Viscount Taaffe
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The title Viscount Taaffe, of Corren, was created in the
Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...
in 1628, together with the subsidiary title Baron Ballymote. From 1661 to 1738, the Viscounts Taaffe were also the Earls of Carlingford. From the 18th century onwards, the holders of these titles mainly lived in the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
and subsequently in the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
, where they also held the title of Graf Taaffe (
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
:
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
Taaffe), the continental equivalent of an Earl. In 1919, as a consequence of siding with the enemies of Britain in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the viscountcy was one of only three primary titles (together with the royal dukedoms of Albany and
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
) to be forfeit under the
Titles Deprivation Act 1917 The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which authorised enemies of the United Kingdom during the First World War to be deprived of their British peerages and royal titles. Background The British royal fami ...
. Also in 1919, the family's Holy Roman Empire title was no longer recognised by the new Austrian Republic, along with all other Austrian noble titles. In any case, with the death of the 12th Viscount's heir in 1967, all these titles, and any claims to them, are now extinct.


History


The Taaffes in Great Britain and Ireland

From the 13th century, the Taaffes had been one of the leading families in the north 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 ...
. Legend suggests that the whole Taaffe family moved from Wales (Britain) to Ireland around 1196; in Britain, they lived in the area currently known as Taff Vale. According to official Irish records, in 1320, William Taaffe had his seat at Smarmore Castle. Another branch of the family, which died out in about 1400, was based at Liscarton Castle in
County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
. In 1628, Sir John Taaffe was raised to the
Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...
as Viscount Taaffe, of Corren, and Baron Ballymote. He left fifteen children, of whom the eldest,
Theobald Theobald is a Germanic dithematic name, composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". The name arrived in England with the Normans. The name occurs in many spelling variations, including Theudebald, Diepold, Theobalt, Ty ...
, who succeeded him as 2nd Viscount Taaffe, took a prominent part in the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
and on the Restoration was created Earl of Carlingford. The 1st Earl was succeeded by his second son
Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...
, who had served in the Anglo-Spanish War, as 2nd Earl. He was killed at the 1690
Battle of the Boyne The Battle of the Boyne ( ) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Sc ...
fighting for the former King
James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
against
William III of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...
, when his title was attainted and his estates forfeited. Another son Fr. James Taaffe O.F.M., a Franciscan priest and teacher, served as papal nuncio to Ireland, chaplain to the exiled queen mother
Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...
, in Paris.James Taaffe
by Terry Clavin, Dictionary of Irish Biography.


The Taaffes in continental Europe

The 2nd Earl's younger brother,
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, studied at the
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(Olmütz) in the Imperial
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, and served at the court of Emperor Ferdinand III as well as under Duke
Charles IV of Lorraine Charles IV (5 April 1604 – 18 September 1675) was Duke of Lorraine from 1624 until his death in 1675, with a brief interruption in 1634, when he abdicated under French pressure in favor of his younger brother, Nicholas Francis. Life He came ...
, whose most intimate friend he became. He rose to be a
Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
in the
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Army, having greatly distinguished himself at the 1683
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and in the other Turkish campaigns, and was a member of the
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. He was sent on many important diplomatic missions, and at the end of his life was Chancellor and Chief Minister to the Duke of Lorraine. Despite the Jacobite connections of his family, Francis Taaffe was confirmed as 3rd Earl of Carlingford by King William III, and the attainder and forfeiture of the estates incurred by his elder brother was repealed. This favour he owed to his position at the court of the
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
, William's most important ally in the Grand Alliance. On the 3rd Earl's death, his titles and estates went to his nephew
Theobald Theobald is a Germanic dithematic name, composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". The name arrived in England with the Normans. The name occurs in many spelling variations, including Theudebald, Diepold, Theobalt, Ty ...
, who succeeded as 4th Earl. His father had fallen during the 1689
Siege of Derry The siege of Derry in 1689 was the first major event in the Williamite War in Ireland. The siege was preceded by an attempt against the town by Jacobite forces on 7 December 1688 that was foiled when 13 apprentices shut the gates. Thi ...
, and he had himself served with distinction in the Habsburg Army. On the 4th Earl's death in 1738, the Earldom of Carlingford became extinct; both the Imperial and Irish estates as well as the viscountcy of Taaffe went to a cousin,
Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...
, who succeeded as 6th Viscount while his Irish estates were claimed under the Popery Act 1704 (2 Anne c. 6 (I)) by a Protestant heir, leading to a lengthy lawsuit. Like so many of his family, Nicholas Taaffe had been brought up in
Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
, was Chancellor of Duke
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and joined the Habsburg Army; he fought in the
Silesian Wars The Silesian Wars () were three wars fought in the mid-18th century between Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia (under King Frederick the Great) and Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Austria (under Empress Maria Theresa) for control of the Central European ...
against
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. After years of fighting for his Irish estates, the case was ended by a compromise embodied in a private act of Parliament, by which the estates were sold and one-third of the value given to Nicholas Taaffe. With the money he acquired the castle of Ellischau (Nalžovy) in
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
; he had also inherited other property in the Habsburg dominions. He was naturalised in Bohemia, and left on record that the reason for this step was that he did not wish his descendants to be exposed to the temptation of becoming Protestants so as to avoid the operation of the
Penal Laws Penal law refers to criminal law. It may also refer to: * Penal law (British), laws to uphold the establishment of the Church of England against Catholicism * Penal laws (Ireland) In Ireland, the penal laws () were a series of Disabilities (C ...
. Nicholas Taaffe had a distinguished career in the Habsburg Army; he eventually rose to the rank of a Field Marshal, and was created Graf von Taaffe (
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
of Taaffe) by Empress
Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
. The Taaffe family thus held titles of nobility from different countries, governed by different rules. While the Irish titles descended according to strict primogeniture, the title of Count was under Austrian and
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
law and applied equally to ''all'' male-line descendants of the original grantee in perpetuity; male family members were thus styled ''Graf'', female family members were styled ''Gräfin''. With the Taaffes now living mainly in the lands of the Habsburgs, a
Committee of Privileges A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
of the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
in 1860 recognized the right of the family to hold the Irish title. Eduard Graf Taaffe, 11th Viscount Taaffe had a distinguished political career in the service of the Habsburgs and served for two terms as Minister-President of Austria under Emperor Francis Joseph I, leading cabinets from 1868 to 1870 and 1879 to 1893. Upon his death in 1895, his peerages passed to Heinrich Graf Taaffe, 12th Viscount Taaffe.


Loss of both titles

In
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Heinrich Graf Taaffe, 12th Viscount Taaffe and his family remained loyal to the Austrian monarch. Thus in 1919, the 12th Viscount was deprived of the viscountcy following the enactment of the
Titles Deprivation Act 1917 The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which authorised enemies of the United Kingdom during the First World War to be deprived of their British peerages and royal titles. Background The British royal fami ...
. Under the provisions of the Act, his heirs and successors were entitled to petition the British Crown for restoration of the title. However, on the death of his last male-line descendant
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
in 1967 no eligible heirs came forward and the title became extinct. Independent of the legal situation in Britain, the monarchy was abolished in Austria on 12 November 1918, and on 28 April 1919 the newly established
Republic of German-Austria The Republic of German-Austria (, alternatively spelt ), commonly known as German-Austria (), was an unrecognised state that was created following World War I as an initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking and ethn ...
under a coalition of the Social Democratic and Christian Social parties abolished all noble titles for Austrians through the ''Adelsaufhebungsgesetz'', a law which still remains in effect. This meant that Heinrich Graf Taaffe was no longer recognised as such by the Austrian State, although in society circles and private newspapers, he still appeared as Count.


Peerages

Each person listed is the son of his predecessor, unless otherwise noted.


Viscounts Taaffe (1628)

* John Taaffe, 1st Viscount Taaffe (died before 1641/2). * Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford, 2nd Viscount Taaffe (died 1677) * Nicholas Taaffe, 2nd Earl of Carlingford, 3rd Viscount Taaffe (died 2 July 1690) * Francis Taaffe, 3rd Earl of Carlingford, 4th Viscount Taaffe (1639–1704), son of the 1st Earl * Theobald Taaffe, 4th Earl of Carlingford, 5th Viscount Taaffe (died 24 November 1738), grandson of the 1st Earl; the earldom became extinct with his death. * Nicholas Graf von Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe (c. 1685–1769), great-grandson of the 1st Viscount * Rudolph Graf von Taaffe, 7th Viscount Taaffe (6 October 17627 June 1830), grandson of the 6th Viscount * Francis John Charles Joseph Rudolph Graf von Taaffe, 8th Viscount Taaffe (23 May 17888 February 1849) * Louis Patrick John Graf von Taaffe, 9th Viscount Taaffe (25 December 179121 December 1855), son of the 7th Viscount * Charles Rudolph Francis Joseph Clement Graf von Taaffe, 10th Viscount Taaffe (26 April 182319 November 1873) * Eduard Graf von Taaffe, 11th Viscount Taaffe (1833–1895), son of the 9th Viscount * Heinrich Graf von Taaffe, 12th Viscount Taaffe (1872–1928), who had the viscountcy suspended in 1919


Successor to the claim

*
Richard Taaffe Edward Charles Richard (Graf von) Taaffe (1898–1967), known as Richard, was an Irish gemmology, gemmologist who found the first cut and polished taaffeite in November 1945. Biography Taaffe was born and grew up on the Bohemian estate of Ellisc ...
(1898–1967), entitled to petition for restoration of the viscountcy, but never did so. * ''John Taaffe, 1st Viscount Taaffe (d. 1642)'' ** ''
Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford (c. 160331 December 1677), known as 2nd Viscount Taaffe, of Corren and 2nd Baron of Ballymote between 1642 and 1661, was an Irish Royalist officer who played a prominent part in the Wars of the Three King ...
(d. 1677)'' *** ''William Taaffe, Viscount Taafe (bef. 1647—1673)'' *** ''Nicholas Taaffe, 2nd Earl of Carlingford (d. 1690)'' *** ''
Francis Taaffe, 3rd Earl of Carlingford Francis Taaffe, 3rd Earl of Carlingford (1639August 1704), was 4th Viscount Taaffe, of Corren, and 4th Baron of Ballymote and an army commander and politician of Irish descent in the service of Emperor Ferdinand III in the Austrian capital Vi ...
(1639—1704)'' *** ''Major Hon. John Taaffe (d. 1689)'' **** ''Theobald Taaffe, 4th Earl of Carlingford (d. 1738)'' ** ''William Taaffe'' *** '' Feldmarschall Nicholas Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe, Graf von Taaffe (d. 1769)'' **** ''Hon. John Philip Taaffe (1733—1765)'' ***** ''Rodolphus Taaffe, 7th Viscount Taaffe, Graf Taaffe (1762—1830)'' ****** ''Francis John Charles Joseph Taaffe, 8th Viscount Taaffe, Graf Taaffe (1788—1849)'' ****** ''Louis Patrick John Taaffe, 9th Viscount Taaffe, Graf Taaffe (1791—1855)'' ******* ''General Charles Rudoph Joseph Francis Taaffe, 10th Viscount Taaffe, Graf Taaffe (1823—1873)'' Irish titles recognised 1860 ******* '' Edward Francis Joseph Taaffe, 11th Viscount Taaffe, Graf Taaffe (1833—1895)'' ******** '' Henry Taaffe, 12th Viscount Taaffe, Graf Taaffe (1872—1928)'' Titles deprived and abolished 1919. ********* '' Edward Charles Richard Taaffe (1898—1967)'' **** ''General Hon. Francis Taaffe, Graf Taaffe (d. 1803)''


References


Bibliography

*Wurzbach, ''Biographisches Lexicon Österreichs. Memoirs of the Family of Taaffe'' (Vienna, 1856), privately printed *Article in the ''Contemporary Review'' (1893), by EB Lanin. *''The Prague Politik'' published in December 1904 contains some interesting correspondence collected from Taaffe's papers.


Further reading

*


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taaffe 1628 establishments in Ireland 1919 disestablishments in Ireland Forfeited viscountcies in the Peerage of Ireland Noble titles created in 1628 Austrian noble titles