles II. Later Rupert was able to call on his kingly cousin but he was unable to relieve his poverty for the great adventure had brought little reward. Rupert, heartsick at the death of Prince Maurice and so many comrades, retired to Germany where he lived for years the life of a country gentleman. He was now able to develop another side of his character.

He was an artist of considerable skill, as his pictures remain to prove. After the Restoration he waited until England had settled to its new existence as a monarchy and then quietly returned to the land he loved. When in 1665 the Dutch War broke out, Prince Rupert, who had given proof of his seamanship, was called out of retirement and entrusted jointly with the Duke of York, the King’s brother with the command of a huge fleet of over a hundred ships which sailed to meet one of equal size which had put off from Holland. According to Sir Geoffrey Callender, each fleet stretched over fourteen miles. The battle off Lowestoft ended in a victory for the English fleet. The next year the Dutch again put to sea and the `Four Days Battle followed in which Rupert and the Duke of Albemarle Monck met their match.

Both fleets finally stopped fighting from sheer weariness. Two month later the Dutch were defeated but had their revenge by sailing up the Thames, burning three English warships, and towing the Royal Charles back to Holland as a prize. Rupert was now allowed to remain on shore, but he encouraged exploration. He helped to form a company trading with Africa and founded the famous Hudson’s Bay Company to develop the fur trade with Canada. His introduced to this country what is known as mezzotint engraving, and invented a novelty called Rupert’s Drops. The drop was a glass globe which could be struck hard on the side but shattered at a touch when the end was tapped.

It was useless but amused many people and was popular.In 1673 Rupert was called away from his science experiments again to take charge of a fleet, this time in the Third Dutch War. He was commander-in chief, but the battle off The Texel was drawn because a French fleet was supposed to support him failed to play its part. This was the last time, Rupert served as a Sea Cavalier. He died at the age of sixty three in 1682 after a few days illness, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Though the prince’s father was German, Rupert seems to have inherited much from his English mother the sister of Charles I and he liked the English way to life. Both on land and sea Rupert of the Rhine` left a name which is remembered with honour in the land of his adoption.

Based largely on Wilburton’s life of Rupert.

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