File:WilliamBligh.jpeg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
William Bligh
Sign in to saveAlso known as Vice Admiral of the Blue William Bligh, Vice-Admiral William Bligh, Wm. Bligh
officer of the British Royal Navy and colonial administrator (1754-1817)
OverviewAI-generated
William Bligh (1754–1817) was a British military officer, sailor, politician, and governor. Born in Plymouth and dying in London, he served in the Royal Navy, where he attained the rank of commodore. His political career included holding the position of Governor of New South Wales. Bligh was a member of the Royal Society and received the award of Fellow of the Royal Society. He was buried at the Garden Museum.
Bligh participated in several conflicts, including the Battle of Dogger Bank, Battle of Camperdown, Battle of Cape Spartel, and Battle of Copenhagen. He had six children and spoke English. His written works, produced in English, include "Bligh's voyage in the Resource, from Coupang to Batavia" and "Narrative of the Mutiny on board H. M. Ship Bounty." He is described in sources such as Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition and The Nuttall Encyclopædia.
Synthesized by Vinony from 41 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, OpenAlex, Open Library, Crossref, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, Vinony collections, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Key facts
- Monarch
- George III
- Lieutenant
- William Paterson
- Preceded by
- Philip Gidley King
- Succeeded by
- Lachlan Macquarie
- Born
- ( 1754-09-09 ) 9 September 1754, Plymouth , Devon (or St Tudy , Cornwall), England
- Died
- 7 December 1817 (1817-12-07) (aged 63), London , England
- Resting place
- St Mary-at-Lambeth , Lambeth, London, England
- Spouse
- Elizabeth Betham ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 4 February 1781</span>"}]]}'>1781 ; died 15 April 1812</span>"}]]}'>1812 )
- Children
- 8, including Mary Putland
- Occupation
- Naval officer, colonial administrator
- Known for
- Mutiny on the Bounty
- Awards
- Naval Gold Medal
- Allegiance
- Great Britain , United Kingdom
- Branch service
- Royal Navy
- Years of service
- 1761–1783 , 1787–1817
- Rank
- Vice-Admiral of the Blue
- Battles wars
- American War of Independence Great Siege of Gibraltar Fourth Anglo-Dutch War Battle of Dogger Bank (1781) War of the First Coalition Battle of Camperdown War of the Second Coalition Battle of Copenhagen (1801) Australian frontier wars Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- William
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom
- Place of birth
- Plymouth
- Place of death
- London
- Occupation
- politician
- Position held
- Governor of New South Wales
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Conflict
- Battle of Copenhagen
- Military branch
- Royal Navy
- Image
- WilliamBligh.jpeg
- Number of children
- 6
Show 11 more facts
- Commons category
- William Bligh
- member of
- Royal Society
- date of birth
- 1754-09-09
- date of death
- 1817-12-07
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
- Commons gallery
- William Bligh
- place of burial
- Garden Museum
- writing language
- English language
- has works in the collection
- State Library of New South Wales
- name in native language
- William Bligh
- P12749
- Greenlee County
via Wikidata · CC0
~37 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Vice-Admiral of the Blue William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was a Royal Navy officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1808. He is best known for his role in the mutiny on HMS Bounty, which occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command. The reasons behind the mutiny continue to be debated. After being set adrift in Bounty's launch by the mutineers, Bligh and those loyal to him stopped for supplies on Tofua, losing one man to native attacks. Bligh and his men reached Timor alive, after a journey of 3,618 nautical miles (6,700 km; 4,160 mi).
On 13 August 1806, Bligh was appointed governor of the British colony of New South Wales, with orders to clean up the corrupt rum trade of the New South Wales Corps. His actions directed against the trade resulted in the so-called Rum Rebellion, during which Bligh was placed under arrest on 26 January 1808 by the New South Wales Corps and deposed from his command, an act which the Foreign Office later declared to be illegal. He died in London on 7 December 1817.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “William Bligh” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.