Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde
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Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde (born 1604 in London
; died July 1657 in Kent
), was an Irish nobleman and figure in English Civil War.
He was the son of Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde
, by his wife Frances Walsingham
. In 1622, Ulick married his only wife Anne Compton, the daughter of William Compton, 1st Earl of Northampton
and his wife Elizabeth Spencer. They had a single child, Margaret Burgh who married Charles MacCarty, Viscount Muskerry.
Ulick was summoned to the House of Lords
as Lord Burgh in 1628, and succeeded his father as 5th earl in 1635. In 1636, he inherited Somerhill House
on the death of his father. He sat in the Short Parliament
of 1640 and attended Charles I
in the Scottish expedition.
Somerhill was sequestered by Parliament in 1645, following the Battle of Naseby
. During the Irish Confederate Wars
, he supported the Royalist James Butler
in defending Ireland for Charles I against the Parliamentarians
by uniting Catholic
and Protestant nobles (himself being catholic). He did not join the Catholic Confederate Ireland
, but instead helped to broker a military alliance between the Confederates and English Royalists. He commanded the forces of this alliance during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
, after Ormonde fled the country, and soldiers of his Connaught
army helped to win a minor (if insubstantial) victory at the battle of Tecroghan
. Only a few months later however his army was wiped out during the battle of Meelick Island
. Burke was a skillful diplomat but not a great soldier. Like Ormond, Clanricarde was distrusted by most Catholics in Ireland (he was widely considered to be a friend of the notorious Charles Coote) and thus was thus not capable of halting the Parliamentarian conquest of the country.
In 1652, he made peace with the victorious Oliver Cromwell
. He lost his lands in the Act of Settlement 1652 but regained them after the Restoration of the monarchy in the Act of Settlement 1662
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
; died July 1657 in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
), was an Irish nobleman and figure in English Civil War.
He was the son of Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde
Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde
Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde was an Irish nobleman. He was the son of Ulick Burke, 3rd Earl of Clanricarde and Honora Burke, daughter of John Burke....
, by his wife Frances Walsingham
Frances Walsingham
Frances Walsingham, Countess of Essex and Countess of Clanricarde was an English noblewoman. The daughter of Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I's Secretary of State, she became the wife of Sir Philip Sidney at age 14. Her second husband was Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, Queen Elizabeth's...
. In 1622, Ulick married his only wife Anne Compton, the daughter of William Compton, 1st Earl of Northampton
William Compton, 1st Earl of Northampton
William Compton, 1st Earl of Northampton, KG , known as 2nd Baron Compton from 1589 to 1618, was an English peer.Northampton was the son of Henry Compton, 1st Baron Compton, and Frances Hastings. His maternal grandparents were Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and Catherine Pole...
and his wife Elizabeth Spencer. They had a single child, Margaret Burgh who married Charles MacCarty, Viscount Muskerry.
Ulick was summoned to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as Lord Burgh in 1628, and succeeded his father as 5th earl in 1635. In 1636, he inherited Somerhill House
Somerhill House
Somerhill House is a Grade I listed Jacobean mansion situated near Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom. It was built for Richard de Burgh in 1611–13. The estate was sequestrated by Parliament in 1645, and restored to its rightful owner in 1660. The building had become derelict by the mid-eighteenth...
on the death of his father. He sat in the Short Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
of 1640 and attended Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
in the Scottish expedition.
Somerhill was sequestered by Parliament in 1645, following the Battle of Naseby
Battle of Naseby
The Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.-The Campaign:...
. During the Irish Confederate Wars
Irish Confederate Wars
This article is concerned with the military history of Ireland from 1641-53. For the political context of this conflict, see Confederate Ireland....
, he supported the Royalist James Butler
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...
in defending Ireland for Charles I against the Parliamentarians
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
by uniting Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and Protestant nobles (himself being catholic). He did not join the Catholic Confederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. During this time, two-thirds of Ireland was governed by the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny"...
, but instead helped to broker a military alliance between the Confederates and English Royalists. He commanded the forces of this alliance during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
, after Ormonde fled the country, and soldiers of his Connaught
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west 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...
army helped to win a minor (if insubstantial) victory at the battle of Tecroghan
Battle of Tecroghan
The Battle of Tecroghan took place near Trim, in west Leinster, Ireland in June 1650. It was fought between the armies of Confederate Ireland and the English Parliament during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. An English force under Hewson and Reynolds had surrounded the formidable castle of Tecroghan...
. Only a few months later however his army was wiped out during the battle of Meelick Island
Battle of Meelick Island
The Battle of Meelick Island took place on the river Shannon, on the border between Connaught and Leinster, in Ireland in October 1650. It was fought between the armies of Confederate Ireland and the English Parliament during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The battle occurred when an English force...
. Burke was a skillful diplomat but not a great soldier. Like Ormond, Clanricarde was distrusted by most Catholics in Ireland (he was widely considered to be a friend of the notorious Charles Coote) and thus was thus not capable of halting the Parliamentarian conquest of the country.
In 1652, he made peace with the victorious Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. He lost his lands in the Act of Settlement 1652 but regained them after the Restoration of the monarchy in the Act of Settlement 1662
Act of Settlement 1662
The Act of Settlement 1662 passed by the Irish Parliament in Dublin. It was a partial reversal of the Cromwellian Act of Settlement 1652, which punished Irish Catholics and Royalists for fighting against the English Parliament in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms by the wholesale confiscation of their...
.