Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond
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Thomas FitzJames FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond (died 1467/68), called 'Thomas of
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
', and also known as the Great Earl, was the son of
James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond (d. 1462), called 'the Usurper', was a younger son of Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond, and Lady Eleanor, daughter of James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond. Life The younger brother of John FitzGerald, 4 ...
and Mary
de Burgh de Burgh (also spelt de Bourgh, and Burke, and also Latinised as de Burgo) is an Anglo-Norman surname deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (c.1 ...
. He was
Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...
under the Lieutenancy of
Duke of Clarence Duke of Clarence is a substantive title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the British Royal Family. All three creations were in the Peerage of England. The title was first granted to Lionel of Antwerp, the second son ...
from 1463 to his death, and in 1464 founded the
College of Youghal The Collegiate Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, also known as St Mary's Collegiate Church, is a large Church of Ireland, Anglican church in Youghal, east County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Dating to roughly 1220 and dedicated to the Mary ...
. His plan to found a University at Drogheda failed due to his judicial assassination.


Political career

Upon the death of his father, James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond, in 1462, Thomas FitzJames FitzGerald, became the 7th Earl of Desmond. That same year Desmond, having sided, as had his father, with the
House of York The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, ...
, put down a Lancastrian invasion of Ireland by John and Thomas
Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
, brothers of the Earl of Ormond.Wagner, John A., "Fitzgerald, Thomas, Earl of Desmond", ''Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses'', ABC-CLIO, 2001
Local memory claims that the Battle of Piltown was so violent that the local river ran red with blood, hence the names Pill River and Piltown (''Baile an Phuill'' – Town of the blood). Piltown was the only battle of the
Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...
fought in Ireland. In appreciation, the following year King
Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
appointed Desmond Lord-Deputy under the King's brother,
Duke of Clarence Duke of Clarence is a substantive title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the British Royal Family. All three creations were in the Peerage of England. The title was first granted to Lionel of Antwerp, the second son ...
. Desmond built castles around
the Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...
, and continued the hereditary FitzGerald feud with the Butlers. In 1464 he founded the collegiate church at
Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long and narrow layout. ...
.Fitzgerald, Thomas W. H., ''Ireland and her people'', Fitzgerald Book Company, 1910
/ref>


Downfall and death

In 1466 he was badly defeated in an expedition to
Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
, which permanently weakened the defence of
the Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...
.Ross, Charles ''Edward IV'' Eyre and Methuen 1974 p.204 He was well-liked in Ireland for his defence of them against the difficulties of English law. The parliament in the Dublin Pale had a negative view of the Gaels, descendants of the original inhabitants, and passed an act in 1465 that every Irishman dwelling in the Pale was to dress and shave like the English, and take an English surname such as the name of a town, or of a colour such as Black, Brown, Green or White, or of a trade such as Smith, Carpenter, Thatcher, or forfeit his goods. Another measure forbade ships from fishing in the seas off Ireland because the dues went to make the Irish people prosperous. Another provided that it was lawful to decapitate '
thieves Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...
' found robbing "or going or coming anywhere" unless they had an Englishman in their company. On bringing the head to the mayor of the nearest town, 'head money' was paid. Desmond was the main defender of the Irish against such exactions. Following his assassination, in 1468 Edward IV replaced Desmond as Lord Deputy with
John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester KG (8 May 1427 – 18 October 1470), was an English nobleman and scholar who served as Lord High Treasurer, Lord High Constable of England and Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was known as "the Butcher of Englan ...
, a Crown servant notorious for his cruelty and ruthlessness, who was nicknamed "the Butcher of England". Accused by his political enemies of
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
, for aiding the Irish against the King's subjects, as well as
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
, Desmond attended a Parliament held in
Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...
. He, along with
Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare Thomas FitzJohn FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare ( – 25 March 1477), was an Irish peer and statesman of the fifteenth century who held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Background Kildare was the son of John Fitzmaurice FitzGerald, 6th ...
, was
attainted In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary ...
for
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
. The fact that Desmond had been seized in a
Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...
, in breach of the right of
sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...
, caused particular indignation.Otway-Ruthven, A.J. ''A History of Medieval Ireland'' Barnes and Noble reissue 1993 p.392 Desmond was summarily beheaded, while Kildare managed to escape to England to plead his case before the King. Desmond was buried at St. Peter's Church, Drogheda, then afterwards removed to
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Christ Church Cathedral, more formally The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the ( ...
. Desmond's death shocked the nation: "slain by the swords of the wicked, or may I say a martyr" wrote one chronicler. Some accounts claim that Tiptoft also murdered two of Desmond's young sons, who were attending school in Drogheda. The Munster Geraldines invaded the Pale. Not wishing to see a similar uprising in
Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
, Edward revoked the attainder against both Kildare and Desmond. Although Desmond's heir was allowed to succeed to his father's lands and title, relations between the Crown and the Desmonds were strained for decades. The precise cause of his downfall remains something of a mystery. There were vague rumours that he was involved in a plot against Tiptoft, who was certainly not a man to give his enemies the benefit of the doubt, and even vaguer rumours that Desmond might be planning to become
King of Ireland King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
. Apart from Tiptoft, he had another powerful enemy in William Sherwood,
Bishop of Meath The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric. History Unti ...
, a man as ruthless as Tiptoft himself, who was believed by many to have poisoned Tiptoft's mind against Desmond. Later accounts suggested that Edward IV's Queen,
Elizabeth Woodville Elizabeth Woodville (also spelt Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile;Although spelling of the family name is usually modernised to "Woodville", it was spelt "Wydeville" in contemporary publications by Caxton, but her tomb at St. George's Chapel, Wind ...
, was the prime mover, having taken offence at some tactless remarks of Desmond, which drew attention to her obscure birth, a subject on which she was understandably sensitive, as her husband had been ridiculed for marrying one who was "not the daughter of a Duke or earl". The Queen was undoubtedly a formidable enemy: her husband's biographer describes her as a woman who was cold and calculating by nature, "quick to take offence and reluctant to forgive"Ross p.89 but there is no contemporary evidence of any quarrel between her and Desmond. One account claims that the Queen was jealous of Desmond's influence over her husband.


Reputation

Desmond has been praised by modern historians as a versatile and attractive figure. He was handsome, affable, hospitable and learned: "a
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
magnate with an Irish tinge".


Marriage and issue

On 22 August 1455, Thomas married Ellice
de Barry The de Barry family is a noble family of Cambro-Norman origins which held extensive land holdings in Wales and Ireland. The founder of the family was a Norman Knight, Odo, who assisted in the Norman Conquest of England during the 11th century. ...
, daughter of William Barry, 8th Baron Barry, and Ellen de la Roche, and they had issue seven sons and two daughters: #
James FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Desmond James FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Desmond (1459– 1487) was the son of Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond and his wife, Ellice de Barry, daughter of William Barry, 8th Baron Barry, and Ellen de la Roche. Life The execution of the 7th Earl ...
. #
Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond (died 1520) was the brother of James FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Desmond.Cokayne, George Edward, Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or ...
. # Lady Katherine Fitzgerald, married
Finghin MacCarthy Reagh, 8th Prince of Carbery Finghin MacCarthy Reagh ( ga, Fínghin Mac Carthaigh Riabhach) was the 10th Prince of Carbery from 1478 to his death in 1505. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty,Thomas Fitzgerald, 11th Earl of Desmond. #Unnamed boy #1,According to John Ashdown-Hill and Annette Carson in their article "The Execution of Earl of Desmond",&nbs
Essays & Articles, Richard III Society
p.7.
who was murdered by
John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester KG (8 May 1427 – 18 October 1470), was an English nobleman and scholar who served as Lord High Treasurer, Lord High Constable of England and Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was known as "the Butcher of Englan ...
. #Unnamed boy #2, who was murdered by
John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester John Tiptoft, 1st Earl of Worcester KG (8 May 1427 – 18 October 1470), was an English nobleman and scholar who served as Lord High Treasurer, Lord High Constable of England and Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was known as "the Butcher of Englan ...
. #
John FitzGerald, de facto 12th Earl of Desmond John FitzGerald, de facto 12th Earl of Desmond (died December 1536) was the brother of Thomas FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Desmond. Upon his brother's death in 1534, John disputed the title to the earldom of his brother's grandson, James FitzGe ...
. #Ellen Fitzgerald, married 1) Thomas Butler of Caher, 2) Turlogh Mac I Brien Ara, of Duharra, Bishop of Killaloe. #Gerald Oge Fitzgerald of Macollop, c.1464 whose male descendants became extinct in 1743.


Ancestry


Notes


References

* Burke, Bernard,
A Genealogical History of the Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire
'. London: Harrison. 1866. p. 204–205 * Cokayne, George Edward,
Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. Volume III
'. London: George Bell & Sons. 1890. p. 85


External links





* ttp://neverfeltbetter.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/irelands-wars-roses-at-piltown/ Ireland’s Wars: Roses At Piltown {{DEFAULTSORT:Desmond, Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl Of
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...
People from County Cork 15th-century Irish people Normans in Ireland 1467 deaths Year of birth unknown Earls of Desmond (1329 creation) Lords Lieutenant of Ireland