Walter Butler of Ballinakill Castle, Roscrea ( 1600 – 25 December 1634) was a military officer, who served as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

(''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

'') in the Imperial Army under

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...

and was involved in Wallenstein's assassination in 1634.

Ancestry

Walter Butler was a descendant of the Butler family – the Earls of Ormond. He was the son of Peter Butler of Roscrea. The "Roscrea" cadet branch of the family is in turn descended from the "Polestown" cadet branch. *

James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond (c. 1359 – 7 September 1405), was a noble in the Peerage of Ireland. He acceded to the title in 1382, and built Gowran Castle three years later in 1385 close to the centre of Gowran, making it his usual reside ...

:* Sir Richard Butler of Polestown, the second son of the 3rd Earl. ::* Sir

Edmund MacRichard Butler Sir Edmund MacRichard Butler of Polestown (1420 – June 13, 1464) was the eldest son of Sir Richard Butler of Polestown and adopted the Gaelic title of The MacRichard of Ossory. Career Like his father before him, Edmund was the Lord Deputy to h ...

, the eldest son of Sir Richard. :::*

Walter Butler of Polestown Walter Butler of Polestown was High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, Ireland in 1483. He was the second son of Sir Edmund MacRichard Butler. His nephew Piers would become the 8th Earl of Ormond.Byrne, Frances John, et al (2002). ''A New History of Ire ...

, second son of Edmund MacRichard. ::::* Edmond Butler of Polestown, son of Walter. :::::* Peter Butler of Roscrea, second son of Edmond.

Ballinakill Castle

Ballinakill Castle lies between

Roscrea Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland. In 2022 it had a population of 5,542. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Crónán of Roscrea, Saint Crónán of Roscrea, p ...

and

Dunkerrin Dunkerrin () is a small village in County Offaly, Ireland, just south of Roscrea and near the County Tipperary border. It is on the R445 road which was once the main road from Dublin to Limerick. Dunkerrin is now bypassed by the M7 motorway, the ...

. The ruins can now be seen on the main Dublin-Limerick road (N7) about six kilometers on the Nenagh side of Roscrea. It is more of a fortified house than a true castle, similar to Cloncourse Castle. The exact date of the fortification is uncertain but is no earlier than 1580 when Pierce Butler of Paulstown bought land there. The three-story fortified house has long been gutted and only the shell remains of this large building. What is most impressive about the site however, is not the house but the impressive bawn around it. A bawn is very similar to the curtain walls of a castle. The bawn at Ballinakill is still one of the finest in the country. The castle was acquired by Sir Richard Stephens, who sold it in 1680 to a former Cromwellian soldier, Col. Charles Minchin. His descendants, two of whom were High Sheriffs of Tipperary, added a house at the southern end. Humphrey Minchin moved to England in 1760.

Career

Ermordung-wallensteins-in-eger-anonymer-kupferstich 1-640x370

When his family estates in

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

were confiscated in 1616, Walter became a soldier of fortune. He emigrated to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

early in the 17th century with his brother, James. Walter and James entered the armed forces of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

emperor Ferdinand II and Walter served with distinction as a colonel in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. In 1631 he and his Irish officers fought under General Tilly against MacKay's Swedish regiment laying siege to

Frankfurt-an-der-Oder Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Marchian dialects, Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With a ...

. Injured and captured by the Swedish, he was accused of being responsible for the loss of the Oder fortress. Butler made King

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus (9 December ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 19 December15946 November ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 16 November1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 t ...

certify his bravery and after his release appeared at the Imperial headquarters before Field Marshal Rudolf von Tiefenbach, where his opponents had to withdraw their accusations. In 1632 he joined the armed forces under Wallenstein, who, in view of the Swedish progress, had been again appointed Imperial commander-in-chief by Emperor Ferdinand II. Butler quickly gained the trust of the ''

Generalissimo ''Generalissimo'' ( ), also generalissimus, is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used. Usage The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative ...

'' and was appointed Colonel of a

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

regiment. While the Imperial army fought against the Swedish at

Zirndorf Zirndorf () is a town, which is part of the district of Fürth. It is located in northern Bavaria, Germany in the Regierungsbezirk of Middle Franconia. Neighbouring municipalities The following towns and municipalities share borders with Zirn ...

and

Lützen Lützen () is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography Lützen is situated in the Leipzig Bay, approximately southwest of the Leipzig city limits and northeast of Weißenfels. The town has access to the Bun ...

, Wallenstein's envoys were in secret discussions with the opponents, which led to accusations of making peace with the King of Sweden without the consent of the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. When Wallenstein's treachery was discovered in 1632, it was Butler who "saved the Empire" and arranged his assassination in 1634. He together with the officers John Gordon and Walter Leslie had the plot executed on 25 February, after the murder of Wallenstein's confidants Christian von Ilow, Adam Erdmann Trčka von Lípa and

Vilém Kinský Count Wilhelm Kinsky von Wchinitz (; ; 1574 – 25 February 1634) was a landowner and a statesman. By birth, he was member of the Kinsky, House of Kinsky, which belonged to the highest circle of Bohemian aristocracy. Early life Wilhelm was ...

. According Walter Butler's entry in the '' Compendium of Irish Biography'' (1878): Emperor Ferdinand II created him a Count (''

Graf (; feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title ...

'') of the Empire, bestowed on him the domain of Friedberg and presented him with the Imperial Gold Chain. Walter Butler remained in the emperor's service and died while fighting at

Schorndorf Schorndorf () is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located approximately 26 km east of Stuttgart. Its train station is the terminus of the S2 line of the Stuttgart S-Bahn. The town is also sometimes referred to as ' (''The Daimler T ...

on 25 December 1634.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Walter

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

1634 deaths 17th-century Irish people People from Roscrea Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain Imperial Army personnel of the Thirty Years' War Counts of the Holy Roman Empire Irish emigrants Immigrants to the Holy Roman Empire Wild Geese (soldiers)

Ancestry

Ballinakill Castle

Career

See also

References

External links