Earl of Desmond
Encyclopedia
The title of Earl of Desmond has been held historically by lords in Ireland
, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland
.
The original Earldom of Desmond, based on land holdings in Munster
belonged the Cambro-Norman
FitzGerald dynasty, which was founded by Maurice FitzGerald
, a key supporter of Lord Pembroke
("Strongbow") in his invasion of Ireland. The title Earl of Desmond was first created for Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Baron Desmond
in approximately 1329 http://www3.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-bin/gedlkup/n=royal?royal08898. Over time, according to English sources, the FitzGerald family became highly assimilated to the local Irish culture.
The final Earl of Desmond of this creation was Gerald FitzGerald
, the 15th (or, by some counts, the 16th) Earl. The FitzGeralds had resisted the Reformation
of King Henry VIII
and, after a series of rebellions
, the 15th Earl was defeated and killed on 11 November 1583. His title, along with the enormous estates of his family, were forfeit to the English Crown. His nephew, James FitzThomas FitzGerald
, attempted to regain control of both during the Nine Years War, but he was captured by the English and executed in 1603.
The second creation was in 1600 for James FitzGerald
, who was also created Baron Inchiquin. These titles became extinct on his death the next year.
The third creation was in 1619 for Richard Preston, 1st Lord Dingwall, who was also created Baron Dunmore. On his death in 1628 the Earldom and Irish Barony became extinct while the Scottish Lordship of Parliament
passed to his daughter Elizabeth Preston, who married the 1st Duke of Ormonde
.
The fourth creation was in 1628 for George Feilding, 1st Viscount Callan
. For information on this creation, see the Earl of Denbigh
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
.
The original Earldom of Desmond, based on land holdings in Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
belonged the Cambro-Norman
Cambro-Norman
Cambro-Norman is a term used for Norman knights who settled in southern Wales after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Some historians suggest that the term is to be preferred to Anglo-Norman for the Normans who invaded Ireland after 1170 — many of whom originated in Wales. However, the term...
FitzGerald dynasty, which was founded by Maurice FitzGerald
Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan
Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Maynooth, Naas, and Llanstephan) was a major figure in the Norman invasion of Ireland....
, a key supporter of Lord Pembroke
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke , Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland . Like his father, he was also commonly known as Strongbow...
("Strongbow") in his invasion of Ireland. The title Earl of Desmond was first created for Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Baron Desmond
Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond
Maurice FitzThomas FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond was an Irish nobleman in the Peerage of Ireland, Captain of Desmond Castle in Kinsale, so-called ruler of Munster, and for a short time Lord Justice of Ireland....
in approximately 1329 http://www3.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-bin/gedlkup/n=royal?royal08898. Over time, according to English sources, the FitzGerald family became highly assimilated to the local Irish culture.
The final Earl of Desmond of this creation was Gerald FitzGerald
Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond was an Irish nobleman and leader of the Desmond Rebellions of 1579.-Life:...
, the 15th (or, by some counts, the 16th) Earl. The FitzGeralds had resisted the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and, after a series of rebellions
Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in the Irish province of Munster.They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond – head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster – and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies against the threat of the extension of Elizabethan English...
, the 15th Earl was defeated and killed on 11 November 1583. His title, along with the enormous estates of his family, were forfeit to the English Crown. His nephew, James FitzThomas FitzGerald
James FitzThomas FitzGerald
James FitzThomas FitzGerald, the Súgán Earl of Desmond , was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Fitzgerald, commonly called "Thomas Roe," "Tomás Ruadh," or "Red Thomas."-Life:...
, attempted to regain control of both during the Nine Years War, but he was captured by the English and executed in 1603.
The second creation was in 1600 for James FitzGerald
James FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond
James FitzGerald , an Irish nobleman, was the successor of Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond. He assumed the title of Earl of Desmond, which had been suppressed in 1582 after the Desmond Rebellions...
, who was also created Baron Inchiquin. These titles became extinct on his death the next year.
The third creation was in 1619 for Richard Preston, 1st Lord Dingwall, who was also created Baron Dunmore. On his death in 1628 the Earldom and Irish Barony became extinct while the Scottish Lordship of Parliament
Lord of Parliament
A Lord of Parliament was the lowest rank of nobility automatically entitled to attend sessions of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. Post-Union, it is a member of the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland, ranking below a viscount...
passed to his daughter Elizabeth Preston, who married the 1st Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde PC was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the second of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the earldom. He was the friend of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, who appointeed him commander of the Cavalier forces in Ireland. From 1641 to 1647, he...
.
The fourth creation was in 1628 for George Feilding, 1st Viscount Callan
George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond
George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond was an Irish peer and the second son of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh.Lord Desmond married Bridget Stanhope, daughter of Sir Michael Stanhope, with whom he had one child:...
. For information on this creation, see the Earl of Denbigh
Earl of Denbigh
Earl of Denbigh is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1622 for the courtier and soldier William Feilding, 1st Viscount Feilding. He was Master of the Great Wardrobe under King James I and also took part in the Expedition to Cádiz of 1625...
.
Barons Desmond (1259)
- John FitzThomas FitzGerald, 1st Baron DesmondJohn FitzGerald, 1st Baron DesmondJohn FitzThomas FitzGerald, 1st Baron Desmond was the grandson of Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan. He was the founder of the Desmond line of the FitzGerald dynasty and ancestor of the powerful Earls of Desmond , as well as other dynasties, including the modern Knights of Kerry and Knights...
(d. 1261) - Thomas FitzMaurice FitzGerald, 2nd Baron Desmond (d. 1298)
- Thomas FitzThomas FitzGerald, 3rd Baron Desmond (1290–1307)
- Maurice FitzThomas FitzGerald, 4th Baron DesmondMaurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of DesmondMaurice FitzThomas FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond was an Irish nobleman in the Peerage of Ireland, Captain of Desmond Castle in Kinsale, so-called ruler of Munster, and for a short time Lord Justice of Ireland....
(d. 1356) (created Earl of Desmond in 1329)
Earls of Desmond, First creation (1329)
There are several numbering schemes, depending on whether one includes Nicholas as the 3rd Earl, and how one deals with the dispute over the succession to the 11th Earl.- Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of DesmondMaurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of DesmondMaurice FitzThomas FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond was an Irish nobleman in the Peerage of Ireland, Captain of Desmond Castle in Kinsale, so-called ruler of Munster, and for a short time Lord Justice of Ireland....
(d. 1356) - Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Earl of DesmondMaurice FitzGerald, 2nd Earl of DesmondMaurice FitzMaurice FitzGerald, 2nd Earl of Desmond was the son of Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond. He married Beatrice de Stafford, daughter of Ralph de Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford and Margaret Audley, and died without any male issuse, and was therefore succeeded in the Earldom by his...
(1336–1358) - Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of DesmondGerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of DesmondGerald fitzMaurice FitzGerald, also known by the Irish Gaelic "Gearóid Iarla" , was the 3rd Earl of Desmond, in southwestern Ireland, under the first creation of that title, and a member of the Hiberno-Norman dynasty of the FitzGeralds, or Geraldines...
(d. 1398) - John FitzGerald, 4th Earl of DesmondJohn FitzGerald, 4th Earl of DesmondJohn FitzGerald FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Desmond was the son of Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond. He married and had one son who succeeded him as earl of Desmond; Thomas FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Desmond....
(d. 1399) - Thomas FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Desmond (c. 1386–1420)
- James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of DesmondJames FitzGerald, 6th Earl of DesmondJames FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond , called 'the Usurper', was the youngest son of Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond, and Lady Eleanor, daughter of James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond...
(d. 1463) - Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of DesmondThomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of DesmondThomas FitzJames FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond , called 'Thomas of Drogheda', was the son of James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond and Mary de Burgh....
(d. 1468) - James FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Desmond (1459–1487)
- Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond (d. 1520)
- James FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond (d. 1529)
- Thomas FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Desmond (1454–1534)
- James FitzGerald, 12th Earl of Desmond (d. 1540)
- John FitzGerald, 13th Earl of Desmond (d. 1536)
- James FitzGerald, 14th Earl of DesmondJames FitzGerald, 14th Earl of DesmondJames Fitzgerald, 14th Earl of Desmond , second son of John FitzGerald, de facto 13th Earl of Desmond, and Móre O'Brien, daughter of Donogh O'Brien of Carrigogunnell, Lord of Pobble.-Early years:...
(d. 1558) - Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of DesmondGerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of DesmondGerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond was an Irish nobleman and leader of the Desmond Rebellions of 1579.-Life:...
(c. 1533–1583) (forfeit 1582)
16th Earl of Desmond, appointed by Hugh O'Neill (1598–1601)
- James FitzThomas FitzGeraldJames FitzThomas FitzGeraldJames FitzThomas FitzGerald, the Súgán Earl of Desmond , was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Fitzgerald, commonly called "Thomas Roe," "Tomás Ruadh," or "Red Thomas."-Life:...
the Sugán Earl, died in Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
c.1607
Earls of Desmond, Second creation (1600)
- James FitzGerald, 1st Earl of DesmondJames FitzGerald, 1st Earl of DesmondJames FitzGerald , an Irish nobleman, was the successor of Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond. He assumed the title of Earl of Desmond, which had been suppressed in 1582 after the Desmond Rebellions...
(1571–1601) (known as the "Tower Earl of Desmond")
Earls of Desmond, Third creation (1619)
- Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond (d. 1628) (extinct)