Viscount Taaffe
Encyclopedia
The title Viscount Taaffe, of Corren, was created in the Peerage of Ireland
in 1628, together with the subsidiary title Baron Ballymote. From the 18th century onwards, the Viscounts Taaffe also held the title Count (Graf
) Taaffe in the Holy Roman Empire
. All these titles are now extinct.
. In 1628, Sir John Taaffe was raised to the Peerage
as Viscount Taaffe and Baron Ballymote. He left fifteen children, of whom the eldest, Theobald
, who succeeded him as 2nd Viscount Taaffe, took a prominent part in the English Civil War
and on the Restoration was created Earl of Carlingford. The 1st Earl was succeeded by his second son Nicholas, who had served in the Anglo-Spanish War, as 2nd Earl. He was killed at the 1690 Battle of the Boyne
fighting for the former King James II of England
against William III of Orange
.
The 2nd Earl's younger brother, Francis
, succeeded him as 3rd Earl. He was one of the most celebrated men of his time: he studied at the University of Olomouc (Olmütz) in the Imperial Margraviate of Moravia
, and served at the Imperial Court of Emperor Ferdinand III
as well as under Duke Charles IV of Lorraine
, whose most intimate friend he became. He rose to be a Field Marshal
in the Habsburg
Army, having greatly distinguished himself at the 1683 Battle of Vienna
and in the other Turkish campaigns
, and was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece
. 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.
Notwithstanding the Jacobite
connections of his family, the 3rd Earl's title to the Earldom of Carlingford was confirmed by King William III, and the attainder and forfeiture of the estates incurred by his elder brother was repealed.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
, William's most important ally in the Grand Alliance. On his death, the title and estates went to his nephew Theobald, who succeeded as 4th Earl. His father had fallen during the 1689 Siege of Derry
, and he had himself served with distinction in the Habsburg Army.
On his 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
, who succeeded as 6th Viscount. Like so many of his family, he was brought up in Lorraine, was Chancellor of Duke Leopold
and passed into the Habsburg Army; he fought in the Silesian Wars
against Prussia
, rose to the rank of a Field Marshal, and was created Count Taaffe by Empress Maria Theresa, who elevated him and all of his descendants to the title of Graf or Gräfin. His Irish estates were, however, claimed under the Act of 1703 by a Protestant heir: a lawsuit followed, which 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 him. With the money he acquired the castle of Ellischau
(Nalžovy) in Bohemia
; 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
. A Committee of Privileges of the House of Lords
in 1860 recognized the right of the family to hold the Irish title.
In 1919, the 12th Viscount was deprived of the Viscountcy following the enactment of the Titles Deprivation Act 1917
. Under the provisions of the Act, his heirs were entitled to petition for restoration of the title. However, on the death of the 8th Count Taaffe in 1967, no such heirs remained, and the title effectively became extinct. The Taaffes had also been deprived of their comital title in 1919, when all noble titles were abolished by law in the Republic of German Austria
.
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,...
in 1628, together with the subsidiary title Baron Ballymote. From the 18th century onwards, the Viscounts Taaffe also held the title Count (Graf
Graf
Graf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...
) Taaffe in the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. All these titles are now extinct.
History
From the 13th century, the Taaffes had been one of the leading families in IrelandLordship of Ireland
The Lordship of Ireland refers to that part of Ireland that was under the rule of the king of England, styled Lord of Ireland, between 1177 and 1541. It was created in the wake of the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169–71 and was succeeded by the Kingdom of Ireland...
. In 1628, Sir John Taaffe was raised to the Peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Viscount Taaffe and Baron Ballymote. He left fifteen children, of whom the eldest, Theobald
Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford
Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford , known as 2nd Viscount Taaffe, of Corren and 2nd Baron of Ballymote between 1642 and 1661, was a Royalist officer who played a prominent part in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and accompanied Charles II in exile...
, who succeeded him as 2nd Viscount Taaffe, took a prominent part in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and on the Restoration was created Earl of Carlingford. The 1st Earl was succeeded by his second son Nicholas, who had served in the Anglo-Spanish War, as 2nd Earl. He was killed at the 1690 Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
fighting for the former King James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
against William III of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
.
The 2nd Earl's younger brother, Francis
Francis Taaffe, 3rd Earl of Carlingford
Francis Taaffe, 3rd Earl of Carlingford , was 4th Viscount Taaffe, of Corren and 4th Baron of Ballymote and an army commander and politician from Irish descent in the service of Emperor Ferdinand III in the Austrian capital Vienna and later of Duke Charles IV of Lorraine in Nancy.Francis Taaffe was...
, succeeded him as 3rd Earl. He was one of the most celebrated men of his time: he studied at the University of Olomouc (Olmütz) in the Imperial Margraviate of Moravia
March of Moravia
The March or Margraviate of Moravia, was a marcher state, sometimes de facto independent and varyingly within the power of the Duchy, later Kingdom of Bohemia...
, and served at the Imperial Court of Emperor Ferdinand III
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand III was Holy Roman Emperor from 15 February 1637 until his death, as well as King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria.-Life:...
as well as under Duke Charles IV of Lorraine
Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine
Charles IV was Duke of Lorraine from 1624 to 1634, when he abdicated under French pressure in favor of his younger brother, and again from 1661 until 1675.- Biography :...
, whose most intimate friend he became. He rose to be a Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
in the Habsburg
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
Army, having greatly distinguished himself at the 1683 Battle of Vienna
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...
and in the other Turkish campaigns
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
, and was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
. 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.
Notwithstanding the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
connections of his family, the 3rd Earl's title to the Earldom of Carlingford was confirmed 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
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
, William's most important ally in the Grand Alliance. On his death, the title and estates went to his nephew Theobald, who succeeded as 4th Earl. His father had fallen during the 1689 Siege of Derry
Siege of Derry
The Siege of Derry took place in Ireland from 18 April to 28 July 1689, during the Williamite War in Ireland. The city, a Williamite stronghold, was besieged by a Jacobite army until it was relieved by Royal Navy ships...
, and he had himself served with distinction in the Habsburg Army.
On his 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 Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe
Nicholas, 1. Graf von Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe, of Corren, 6th Baron of Ballymote was a General Feldwachtmeister and Count of the Holy Roman Empire....
, who succeeded as 6th Viscount. Like so many of his family, he was brought up in Lorraine, was Chancellor of Duke Leopold
Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
Leopold , surnamed the Good, was Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1690 to his death.-Early life:Leopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe was the son of Charles V, Duke of Lorraine, and his wife Eleonora Maria Josefa of Austria, a half-sister of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.At the time of...
and passed into the Habsburg Army; he fought in the Silesian Wars
Silesian Wars
The Silesian Wars were a series of wars between Prussia and Austria for control of Silesia. They formed parts of the larger War of the Austrian Succession and Seven Years' War. They eventually ended with Silesia being incorporated into Prussia, and Austrian recognition of this...
against Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
, rose to the rank of a Field Marshal, and was created Count Taaffe by Empress Maria Theresa, who elevated him and all of his descendants to the title of Graf or Gräfin. His Irish estates were, however, claimed under the Act of 1703 by a Protestant heir: a lawsuit followed, which 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 him. With the money he acquired the castle of Ellischau
Nalžovské Hory
Nalžovské Hory is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.The town covers an area of , and has a population of 1,237 ....
(Nalžovy) in Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
; 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 Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
. A Committee of Privileges of 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....
in 1860 recognized the right of the family to hold the Irish title.
In 1919, the 12th Viscount was deprived of the Viscountcy following the enactment of the Titles Deprivation Act 1917
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:...
. Under the provisions of the Act, his heirs were entitled to petition for restoration of the title. However, on the death of the 8th Count Taaffe in 1967, no such heirs remained, and the title effectively became extinct. The Taaffes had also been deprived of their comital title in 1919, when all noble titles were abolished by law in the Republic of German Austria
German Austria
Republic of German Austria was created following World War I as the initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population within what had been the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without the Kingdom of Hungary, which in 1918 had become the Hungarian Democratic Republic.German...
.
Viscounts Taaffe (1628)
- John Taaffe, 1st Viscount Taaffe (d. before 1641/2).
- Theobald Taaffe, 2nd Viscount TaaffeTheobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of CarlingfordTheobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford , known as 2nd Viscount Taaffe, of Corren and 2nd Baron of Ballymote between 1642 and 1661, was a Royalist officer who played a prominent part in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and accompanied Charles II in exile...
(d. 1677) (created Earl of Carlingford)
Earls of Carlingford (1661)
- Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford, 2nd Viscount TaaffeTheobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of CarlingfordTheobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford , known as 2nd Viscount Taaffe, of Corren and 2nd Baron of Ballymote between 1642 and 1661, was a Royalist officer who played a prominent part in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and accompanied Charles II in exile...
(d. 1677) - Nicholas Taaffe, 2nd Earl of Carlingford, 3rd Viscount Taaffe (d. 2 July 1690)
- Francis Taaffe, 3rd Earl of Carlingford, 4th Viscount TaaffeFrancis Taaffe, 3rd Earl of CarlingfordFrancis Taaffe, 3rd Earl of Carlingford , was 4th Viscount Taaffe, of Corren and 4th Baron of Ballymote and an army commander and politician from Irish descent in the service of Emperor Ferdinand III in the Austrian capital Vienna and later of Duke Charles IV of Lorraine in Nancy.Francis Taaffe was...
(1639–1704) - Theobald Taaffe, 4th Earl of Carlingford, 5th Viscount Taaffe (d. 24 November 1738) (Earldom extinct on his death)
Viscounts Taaffe (1628) (continued)
- Nicholas Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe, 1st Count TaaffeNicholas Taaffe, 6th Viscount TaaffeNicholas, 1. Graf von Taaffe, 6th Viscount Taaffe, of Corren, 6th Baron of Ballymote was a General Feldwachtmeister and Count of the Holy Roman Empire....
(c. 1685–1769) - Rudolph Taaffe, 7th Viscount Taaffe, 2nd Count Taaffe (6 October 1762 – 7 June 1830)
- Francis John Charles Joseph Rudolph Taaffe, 8th Viscount Taaffe, 3rd Count Taaffe (23 May 1788 – 8 February 1849)
- Louis Patrick John Taaffe, 9th Viscount Taaffe, 4th Count Taaffe (25 December 1791 – 21 December 1855)
- Charles Rudolph Francis Joseph Clement Taaffe, 10th Viscount Taaffe, 5th Count Taaffe (26 April 1823 – 19 November 1873)
- Eduard Francis Joseph Taaffe, 11th Viscount Taaffe, 6th Count TaaffeEduard Taaffe, 11th Viscount TaaffeEduard Franz Joseph, 11th Viscount Taaffe was an Austrian statesman who held a hereditary peerage in the Peerage of Ireland.-Family background and early years:...
(1833–1895) - Heinrich Taaffe, 12th Viscount Taaffe, 7th Count TaaffeHenry Taaffe, 12th Viscount TaaffeHeinrich von Taaffe, 12th Viscount Taaffe, also 12th Baron of Ballymote was an Austrian Irish peer until 1919.He was born at Innsbruck, the son of Count Eduard Taaffe, Minister-President of Austria from 1879 to 1893...
(1872–1928) (suspended 1919)