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James FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond

For James fitz Maurice FitzGerald, de jure 12th Earl of Desmond, called "Court Page" (d. 1540), see James FitzGerald, de jure 12th Earl of Desmond.
For James fitz Maurice FitzGerald, captain general of Desmond, called "Archtraitor" (d. 1579), see James FitzMaurice.

James fitz Maurice FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond (died 1529), also counted as the 11th, plotted against King Henry VIII with King Francis I of France in 1523 and with Emperor Charles V in 1528 and 1529.

James FitzGerald
Earl of Desmond
Tenure1520–1529
PredecessorMaurice, 9th Earl
SuccessorThomas, 11th Earl
Died18 June 1529
Dingle
BuriedTralee
Spouse(s)Amy Mac-i-Brien Ara
Issue
Detail		Joan (Amy)
FatherMaurice, 9th Earl
MotherEllen Roche

Birth and origins

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James was born about 1490[a] in Munster, Ireland, second but only surviving son of Maurice FitzGerald and his first wife Ellen Roche.[2] His father was Earl of Desmond, counted the 9th or the 10th, and called "the Lame", "Vehiculus", and "Bellicosus". His father's family were the FitzGeralds of Desmond, a noble cadet branch of the FitzGeralds or Geraldines, which were Old English descending from Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Llanstephan, who had come to Ireland with Strongbow in 1169. The FitzGeralds of Kildare were the senior branch of that family.

His mother was a daughter of Maurice Roche, 2nd Lord of Fermoy[3] and his first wife Joan FitzGerald.[4] His mother's family, the Roches also were Old English and descended from Adam de Rupe who had come to Ireland from Wales with Robert FitzStephen.[5]

James had an elder brother Thomas, who was heir apparent but predeceased his father.[6] He also had sisters.[7] All his sisters are listed in his father's article.

Family tree
James fitz Maurice FitzGerald with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[b]
Thomas
7th Earl
d. 1468
of Drogheda
James
8th Earl
1459–1487		Maurice
9th Earl
d. 1520
the Lame		Thomas
11th Earl
1454–1534
the Bald		John
de facto
12th Earl
d. 1536
Piers
8th Earl
1467–1539		James
10th Earl
d. 1529		Amy
O'Brien		Maurice
fitz Thomas
d. 1529
d.v.p.*		James
13th Earl
d. 1558
James
Butler
9th Earl
1496–1546		Joan
FitzGerald
d. 1565		James
12th Earl
d. 1540
Court Page		Gerald
14th Earl
c. 1533 – 1583
Rebel Earl
Thomas
10th Earl
c. 1531 – 1614
Black Tom		John of
Kilcash
d. 1570
Legend
XXXSubject of
the article		XXXEarls of
Desmond		XXXEarls of
Ormond
*d.v.p. = predeceased his father (decessit vita patris).

Marriage and children

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James married Amy, daughter of Turlough O'Brien,[11][12] a pre-reformation bishop of Killaloe (died 1525 or 1526),[13][14] who had not stayed celibate.[15][c] Her mother's family were the O'Briens of Ara (County Tipperary), a cadet branch of the O'Briens, kings of Thomond.[17]

James and Amy had an only daughter:

  1. Joan (Amy) (1509 or 1514 – 1565),[18][19] married 1st James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond; 2ndly Francis Bryan, and 3rdly Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond[20]

James also had two illegitimate half-sisters from his father:

  1. Honora (d. 1577), illegitimate
  2. Ellice, illegitimate

Earldom and feuds with neighbours

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FitzGerald's father seems to have already relied on him in the governing of the earldom in his later years. In 1520 his father died and was buried in the Dominican friary of Tralee, which had been founded in 1243 by his ancestor John fitz Thomas FitzGerald, 1st Baron Desmond.[21] FitzGerald succeeded his father as Earl of Desmond, counted as the 10th[2] or the 11th earl.[22]

In the 1520s Desmond, as he now was, fought his neighbours, the lords of Muskerry in County Cork and the earls of Ormond in eastern Munster. He also quarrelled with his uncle Thomas fitz Thomas FitzGerald, called "the Bald", who sided with his enemies. In September 1521 Desmond was defeated at the Battle of Mourne Abbey, south of Mallow, County Cork, by the allied forces of Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, 9th Lord of Muskerry, and Thomas the Bald.[23][24]

In December, Muskerry, Thomas the Bald, and Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, besieged him in Dungarvan.[25]

Francis I of France

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During the Italian War of 1521–1526 that opposed England as an ally of the Habsburgs against France, Desmond conspired in 1522 with King Francis I of France against his liege, King Henry VIII,[26] recognizing Richard de la Pole as king of England[27] and discussing a possible French invasion of Ireland.[28] An attainder against Desmond was drafted in 1522 but never passed parliament.[29][30]

In 1525 the King sent Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, Lord Deputy of Ireland, with an army to arrest Desmond for treason, but Desmond evaded capture.[31]

 
His enemy Henry VIII and his ally Charles V with Pope Leo X de' Medici

Charles Quint

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By the Treaty of the More in 1525 Henry VIII ended the war with France and then in 1527 by the treaty of Westminster reversed the alliance, now fighting in the War of the League of Cognac (1526–1530) as an ally of France against Charles V. Desmond reacted by also changing sides and allied himself with Emperor Charles V in 1528[32] and 1529[33] The Emperor sent his chaplain Gonzalo Fernandez to see Desmond at Dingle.[34] The chaplain reported that the earl was between 30 and 40 years old.[1]

Death and timeline

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Desmond died unexpectedly on 18 June 1529 at Rathkeale[35] or at Dingle. He was buried with his father at Tralee,[36] His death without a male heir provoked a succession crisis. His daughter was heir general but his uncle Thomas, called the Bald, succeeded as 11th Earl of Desmond. His widow married Edmond Fitzmaurice, 9th Baron of Kerry and Lixnaw as his second wife and died in 1537.[37][38]

Timeline
As his birth date is uncertain, so are all his ages.
Age Date Event
0 1493, estimate Born[a]
20–21 1514 Daughter Joan born.[18]
1–2 1495 Father besieges Waterford trying to impose Perkin Warbeck as Yorkist king but fails.
15–16 1509, 22 Apr Accession of Henry VIII, succeeding Henry VII of England[39]
26–27 1521, Sep Lost the Battle of Mourne to Cormac Laidir Oge MacCarthy, 10th Lord of Muskerry[23]
28–29 1522 Plotted with King Francis I of France[26]
31–32 1525 Avoided arrest by Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare[31]
35–36 1529 Plotted with Emperor Charles V[33]
35–36 1529, 18 Jun Died.[35] His uncle Thomas FitzGerald succeeded as 11th Earl of Desmond.

Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b The subject of the article was between 30 and 40 years old in 1629.[1]
  2. ^ This family tree is based on a graphic tree[8] an on written genealogies of the earls of Desmond[9] and Ormond.[10]
  3. ^ Joan's maternal grandfather must not be confused with his son, also called Turlough O'Brien, who was bishop of Killaloe 1554–1569, appointed during Queen Mary's reign.[16]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b Wilson 1912, p. 57. "The Earl himself is from thirty to forty years old, and is rather above the middle height."
  2. ^ a b Cokayne 1916, p. 249, line 5. "10. James FitzMaurice (FitzGerald), Earl of Desmoind [I. [Ireland] ], only surv. s. [surviving son] and h. [heir]."
  3. ^ Cokayne 1926, p. 297. "2. Maurice (Roche) Lord Roche of Fermoy [I. [Ireland] ], s. [son] and h. [heir]."
  4. ^ Burke 1866, p. 454, right column. "In 1487 he [Maurice Roche] m. [married] Joan, dau. [daughter] of James 9th Earl of Desmond, and by her had David, his heir; and Ellen, m. to Maurice, 10th Earl of Desmond"
  5. ^ Burke 1866, p. 454. "The family of Roche was established in Ireland by Adam de Rupe of Roch Castle, co. Pembrokeshire, who accompanied Robert FitzStephen to that country in 1196."
  6. ^ Burke 1866, p. 205, left column, line 46. "I. Thomas FitzMaurice, who d. v. p. [predeceased his father], leaving a dau. [daughter] and h. [heir] who m. [married] to H. Butler of Polestown."
  7. ^ Burke 1866, p. 205, left column, line 49.
  8. ^ Moody, Martin & Byrne 1984, p. 168. "Fitzgeralds Earls od Desmond ..."
  9. ^ Burke 1866, pp. 205–206Genealogy of the earls of Desmond
  10. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, pp. 1548–1552Genealogy of the earls of Ormond
  11. ^ Burke 1866, p. 205, left column, line 53. "James FitzMaurice FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Desmond, who m. [married] Amy, dau. [daughter] of Turlogh Mac I.Brien Ara, bishop of Killaloe ..."
  12. ^ Cokayne 1916, p. 249, line 10. "He [James FitzGerald] m. [married] Amy, da. [daughter] of Turlogh Mac-1-Brien-Ara, Bishop of Killaloe."
  13. ^ Beresford 2009, only paragraph, last sentence. "... from his marriage to the daughter of Toirdhealbhach Ó Briain (d. 1525), bishop of Killaloe ..."
  14. ^ Fryde et al. 1986, p. 361, line 30. "Toirdhealbagh mac Mathghamhna Ó Briain (Theodoricus Thaddaeus) / prov. [provided] 19 Sept. 1483 / a. [ante] August 1526"
  15. ^ Ellis 2014, p. 195. "... was the son of bishop Turlough O'Brien of Killaloe (1483–1526) but this prompts two further observations. Clerical celibacy was widely ignored ..."
  16. ^ Fryde et al. 1986, p. 396. "Turlough (Terence) O'Brien / prov. [provided] June 1554 / 1569"
  17. ^ O'Brien 1949, p. 181. "Brian Ruahd, forty-first king of Thomond was the progenitor of this [Ara] line."
  18. ^ a b Eckerle & McAreavey 2019, p. 270, above. "Lady Joan Fitzgerald, Countess of Ormonde, Ossory, and Desmond (1509?–65) The daughter of the Eleventh Earl of Desmond and the wife of three powerful men ..."
  19. ^ Holland 1996, abstract, line 4. "... Joan FitzGerald, countess of Desmond and Ormond (c. 1514 – 1565)."
  20. ^ Webb 1878, p. 129, right column. "He had but one legitimate child, Amy, who married, (1) 9th Earl of Ormond, (2) Sir Francis Bryan, Lord-Justice, (3) Gerald, 15th Earl of Desmond."
  21. ^ Coleman 1902, p. 109. "In County Kerry is a seaport called Tralee, where a Dominican abbey was founded in 1243, by John the son of Thomas Fitzgerald ..."
  22. ^ Webb 1878, p. 139, left column, line 34. "Desmond, James, 11th Earl, succeeded on his father's death in 1520."
  23. ^ a b Burke 1866, p. 344, left column. "He [Muskerry] defeated the Earl of Desmond in the battle of Cluhar and Morne Abbey, in 1521."
  24. ^ McGee 1863, p. 344. "Cormac Oge, lord of Muskerry, and his cousin, the lord of Carbery, defeated the XIth Earl (James), at Moore Abbey, in 1521, with a loss of 1,500 foot and 5 or 600 horsemen."
  25. ^ McCormack 2009, 1st paragraph. "... in December Thomas, again with the help of Cormac Óg Láidir, joined with Piers Butler, earl of Ossory, in besieging him in Dungarvan, co. Waterford."
  26. ^ a b Cokayne 1916, p. 249, line 6. "He corresponded treasonably with Francis I of France in 1522 ..."
  27. ^ Loades 2009, p. 186. "... the Earl of Desmond, complicated the issue further by entering into direct negotiations with Francis I during the second Anglo-French war, and by recognizing Richard de la Pole as king of England"
  28. ^ Joyce 1903, p. 126. "Kildare was now directed by the king to arrest the earl of Desmond, who had been holding correspondence with the king of France about an invasion of Ireland."
  29. ^ Beresford 2009, only paragraph, 12th sentence.. "An act of attainder had been drawn up against him as early as 1522, but no parliament met to enact it during his lifetime."
  30. ^ Wilson 1912, p. 95. "... a bill for the attainder of James, Earl of Desmond, for treason in entertaining "the Lord Kendall" [the Comte de Candalle] and other Frenchmen, and in corresponding with Francis I."
  31. ^ a b FitzGerald 1858, p. 100. "In that year, 1525, the King sent letters to the Earl, ordering him to arrest the Earl of Desmond, who was accused of high treason."
  32. ^ Beckett 1973, p. 41. "... in 1528 he was negotiating with Henry's new enemy, the Emperor Charles V."
  33. ^ a b Webb 1878, p. 139, right column. "In 1529 he proffered fealty to the Emperor Charles V., and declared himself willing to enter into a league against England."
  34. ^ Wilson 1912, p. 56. "... had landed at Cork, and been hospitably entertained by the Earl and his retainers at 1529 Dingle ..."
  35. ^ a b Beresford 2009, only paragraph, penultimate sentence. "Desmond died suddenly on 18 June 1529 at Rathkeale."
  36. ^ Webb 1878, p. 139, right column, line 17. "He died at Dingle, 18th June 1529, and was buried with his father at Tralee."
  37. ^ Cokayne 1929, p. 207. "He [Edmond FitzMaurice] m. [married] 2ndly Amy, widow of James FitzMaurice (FitzGerald), 10th Earl of Desmond ..."
  38. ^ Cokayne 1916, p. 249, line 12. "His widow m. [married], as 2nd wife, Edmond (Fitzmaurice), Baron of Kerry and Lixnaw. She d. [died] before 1537."
  39. ^ Fryde et al. 1986, p. 42, line 39. "Henry VIII … acc. 22 April 1509;"

Sources

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Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Earl of Desmond
1520–1529 		Succeeded by
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