Duke of Ireland is a title that was created in 1386 for
Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford (1362–1392), the favourite of King
Richard II of England
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Jo ...
, who had previously been created Marquess of Dublin. Both were
peerages for one life only. At this time, only
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 s ...
of
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
(the
Lordship of Ireland
The Lordship of Ireland (), sometimes referred to retrospectively as Anglo-Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman Lords between 1177 and 1542. T ...
) was under English control. Despite its name, the Dukedom of Ireland is generally considered to have been one in the
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were closed to new creations, and new peers were created in a single Peerag ...
, and is the first time that a Ducal title was created for someone who was not a close relative of the King.
The arms with three crowns that were granted to Duke Robert as an
augmentation to his arms in 1386 continued to be used for nearly a century as the
arms of the Lordship of Ireland.
[Fox-Davies, Complete Guide to Heraldry, p. 596; Oxford Guide to Heraldry, p. 69.]
The Duke fell from favour shortly after receiving the title, resulted in
forfeiture of the first creation in 1388.
Family tree
See also
*
Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford, Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. De Vere family, His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half cen ...
*
High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland ( ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...
*
King of Ireland
Monarchical systems of government have existed in Ireland from ancient times. This continued in all of Ireland until 1949, when the Republic of Ireland Act removed most of Ireland's residual ties to the British monarch. Northern Ireland, as p ...
*
President of Ireland
The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...
Footnotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland
Forfeited dukedoms in the Peerage of England
Noble titles created in 1386