mountbătˈən, 1900–1979, British admiral; great-grandson of Queen Victoria and uncle of Philip Mountbatten, duke of Edinburgh. He entered the navy as a cadet in 1913 and saw service as a midshipman in World War I. At the outbreak of World War II he was a commander in the dangerous destroyer service until he returned to England to become adviser to and later director (1942–43) of combined operations; he directed the commando raids upon Norway and France. In 1943 he was appointed to head the Southeast Asia Command and commanded Allied operations against the Japanese in Myanmar. As the last British viceroy of India (1947) he concluded the negotiations for independence and the creation of the two separate states of India and Pakistan. He then served briefly (1947–48) as governor-general of the dominion of India. He was created an earl in 1947. As chief of the defence staff (1959–65), he worked to integrate the various branches of the armed forces. He became governor (1965) of the Isle of Wight and then lord lieutenant (1974). In 1979 he was assassinated by terrorists affiliated with the Irish Republican Army.

See D. Butler, Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy (1986); P. Ziegler, Mountbatten (1986).

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