RUTHVEN, JOHN [SSNE 191]

Surname

RUTHVEN, RUTHWEN, RIDVIN, RUTHUINN, RÜDTWEIN, RÜDTWIN, RÜDWEIN, RÖDVEN, RUDDERHUS

First name

JOHN

Title/rank

MAJOR GENERAL

Nationality

SCOT

Region

BALLINDEAN, Carse of Gowrie, PERTH AND KINROSS

Social status

OFFICER

Text source

Sir John Ruthven of Dunglasss was the third son of William Ruthven, 3rd of Ballindean. He served first a captain in Danish service from 1627. After King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway made peace with the Habsburg Emperor in 1629 it is likely that Ruthven, along with many other Scottish soldiers in Danish service, then turned to Sweden. A captain John Ruthven first appears in Swedish service in 1629 when he was a captain of the Scottish infantry at Stralsund. He was soon promoted lieutenant-colonel in Alexander Leslie's [SSNE 1] infantry regiment in 1630 and led an infantry-regiment in the battle of Breitenfeld on 17 September 1631 as full colonel. He also took part in the battle at the Alte Veste near Nuernberg on 3 September 1632, and later took part in the bloody conquest of Landsberg/Lech (Bavaria) under Torstensson's command. He was promoted to major-general by 1636 and took part in the battle of Wittstock as defacto commander of the reserve when Major General Vitzthum refused orders to advance. In 1638 he recieved a power of attorney from Axel Oxenstierna to reclaim 1600 rixdaler owed for equipment, or to pursue that case in court. That same year he sought permission to leave Swedish service in order to return to Scotland. He married Barbara Leslie, the eldest daughter of Alexander Leslie [SSNE 1]. He is sometimes confused with his uncle  Patrick Ruthven [SSNE 3413], especially for his actions at Wittstock. Comissioned as a general in the Royalist army under his uncle 1639-1641, he appears to have not taken part in any action. Indeed, according to the Ruthven Correspondence  the king did not call for him until February 1639 (1640). Nor did John return to the Royalist fold after the outbreak of the English Civil Wars. He is sometimes said to have died in 1648 and it may be he who is buried at Monefieth outside Dundee and not his uncle Patrick (said to have died there, but actually died in Germany).

 

Sources:

R. Monro, His Expedition with a worthy Scots Regiment called Mac-Keyes (2 vols., London, 1637), II, The List of the Scottish Officers in Chiefe, list 1; Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1629/2-24; 1630/34-36,38; 1631/22,24,31; 1632/31; Swedish Riksrakivet, Arkivfragment, Lt General James King to Major General Ruthven, 2 March  1638 (mis identified as Patrick Ruthven); Rikskansleren Axel Oxenstiernas Skrift er och Brefvexling, I:16 (Stockholm, 2009), pp.151-153. Axel Oxenstierna to James King, 2 May 1638. Letter regarding Ruthven's memorial and action; Rikskansleren Axel Oxenstiernas Skrift er och Brefvexling II:9 (Srockholm, 1898), pp.488-489 & 507-508. Alexander Leslie to Axel Oxenstierna, 4 October 1641 & 26 August 1646. Letters regarding the payment of Ruthven's pension and monies owed; Riksarkivet, Det odelade kansliet Riksregistraturet, 196 fol. 145. Axel Oxenstierna's power of attorney for John Ruthven. See also National Archives of Scotland, GD 84/165, 9/7/1627; G. Lind, Danish Data Archive 1573; T. Riis, Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot (Odense, 1988), II, p.116, 132; William Dunn Macrae (ed), Letters and Papers of Patrick Ruthven, Earl of Forth and Brentford, and his family, Ad 1615-1662 (London, 1868), pp. 39 & 47; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.41-42; Steve Murdoch and Alexia Grosjean, Alexander Leslie and the Scottish Generals of the Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648 (London, 2014).

 

Thanks to Adam Marks for the following reference - TNA, SP 80/9 General King's account of battle of Wittstock (1636) ff.275-276. This letter is reproduced in Steve Murdoch, K. Zickermann and A. Marks, ‘The Battle of Wittstock 1636: Conflicting Reports on a Swedish Victory in Germany’, Northern Studies, 43 (2012), pp.71–109.

Thanks to Dr Bernd Warlich for providing the following references. RUDERT, O.,  Die Kämpfe um Leipzig im Großen Kriege 1631-1642 (Leipzig 1937), p. 55; Peter ENGERISSER, Von Kronach nach Noerdlingen. Der Dreißigjährige Krieg in Franken, Schwaben und der Oberpfalz 1631-1635 (Weißenstadt 2007, second edition), pp. 637, 640, 152, 602, 640.

Riksarkivet, Stockholm. Arkivfragment, Lt General James King to Major General John Ruthven, March 1638. - This letter contains some information about the military and political situation in Germany. Lt. General King states that the alliance with France is in place and that England (sic), France, Sweden and Holland (sic) are  now meant to discuss a great alliance between themselves. He also says that Duke Bernhard of Saxe Wismar has made progress and is expecting more troops. He asks Maj General Ruthven to join Bernhard quickly if possible. King signs the letter as servant to his brother and cousin. NB: This letter has long been misidentified as one to Lt General Patrick Ruthven who had left service in 1636 and was of higher rank. It is written to a major general still in Swedish service thus eliminating Patrick Ruthven who was Lt General but left Swedish service in 1636.

With thanks to Helmut Backhaus at Riksarkivet for helping confirming the recipient of this letter.

 

Bishop War; English Civil War

Service record

DENMARK-NORWAY, MACKAY'S REGIMENT

Arrived 1627-07-01, as CAPTAIN

Departed 1628-10-31, as CAPTAIN

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

DENMARK-NORWAY, SJAELLAND KNIGHT'S REGIMENT

Arrived 1628-11-01, as CAPTAIN

Departed 1629-02-28, as CAPTAIN

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, ALEXANDER LESLIE

Arrived 1629-01-01, as CAPTAIN

Departed 1631-12-31, as LT COLONEL

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

SWEDEN, JOHN RUTHVEN

Arrived 1632-01-01, as COLONEL

Departed 1638-12-31, as MAJOR GENERAL

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY

STUART KINGDOMS, ROYALIST ARMY

Arrived 1639-01-01, as MAJOR GENERAL

Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY