The Ormond Lordship in County Kilkenny, 1515-1642: The Rise and Fall of Butler Feudal PowerDuring the 16th century Ireland was dominated by a handful of great feudal dynasties controlling entire regions of the country by ancestral descent and military might. It is generally recognized that by the beginning of the 17th century several of these dynasties had collapsed, forced into rebellion and exile by the re-emerging power of the English monarchy. This book tells a contrasting story - of the Butlers, earls of Ormond, a dynasty that managed not only to survive but to profit from the growth of English royal power. Preferring to collaborate with the monarchy rather than resist it, the Butler earls reaped great benefits from royal favor, gaining grants of land and office and securing a lasting influence over the implementation of crown policy in Ireland. As their national status grew so they increased their power-base in Co. Kilkenny, establishing patron-client ties with many of the local Old English and Gaelic gentry. The earls continued to enjoy crown support until the reign of James I. No longer satisfied with political obedience, but demanding religious compliance as well, King James's Protestant government reacted with hostility to the spread of Counter-Reformation Catholicism in the Ormond territories. An effort was made to make the earldom Protestant while simultaneously weakening its feudal relationship with the local gentry. The experiment failed. Under a Protestant earl the Ormond lordship disintegrated. Where once it had been a loyalist stronghold, by 1641 Kilkenny had emerged as a major centre of resistance to the royal government and Catholic community leaders played a significant part in the downfall of the British multiple monarchy of Charles I. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
COUNTY KILKENNY ORMOND COUNTRY II | 11 |
THE ORMOND INHERITANCE | 79 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
Anglo-Irish army Ballyragget baron Black Earl Blanchville brothers Callan Cantwell Carew MSS Carlow Castlecomer Catholic coign and livery Comerford countess court crown CSPI Desmond Dublin dynasty Earl James earl of Ormond Earl Thomas Earl Walter earl's Edward Butler Eliz Elizabeth England English Exchequer Ferguson MSS Fiants Fitzgerald forces Gaelic gentry Gowran Graiguenamanagh Henry VIII Ibid Idough Inistioge Ireland Irish James Butler John Kavanaghs Kilcash Kildare Kilkenny and Tipperary Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny city Kilkenny's king Knocktopher lands Leinster Lodge MSS London lord deputy MacGiollapadraigs manor military Munster O'Brennans O'More O'Ryan officials Ormond Butlers Ormond estate Ormond lordship Ormonde MSS Ossory Paulstown Piers Butler Piers Ruadh political Protestant Purcell queen rebellion rebels Richard Butler Rothe royal Shee sheriff shire Shortal Sidney Sidney's St Kieran's College St Leger tenants tenth earl territories Tudor Viscount Mountgarret vols Walsh Wandesford Waterford Wexford