Daniel O'Brien (1683–1759) was an Irish Jacobite

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

who served in the Irish Brigade of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, rising to the rank of

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 ...

. He is often referred to as Colonel Daniel O'Brien.

Biography

He was appointed Earl of Lismore in the

Jacobite peerage The Jacobite peerage includes those peerages created by James II and VII, and the subsequent Jacobite pretenders, after James's deposition from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. These creati ...

, a title that was not formally recognised in his native

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland (; , ) was a dependent territory of Kingdom of England, England and then of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1542 to the end of 1800. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then List of British monarchs ...

. His father Murrough O'Brien originally from

Carrigogunnell Carrigogunnell Castle (Irish: ''Chairrge Ó gCoinneall'') is a medieval Irish fortification near the village of Clarina (County Limerick), Clarina, on the banks of the River Shannon in County Limerick. The structure dates to at least the early ...

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

was also one of the Wild Geese, rising to Major General and briefly commanding Clare's Dragoons. After the Jacobite claimant James Stuart was forced to leave France for

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

due to the terms of the Anglo-French Alliance, he acted as his agent in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

replacing his fellow countrymen Arthur Dillion in the role and working alongside Francis Sempill and later George Kelly. He also acted as an emissary to the Russian court of

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

in 1718. In 1745 he signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau which committed France to support the Jacobite Rising that year. From 1747 onwards he was Secretary of State, effectively chief minister to James in his Roman exile. He died in 1759 and was succeeded by his son James Daniel O'Brien (1736–1780) in his Jacobite title.Massue p.76

References

Bibliography

* Massue, Melville Henry. ''The Jacobite Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Grants of Honour''. Genealogical Publishing, 2003. * Miller, Peggy. ''James''. George Allen & Unwin, 1971. * Wills, Rebecca. ''The Jacobites and Russia, 1715–1750''. Dundurn, 2002. 1683 births 1759 deaths 18th-century Irish people Irish Jacobites Irish soldiers Earls in the Jacobite peerage Jacobite Secretaries of State Irish soldiers in the French Army Peers created by James II (1689–1701) {{Ireland-bio-stub