Editing John Burgoyne (section)

==Seven Years War==
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2017}}
{{further|Great Britain in the Seven Years War}}
A month after the outbreak of the [[Seven Years' War]], Burgoyne bought a commission in the [[11th Hussars|11th Dragoons]]. In 1758, he became captain and lieutenant-colonel in the [[Coldstream Guards]].{{sfnp|Stokesbury|1979}}

=== Raids on French coast and capture of Belle Île ===
{{Main|Raid on St Malo|Raid on Cherbourg|Capture of Belle Île}}

In 1758, he participated in several expeditions against the [[France|French coast]]. During this period he was instrumental in introducing [[light cavalry]] into the British Army. The two regiments then formed were commanded by [[George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield|George Augustus Eliott]] (afterwards [[Lord Heathfield]]) and Burgoyne. This was a revolutionary step, and Burgoyne was a pioneer in the early development of British light cavalry. Burgoyne admired independent thought amongst common soldiers, and encouraged his men to use their own initiative, in stark contrast to the established system employed at the time by the British army.{{sfnmp|Chisholm|1911|Stokesbury|1979}} 

In 1761, Burgoyne, as lieutenant-colonel-commandant of the sixteenth light dragoons, participated in the a British amphibious expedition to capture the French island of Belle Île off the Brittany coast. During the siege of the island's main citadel Le Palais, Burgoyne was entrusted with a negotiation for an exchange of prisoners.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Burgoyne |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rcdNAQAAMAAJ |title=Sketch of the life of Lieutenant-General Burgoyne. The maid of the Oaks. The lord of the manor |date=1808 |publisher=C. Whittingham |language=en}}</ref>

===Portuguese campaign===
{{Main|Spanish invasion of Portugal (1762)}}
In 1761, he sat in parliament for [[Midhurst (UK Parliament constituency)|Midhurst]],<ref name=HOP>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/burgoyne-john-1723-92 |title=Burgoyne, John (1723–92) |website=[[History of Parliament Online]] |access-date=3 December 2017}}</ref> and in the following year he served as a [[brigadier general (United Kingdom)|brigadier-general]] in Portugal which had just entered the war. Burgoyne won particular distinction by leading his cavalry in the capture of [[Valencia de Alcántara]] and of [[Battle of Vila Velha|Vila Velha de Ródão]] following the [[Battle of Valencia de Alcántara]], compensating for the Portuguese [[Siege of Almeida (1762)|loss of Almeida]]. This played a major part in repulsing a large [[Spanish invasion of Portugal (1762)|Spanish force bent on invading Portugal]].{{sfnmp|Chisholm|1911|Stokesbury|1979}} Burgoyne's conduct during the invasion greatly impressed his superior; the Field Marshal [[William, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe|Count La Lippe]]. La Lippe commissioned the 1766 portrait of Burgoyne by [[Joshua Reynolds]] and the painting was held by Lippe's descendants until 1943.<ref name=Frick>{{cite web |url=https://collections.frick.org/objects/126/general-john-burgoyne|title=Burgoyne, John |website=[[The Frick Collection]] |access-date=4 February 2024}}</ref><ref name=Rey>{{cite journal |url=https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1001/archfaci.3.4.300|title= Sir Joshua Reynolds' ''General John Burgoyne''|journal= Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery|date=October 2001 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=300 |doi=10.1001/archfaci.3.4.300 |access-date=4 February 2024 |last1=Duffy-Zeballos |first1=Lisa }}</ref>