Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond ( – 1583), also counted as 15th or 16th, owned large part of the Irish province of

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following t ...

. In 1565 he fought the private Battle of Affane against his neighbours, the Butlers. After this, he was for some time detained in the Tower of London. Though the

First Desmond Rebellion The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster. They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the Fitzmaurice/FitzGerald Dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines an ...

took place in his absence, he led the

Second Desmond Rebellion The Second Desmond Rebellion (1579–1583) was the more widespread and bloody of the two Desmond Rebellions in Ireland launched by the FitzGerald Dynasty of Desmond in Munster against English rule. The second rebellion began in July 1579 whe ...

from 1579 to his death and was therefore called the Rebel Earl. He was attainted in 1582 and went into hiding but was hunted down and killed.

Birth and origins

Gerald was born about 1533. He was the eldest son of James FitzJohn FitzGerald by his second wife, More O'Carroll. As his father's name was James, he was also, after the Norman

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

manner, called "fitz James". His full name was, therefore: "Gerald FitzJames FitzGerald". His father was the 13th (or 14th or 15th)

Earl of Desmond Earl of Desmond is a title in the peerage of Ireland () created four times. When the powerful Earl of Desmond took arms against Queen Elizabeth Tudor, around 1578, along with the King of Spain and the Pope, he was confiscated from his estates ...

. His father had married as his first wife Joan Roche, his grandniece and had a son from her whose name was Thomas. His father had repudiated Joan for consanguinity and Thomas was considered illegitimate. The FitzGeralds of Desmond were a cadet branch of the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

Geraldines, of which the FitzGeralds of

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional ce ...

were the senior branch. Gerald's mother was an

O'Carroll O'Carroll ( ga, Ó Cearbhaill), also known as simply Carroll, Carrol or Carrell, is a Gaelic Irish clan which is the most prominent sept of the Ciannachta (also known as Clan Cian). Their genealogies claim that they are kindred with the Eógan ...

, a native Irish family or clan. He had two brothers and five sisters, who are listed in his father's article.

Early life

In 1541 his father had agreed, as one of the terms of his

Surrender and regrant During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English l ...

submission to

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, to send young Gerald to be educated in England. At the accession of

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...

these promises were renewed: Gerald was to be the companion of the young king, but these projects were never carried out. Claims were made on the Desmond estate by the Butlers, the hereditary enemies of the Geraldines. The FitzGeralds and the Butlers were at perpetual war.

First marriage

In 1550 Gerald FitzGerald married Joan Fitzgerald. She was about 40 whereas he was 17. The purpose was to make peace between the FitzGeralds of Desmond and the Butlers with help of the many links she had to both sides. She was Gerald FitzGerald's second cousin; their common great-grandfather was the 7th Earl of Desmond (see Family tree). She was the eldest daughter of the 10th Earl of Desmond and was his heiress-general as he died without male issue. She was the widow of the 9th Earl of Ormond and the mother of the reigning 10th Earl of Ormond. On Ormond's death she proposed to marry Gerald FitzGerald, and eventually did so after the death of her second husband, Sir Francis Bryan. The effect of this marriage was a temporary cessation of hostility between the Desmonds and her son,

Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond and 3rd Earl of Ossory PC (Ire) (; – 1614), was an influential courtier in London at the court of Elizabeth I. He was Lord Treasurer of Ireland from 1559 to his death. He fought for the crown in th ...

. The marriage was childless.

Earl of Desmond

On 14 October 1558, on his father's death, Gerald Fitzgerald succeeded as the 14th Earl of Desmond. On 30 November he was knighted by Lord Deputy

Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex Thomas Radclyffe (or Ratclyffe), 3rd Earl of Sussex KG (c. 15259 June 1583), was Lord Deputy of Ireland during the Tudor period of English history, and a leading courtier during the reign of Elizabeth I. Family He was the eldest son of Hen ...

, at

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

and offered homage. He soon established close relations with his namesake

Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and ...

(1525–1585), and with Shane O'Neill. Despite a decree issued by Sussex in August 1560 regulating the matters in dispute between Ormond and the FitzGeralds, outlaws from both sides continued to plunder the other. In 1560 his wife's intervention secured a peaceful outcome to a stand-off at

Bohermore Bohermore () is an area of Galway, Ireland. It got this name as it was the main road into Galway City from the east in medieval times. There is a large cemetery located in Bohermore known as the "New Cemetery", which contains two mortuary chap ...

, known as "the battle that never was". For some time, Desmond resisted a summons to appear at Elizabeth's court with the plea that he was at war with his uncle Maurice. When he did appear in London in May 1562, his (according to the English) insolent conduct before the

privy council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mo ...

resulted in a short imprisonment in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

. Desmond was detained in England until 1564.

Second marriage and children

Desmond's first wife died on 2 January 1565. Shortly thereafter he remarried to the 20-year-old Eleanor Butler, daughter of Edmond Butler, 1st

Baron Dunboyne Baron Dunboyne was a title first held by the Petit family some time after the Norman invasion of Ireland. History Dunboyne was part of the Lordship of Meath. The Petit family also had land holdings in Mullingar. In 1227, Ralph Petit became Bishop ...

. Gerald and Eleanor had two sons: # James (1570–1601), called the Tower Earl #Thomas —and five daughters: #Margaret married Diarmid O'Conor #Joan (died 1598) married Diarmid O'Sullivan #Catherine, married first

Maurice Roche, 6th Viscount Fermoy Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...

and secondly

Daniel O'Brien, 1st Viscount Clare Sir Daniel O'Brien, 1st Viscount Clare also called Donal ( – 1666) was an Irish politician and soldier. He was born a younger son of Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond. He fought against the insurgents at Tyrone's Rebellion, but for the in ...

#Ellen, married firstly Sir Donough O'Conor of Sligo, secondly Sir Robert Cressy, and thirdly her cousin Edmond Butler, 3rd/13th Baron Dunboyne, and died at a great age in 1660. #Ellis (Elisabeth), married

Sir Valentine Browne, 1st Baronet Sir Valentine Browne, 1st Baronet, of Molahiffe (died 1633), owned a large estate in south-west Ireland and was a lawyer who served as high sheriff of County Kerry. Birth and origins Valentine was probably born in the 1580s in Ireland. He ...

, ancestor of the

Earls of Kenmare The title of Earl of Kenmare was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1801. It became extinct upon the death of the 7th Earl in 1952. All of the Earls bore the subsidiary titles of Viscount Castlerosse (1801), Viscount Kenmare (1798), and Baron ...

Affane

In 1565 he raided Thomond, and in Waterford, he sought to enforce his feudal rights on Sir Maurice Fitzgerald of Decies, who invoked the help of Thomas Butler (Gerald's former step-son by his 1st wife and 1st cousin to his new wife), the 10th Earl of Ormond. This slid into war with the Ormonds. On 8 February 1565, only a bit more than a month after his 1st wife's death, the two sides fought the private Battle of Affane on the Blackwater river. Here Ormond's brother, Sir Edmund Butler of Cloughgrenan, hit Desmond in the right hip with a pistol shot, cracking his thigh-bone and throwing him from his horse. About 300 Geraldines were killed, many of them drowning as they were intercepted by armed boats while crossing the river. As the badly wounded captive Lord Desmond was being carried shoulder-high from the field, an Ormond commander rode up and jubilantly inquired, "Where is now the great Lord Desmond?" Desmond retorted, Ormond took the wounded Desmond in captivity to

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Drogheda and Wexford. With the exception of the townla ...

and then to

, where Lord Justice Nicholas Arnold took custody of him after a legal wrangle with Ormond. Lords Ormond and Desmond were called to London where they promised to keep the peace, being allowed to return to Ireland early in 1566, where a royal commission was appointed to settle the matters in dispute between them. Desmond and his brother Sir John of Desmond were sent over to England, where they surrendered their lands to the queen after imprisonment in the Tower in 1568.

First Desmond Rebellion

Meanwhile Desmond's cousin,

James FitzMaurice FitzGerald James fitz Maurice FitzGerald (died 1579), called "fitz Maurice", was captain-general of Desmond while Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond, was detained in England by Queen Elizabeth after the Battle of Affane in 1565. He led the first ...

, FitzMaurice for short, caused himself to be acclaimed captain of Desmond in defiance of

Henry Sidney Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586), Lord Deputy of Ireland, was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst, a prominent politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, from both of whom he recei ...

, and in the evident expectation of usurping the earldom. He sought to give the movement an ultra-Catholic character, with the idea of gaining foreign assistance, and allied himself with John Burke, son of the Earl of Clanricarde, with

Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond also spelt Conor and called Groibleach, or the "long-nailed", ( ga, Conchobhar Groibleach Ó Briain; 1535–1581) fought his uncle Donnell over his father's succession during thirty years from 1535 to 1565. ...

, and even secured Ormond's brother, Sir Edmund Butler, whom Sidney had offended. Edward Butler also joined the rebellion, but the appearance of Sidney and Ormond in the southwest was rapidly followed by the submission of the Butlers. Most of the Geraldines were subjugated by

Humphrey Gilbert Sir Humphrey Gilbert (c. 1539 – 9 September 1583) was an English adventurer, explorer, member of parliament and soldier who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and was a pioneer of the English colonial empire in North America ...

, but FitzMaurice remained in arms, and in 1571 Sir

John Perrot Sir John Perrot (7 November 1528 – 3 November 1592) served as lord deputy to Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was formerly speculated that he was an illegitimate son of Henry VIII, though the idea is re ...

undertook to reduce him. Perrot hunted him down, and at last on 23 February 1573 he made formal submission at

Kilmallock Kilmallock () is a town in south County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Cork. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King's Castle (or King John's Castle). The remains of medieval walls which encircled the settlement are st ...

, lying prostrate on the floor of the church by way of proving his sincerity.

Back to Ireland

In 1573 Desmond was discharged from the Tower and allowed to return to Ireland, despite the protestation of Elizabeth's counsellors. He promised not to exercise palatinate jurisdiction in Kerry until his rights to it were proven. He was detained for six months in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, but in November slipped away. Edward FitzGerald, brother of the

Earl of Kildare Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

, and lieutenant of the queen's pensioners in London, was sent to remonstrate with Desmond, but accomplished nothing. Desmond asserted that none but

Brehon law Early Irish law, historically referred to as (English: Freeman-ism) or (English: Law of Freemen), also called Brehon law, comprised the statutes which governed everyday life in Early Medieval Ireland. They were partially eclipsed by the Norma ...

should be observed between Geraldines. FitzMaurice seized Captain George Bourchier (father of Henry), one of Elizabeth's officers in the west. Essex met the Earl near

in July, and Bourchier was surrendered, but Desmond refused the other demands made in the Queen's name. A document offering £500 for his head, and £1,000 to anyone who would take him alive, was drawn up, but was vetoed by two members of the council. On 18 July 1574 the Geraldine chiefs signed a 'Combination' promising to support the Earl unconditionally; shortly afterwards Ormond and the lord deputy, William Fitzwilliam, marched on

, and put Desmond's garrison at Derrinlaur Castle to the sword. Desmond submitted at Cork on 2 September, handing over his estates to trustees: Sir

visited Munster in 1575, and affairs seemed to promise an early restoration of order.

Second Desmond Rebellion

But FitzMaurice had fled to

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

, France, in the company of other leading Geraldines, John Fitzedmund Fitzgerald,

seneschal of Imokilly The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

, who had held Ballymartyr against Sidney in 1567, and Edmund Fitzgibbon, the son of the

White Knight A white knight is a mythological figure and literary stock character. They are portrayed alongside a black knight as diametric opposites. A white knight usually represents a heroic warrior fighting against evil, with the role in medieval literatu ...

who had been attainted in 1571. He intrigued at the French and Spanish courts for a foreign invasion of Ireland, and at

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

met the adventurer Thomas Stucley, with whom he planned an expedition that should have made a nephew of

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...

king of Ireland. In 1579 FitzMaurice landed at Smerwick Bay, where he was joined later by some Spanish soldiers at the Dún an Óir. His ships were captured on 29 July 1579 and he himself was slain in a skirmish while on his way to Tipperary.

Nicholas Sanders Nicholas Sanders (also spelled Sander; c. 1530 – 1581) was an English Catholic priest and polemicist. Early life Sanders was born at Sander Place near Charlwood, Surrey, one of twelve children of William Sanders, once sheriff of Surrey, who ...

, the

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

who had accompanied FitzMaurice, sought to draw the Earl into rebellion. On 1 November 1579 Sir William Pelham proclaimed Desmond a traitor. The

sack of Youghal The sack of Youghal was the capture of the English-held town of Youghal by Irish rebel forces under the command of the Gerald FitzGerald, the 14th Earl of Desmond on 13 November 1579 as part of the Second Desmond Rebellion. Youghal, a town in t ...

and

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 ( ...

by the Geraldines was speedily followed by attacks by Ormond and Pelham acting in concert with Admiral William Winter. Carrigafoyle Castle and Askeaton Castle fell to the English in April 1580. Desmond's younger brother, Sir John of Desmond was killed in December 1581 near

Castlelyons Castlelyons () is a small village in the east of County Cork, Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the barony of Barrymore.

, and the Geraldine seneschal of Imokilly surrendered on 14 June 1583. This seneschal's lands excited envy; he was arrested in 1587, and died in Dublin Castle two days later. Gerald1583

Death and timeline

In June 1581 Desmond took to the woods, but still had a considerable following for some time. By June 1583, when Ormond offered a price for his head, he was fleeing with only four followers. He was killed five months later, on 11 November 1583 in Glenageenty Wood near

Tralee Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in Count ...

, County Kerry. His followers had attacked and plundered a farm but the farmer alerted the government forces who pursued the Earl and his men and surprised them at dawn in a cabin in the forest, east of

at Bóthar an Iarla (Earl's Road). The Moriarty chieftain was given a substantial reward by Queen Elizabeth.

Ancestry

Notes, citations, and sources

Notes

Citations

Sources

* – 1558 to 1578 * (for Desmond) * – N to R (for Ormond) * – Dacre to Dysart (for Desmond) * – (Preview) * – (for timeline) * * * – Parliaments & Biographies (PDF downloadable from given URL) * – (for the 14th Earl of Desmond) * * * – Knights bachelors & Index *