Post by Ellie on Jun 17, 2013 21:24:53 GMT
Fitzgerald Dynasty
• Peers of Ireland since 14th century
o Fitzgerald of Kildare
o Fitzgerald of Desmond
Fitzgerald Rebellion
Lead by Thomas FitzGerald who was the 10th Earl of Kildare (1513-1537), he was also known as Silken Thomas. He was a cousin of Henry VII. In February 1534, when his father, Gerald Fitzgerald, the 9th Earl of Kildare was summoned to London where in the following June 1534 Thomas heard a rumour that his father had been executed in the Tower of London and that the English government intended the same fate for himself and his uncles.
His immediate action were to summon council to t Mary Abbey, Dublin where on the 11th of June accompanied by 140 horsemen with silk fringes on their helmets leading to his nick name of Silken Thomas. They rode to the abbey and publicly renounced his allegiance to King Henry VIII, Lord of Ireland. He then went on to attack Dublin Castle in July but his army was routed.
The main events were Thomas spread a report saying that his father had been beheaded in England, this then lead to a rebellion riding to St Mary’s Abbey and entering the chamber where the council sat. He then proceed to openly renounce his allegiance ad proceeded to deliver up the sword and robes of state. Thomas’s friend archbishop Cromer now the Lord Chancellor besought him with tears in his eyes and told him to forgo his purpose and everyone was then heard calling for Thomas to avenge his father death. Collecting a large force Lord Thomas led them to the walls of Dublin castle which had been weakened by the plague. One of several citizens including Archbishop Allen had retired on the first appearance of danger, this lead to him being taken and brought before the Lord Thomas. Allen the begged for mercy and the young lord took pity on him and took him away into custody but the misinterpreted him and murder the Archduke. This the lead to the castle being taken over by a nine days battle leading to Lord Thomas being taken to England in 1535 and imprisoned in the tower where he was left for 18 months neglected and in great misery. During this time his five uncles were taken to the Tower and all six of them were executed at Tyburn in 1537.
Mainly the rebellion was motivated through the desire to maintain the independent of the feudal lords from their monarch, but it was also due to having an element of religious antagonism between Catholics and protestant states. This then resulted in the destruction of the Desmond dynasty and the colonisation of Munster with English Settlers.
During 1530’s the main causes were the English Government trying to expand English control over the entire land. Following 1560’s the English turned to the south which then made his solution of forming a ‘lord presidency’. This led to Butlers and Fitzgerald’s fighting a PITCHED Battle against each other at Affane in County Waterford. This was a blatant attack on Elizabeth’s I state of law, following this both sides were summoned to London to explain their actions. However because Thomas Butler the 3rd Earl of Ormonde was Elizabeth’s cousin he was pardoned, while Gerald Fitzgerald the 14th Earl of Desmond in 1567 and his brother were blamed for being the real military leader meaning that they were arrested and sent to the Tower of London.
One of the main tactics that were followed by the Fitzgerald were to gain more support from Philip of Spain to build up there number of rebellions taking part to overthrow the Elizabethan reign and also the Ormonde.
Desmond Rebellion
First Desmond Rebellion
The of the First Desmond Rebellion was June 1569 to the 23rd of February 1573, it took place within Munster . It was first launched by Fitzmaurice involving a attack on the English colony at Kerrycurihy south of Cork city in June 1569 before attacking Cork itself. The forces on the Fitzmaurice’s side consisted of 4,500 men went on to besiege Kilkennv. This then lead to Sidney mobilising 600 English troops, who matched south from Dublin and another 400 troops landed by sea in Cork. Thomas Butlers Earl of Ormonde returned from London following him appearing in court. Sidney and Humphrey Gilbert arranged a governor of Munster this then lead to the breaking up of Fitzmaurice allies.
This then lead to Fitzmaurice being forced into the mountain of Kerry, this gave the Fitzmaurice an advantage as from where he was he could launch hit and run attacks on the English and their allies. This fall for the Fitzmaurice lead to his allies leaving him in 1570 to join Sidney’s side. This fighting then carried on for another three years. Fitzmaurice had some victories like the capture of English ships near Kinsale and the burning of a town of Kilmallock in 1571. Fitzmaurice downfall came in 15173 when his force was reduced to less than 100 men and he finally submitted on February 23rd 1573 having negotiated a pardon on his life. During 1574 he again became landless and in 1575 he sailed to France to seek help from catholic powers to start another rebellion. Gerald Fitzgerald and his brother John were released from prison. This rebellion caused the Pope to issue “Regnans in Excelisis” excommunicating Elizabeth and depriving her of the llegiance of her Catholic subject in early 1570.
Second Desmond Rebellion
The Second Desmond Rebellion was an aftermath of the First Desmond Rebellion; this was sparked when James Fitzmaurice FitzGerald launched an invasion of Munster in 1579. An exile occurred in Europe he was reinvented himself as a solider of the counter- reformation. After the popes excommunication of Elizabeth I in 1570 the Irish Catholics believed that they no longer owned loyalty to the heretic monarchs. The Pope supplied him with troops and money, leading to Fitzmaurice landing at Smerwick near Dingle on July 18th 1579 with a small force of Spanish and Italian troops. Furthermore he joined in the rebellion on August 1st by John of Desmond a brother of the Earl.
After Fitzmaurice was killed in a skirmish with the Clanwilliam Burkes on 18th August, John FitzGerald assumed leadership of the rebellion.
Gerald the Earl of Desmond resisted the call of the rebels and tried to remain neutral nut gave in once the authorities had proclaimed him a traitor. The main influence of the rebellion carried out by Gerald was by sacking the towns of Youghal and Kinsale, this devastated the country of English and their allies. However this rebellion didn’t last very long as in 1580 the English troops under William Pelham and locally raised an Irish force under the Earl of Ormonde succeeded in bringing the rebellions under control. They controlled the rebellion by taking back the south coast, destroying the lands of the Desmond’s and their allies in the process, and killing their tenants.
However the rebellion turned and in July 1580 the rebellion spread to Leinster under the leadership of Gaelic Irish Chieftain. This saw the loss of 800 rebels.
The fall of the rebellion came on the 10th of September 1580 where 600 paoal troops landed at Smerwick in Kerry to support rebellion but were besieged in a fort at Dun an Oir. They finally surrender after two days of bombardment and were then massacred. By this time the English broke the momentum of the rebellion by mid 1581. Finally by May 1581 most of the minor rebels and FitzGerald allies in Munster and Leinster had accepted Elizabeth I’s offer of a general pardon. Furthermore John of Desmond the leader of the rebellion was killed in the north of Cork I early 1582.
Aftermath
Overall the wars of 1570s and 1580s marked a watershed in Ireland. Although English control over the country was still far from total. However the Elizabethan conquest of Ireland was completed after the subsequent Nine year war in Ulster and the extension of plantation policy to other parts of the country
• Peers of Ireland since 14th century
o Fitzgerald of Kildare
o Fitzgerald of Desmond
Fitzgerald Rebellion
Lead by Thomas FitzGerald who was the 10th Earl of Kildare (1513-1537), he was also known as Silken Thomas. He was a cousin of Henry VII. In February 1534, when his father, Gerald Fitzgerald, the 9th Earl of Kildare was summoned to London where in the following June 1534 Thomas heard a rumour that his father had been executed in the Tower of London and that the English government intended the same fate for himself and his uncles.
His immediate action were to summon council to t Mary Abbey, Dublin where on the 11th of June accompanied by 140 horsemen with silk fringes on their helmets leading to his nick name of Silken Thomas. They rode to the abbey and publicly renounced his allegiance to King Henry VIII, Lord of Ireland. He then went on to attack Dublin Castle in July but his army was routed.
The main events were Thomas spread a report saying that his father had been beheaded in England, this then lead to a rebellion riding to St Mary’s Abbey and entering the chamber where the council sat. He then proceed to openly renounce his allegiance ad proceeded to deliver up the sword and robes of state. Thomas’s friend archbishop Cromer now the Lord Chancellor besought him with tears in his eyes and told him to forgo his purpose and everyone was then heard calling for Thomas to avenge his father death. Collecting a large force Lord Thomas led them to the walls of Dublin castle which had been weakened by the plague. One of several citizens including Archbishop Allen had retired on the first appearance of danger, this lead to him being taken and brought before the Lord Thomas. Allen the begged for mercy and the young lord took pity on him and took him away into custody but the misinterpreted him and murder the Archduke. This the lead to the castle being taken over by a nine days battle leading to Lord Thomas being taken to England in 1535 and imprisoned in the tower where he was left for 18 months neglected and in great misery. During this time his five uncles were taken to the Tower and all six of them were executed at Tyburn in 1537.
Mainly the rebellion was motivated through the desire to maintain the independent of the feudal lords from their monarch, but it was also due to having an element of religious antagonism between Catholics and protestant states. This then resulted in the destruction of the Desmond dynasty and the colonisation of Munster with English Settlers.
During 1530’s the main causes were the English Government trying to expand English control over the entire land. Following 1560’s the English turned to the south which then made his solution of forming a ‘lord presidency’. This led to Butlers and Fitzgerald’s fighting a PITCHED Battle against each other at Affane in County Waterford. This was a blatant attack on Elizabeth’s I state of law, following this both sides were summoned to London to explain their actions. However because Thomas Butler the 3rd Earl of Ormonde was Elizabeth’s cousin he was pardoned, while Gerald Fitzgerald the 14th Earl of Desmond in 1567 and his brother were blamed for being the real military leader meaning that they were arrested and sent to the Tower of London.
One of the main tactics that were followed by the Fitzgerald were to gain more support from Philip of Spain to build up there number of rebellions taking part to overthrow the Elizabethan reign and also the Ormonde.
Desmond Rebellion
First Desmond Rebellion
The of the First Desmond Rebellion was June 1569 to the 23rd of February 1573, it took place within Munster . It was first launched by Fitzmaurice involving a attack on the English colony at Kerrycurihy south of Cork city in June 1569 before attacking Cork itself. The forces on the Fitzmaurice’s side consisted of 4,500 men went on to besiege Kilkennv. This then lead to Sidney mobilising 600 English troops, who matched south from Dublin and another 400 troops landed by sea in Cork. Thomas Butlers Earl of Ormonde returned from London following him appearing in court. Sidney and Humphrey Gilbert arranged a governor of Munster this then lead to the breaking up of Fitzmaurice allies.
This then lead to Fitzmaurice being forced into the mountain of Kerry, this gave the Fitzmaurice an advantage as from where he was he could launch hit and run attacks on the English and their allies. This fall for the Fitzmaurice lead to his allies leaving him in 1570 to join Sidney’s side. This fighting then carried on for another three years. Fitzmaurice had some victories like the capture of English ships near Kinsale and the burning of a town of Kilmallock in 1571. Fitzmaurice downfall came in 15173 when his force was reduced to less than 100 men and he finally submitted on February 23rd 1573 having negotiated a pardon on his life. During 1574 he again became landless and in 1575 he sailed to France to seek help from catholic powers to start another rebellion. Gerald Fitzgerald and his brother John were released from prison. This rebellion caused the Pope to issue “Regnans in Excelisis” excommunicating Elizabeth and depriving her of the llegiance of her Catholic subject in early 1570.
Second Desmond Rebellion
The Second Desmond Rebellion was an aftermath of the First Desmond Rebellion; this was sparked when James Fitzmaurice FitzGerald launched an invasion of Munster in 1579. An exile occurred in Europe he was reinvented himself as a solider of the counter- reformation. After the popes excommunication of Elizabeth I in 1570 the Irish Catholics believed that they no longer owned loyalty to the heretic monarchs. The Pope supplied him with troops and money, leading to Fitzmaurice landing at Smerwick near Dingle on July 18th 1579 with a small force of Spanish and Italian troops. Furthermore he joined in the rebellion on August 1st by John of Desmond a brother of the Earl.
After Fitzmaurice was killed in a skirmish with the Clanwilliam Burkes on 18th August, John FitzGerald assumed leadership of the rebellion.
Gerald the Earl of Desmond resisted the call of the rebels and tried to remain neutral nut gave in once the authorities had proclaimed him a traitor. The main influence of the rebellion carried out by Gerald was by sacking the towns of Youghal and Kinsale, this devastated the country of English and their allies. However this rebellion didn’t last very long as in 1580 the English troops under William Pelham and locally raised an Irish force under the Earl of Ormonde succeeded in bringing the rebellions under control. They controlled the rebellion by taking back the south coast, destroying the lands of the Desmond’s and their allies in the process, and killing their tenants.
However the rebellion turned and in July 1580 the rebellion spread to Leinster under the leadership of Gaelic Irish Chieftain. This saw the loss of 800 rebels.
The fall of the rebellion came on the 10th of September 1580 where 600 paoal troops landed at Smerwick in Kerry to support rebellion but were besieged in a fort at Dun an Oir. They finally surrender after two days of bombardment and were then massacred. By this time the English broke the momentum of the rebellion by mid 1581. Finally by May 1581 most of the minor rebels and FitzGerald allies in Munster and Leinster had accepted Elizabeth I’s offer of a general pardon. Furthermore John of Desmond the leader of the rebellion was killed in the north of Cork I early 1582.
Aftermath
Overall the wars of 1570s and 1580s marked a watershed in Ireland. Although English control over the country was still far from total. However the Elizabethan conquest of Ireland was completed after the subsequent Nine year war in Ulster and the extension of plantation policy to other parts of the country