Boy (dog)

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Boy
Prince Rupert - 1st English Civil War.jpg
Boy, accompanying Prince Rupert of the Rhine in a pro-Parliamentary woodcut condemning the pair
Species Dog
Breed Poodle
SexMale
Bornabt. 1638
Died2 July 1644
Marston Moor, England
Resting placeMarston Moor, England
Occupation Hunting dog and military mascot
Years active1640–1644
Known forIconic Royalist symbol during English Civil War
Owner Prince Rupert of the Rhine

Boy (also Boye) was a white hunting poodle belonging to Prince Rupert of the Rhine in the 17th century. Parliamentarian propaganda alleged that the dog was "endowed" with magical powers.

Contents

Boy accompanied his master into battle and was killed at the Battle of Marston Moor on 2 July 1644.

Origins

In Royalist parodies, Boy was said to be a 'Lapland Lady' who had been transformed into a white dog. Boye, Prince Rupert's Poodle (cropped).jpg
In Royalist parodies, Boy was said to be a 'Lapland Lady' who had been transformed into a white dog.

Boy was first given to Prince Rupert when he was imprisoned in the fortress of Linz during the Thirty Years' War. [1] The Earl of Arundel, an Englishman who had grown concerned about Rupert's plight, gave him the animal to keep him company during his confinement. [1] The dog was a rare breed of white hunting poodle.

There were probably two poodles, one black and one white, given to Rupert in Germany. The black was lost early on in the war; it was the white survivor who became notorious. It was sometimes called "Puddle" (for "poodle"), but it's famous as being called "Boy"; although it might have been female. [2] [3] Propaganda was put about that Boy had possession of dark powers as a 'dog-witch'.

Boy was sufficiently impressive and famous across Europe that the Ottoman Sultan of the day, Murad IV, requested that his ambassador attempt to find him a similar animal. [1] Boy accompanied Rupert during his travels until 1644.

Propaganda and magical powers

Pro-Parliamentary pamphlet of 1643 Boye pamphlet 1643.jpg
Pro-Parliamentary pamphlet of 1643

Boy accompanied his master from 1642 to 1644 during the English Civil War.

Another Pro-Parliamentary pamphlet of 1643 Boy and roundhead-propaganda pamphlet 1643.png
Another Pro-Parliamentary pamphlet of 1643

Rupert was the iconic Royalist cavalier of the conflict and was frequently the subject of Parliamentarian propaganda. [4] Boy, who often accompanied Rupert into battle, featured heavily in this, and was widely suspected of being a witch's familiar. There were numerous accounts of Boy's abilities; some suggested that he was the Devil in disguise. [5]

John Cleveland and other Royalist satirists and parodists mocked these Parliamentarian attitudes and produced lampoons that satirised the alleged "superstition" and "credulity" of their opponents; Cleveland claimed that Boy was Prince Rupert's shapeshifting familiar, and of demonic origins. [6] Other satirists suggested that Boy was a "Lapland Lady" who had been transformed into a white dog. Boy was also "able" to find hidden treasure, was invulnerable to attack, could catch bullets fired at Rupert in his mouth, and prophesy as well as the 16th-century soothsayer, Mother Shipton. [7] Royalist soldiers also promoted Boy, as their adopted mascot, to the rank of Sergeant-Major-General. [8]

Reportedly, Boy had other endearing attributes, such as cocking his leg when he heard the name of John Pym, leader of the Parliamentarian forces. [9] He was also alleged to have performed for Charles I, slept in Prince Rupert's bed, and played with Princes Charles, James and Harry and Princess Henrietta, and was often fed roast beef and capon breast by Charles I himself. [10]

Death

A contemporary depiction of Boy's death Boye Marston Moor.jpg
A contemporary depiction of Boy's death

Boy died during the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644. He had been left safely tied up in the Royalist camp, but escaped and chased after Rupert. The battle went badly for the Royalists, and Rupert was forced to flee the field; Boy was killed during the ensuing fighting. He was prominently depicted in woodcut scenes drawn of the battle at the time, lying upside down, dead; [11] Simon Ash, a contemporary historian of the event, drew specific attention to the death of this 'much spoken of' dog. [12]

Legacy

Boy has been recorded as the first official British Army Dog. [13]

Contemporary works about Boy

See also

Related Research Articles

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The English Civil War refers to a series of civil wars and political machinations between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the struggle consisted of the First English Civil War and the Second English Civil War. The Anglo-Scottish War of 1650 to 1652 is sometimes referred to as the Third English Civil War.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Rupert of the Rhine</span> German-English army officer and admiral (1619–1682)

Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to prominence as a Royalist cavalry commander during the English Civil War. Rupert was the third son of the German Prince Frederick V of the Palatinate and Elizabeth, eldest daughter of King James VI and I of England and Scotland.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Spencer, p.42.
  2. "The Black Legend of Prince Rupert's Dog: Witchcraft and Propaganda During the English Civil War: Two dogs". TimesHigherEducation.com. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  3. Stoyle, Mark (6 June 2011). The Black Legend of Prince Rupert's Dog: Witchcraft and Propaganda During the English Civil War. liverpool University Press. ISBN   9780859898591. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  4. Purkiss, 2007, p.175.
  5. Spencer, p.127.
  6. Purkiss, 2001, p.276; Stoyle, pp.22-6.
  7. Purkiss, 2007, p.377.
  8. Wedgwood, p.148.
  9. Stoyle, pp.22-6.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Poodle History: Army Dogs , Poodle History Project, Emily Cain, accessed 13 June 2011.
  11. Gaunt, p.41.
  12. Bence-Jones, p.50.
  13. Cornick, Nicola. "The Dobson Painting at Ashdown House". Number One London. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  14. , Boy In Newsprint.

Bibliography

Further reading