George Goring, Lord Goring
A flamboyant and controversial Royalist cavalry commander whose military brilliance was often overshadowed by his reckless personal conduct during the English Civil War.
1608–1657 (age 49)·English army officer·Birthday: July 14
Biography
George Goring, known by the courtesy title Lord Goring, cut a dashing and destructive figure in 17th-century England. The son of the Earl of Norwich, he was a charismatic and gifted cavalry leader for King Charles I, famed for his daring charges and tactical acumen at battles like Marston Moor. However, his reputation was fatally intertwined with a penchant for heavy drinking, extravagant spending, and a perceived lack of strategic seriousness. Contemporaries painted him as a man of great courage but little constancy, whose personal excesses could undermine his professional victories. After a severe wound, he was sent to command Royalist forces in the south-west, but his tenure was marked by disputes and failures. He ultimately fled to continental Europe, where he died in poverty, leaving behind a legacy as one of the Civil War's most talented yet tragically flawed commanders.
#1 When George Was Born
The biggest hits of 1608
George's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1608Born
1613Started school
1621Became a teenager
1624Could drive
1626Could vote
1629Turned 21
1638Turned 30
1648Turned 40
1657Died at 49
Key Achievements
- Played a key command role in the decisive Royalist victory at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.
- Successfully defended the port of Portsmouth for the King at the war's outset in 1642.
- Was appointed Lieutenant General of Horse, leading some of the Crown's most important cavalry forces.
Did You Know?
He was a notorious gambler, once reportedly losing £1,500 in a single night, a colossal sum for the era.
The playwright Ben Jonson dedicated his comedy "The New Inn" to Goring in 1629.
He died in Madrid, Spain, in 1657, having never returned to England after the Royalist defeat.
“A man who will not risk his horse will never win the day.”
