Summary
Thomas FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Desmond (c. 1386–1420), was the only son of John FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Desmond. Upon John's death in 1399, Thomas succeeded to the earldom of Desmond, which lay in Munster, in the southwest of Ireland.
Thomas FitzGerald | |
|---|---|
| Earl of Desmond | |
 | |
| Tenure | 1399-1418 |
| Predecessor | John FitzGerald |
| Successor | James FitzGerald |
| Born | c. 1386 |
| Died | 10 August 1420 Rouen |
| Buried | Paris |
| Nationality | Hiberno-Norman |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine MacCormac |
| Issue | Maurice FitzGerald John Claragh |
| Parents | John FitzGerald Mary Bourke or Joan of Fermoy |
In 1418, Thomas was dispossessed of his lands and deprived of his earldom by his paternal uncle, James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond, after Thomas had concluded a marriage far below his station to Catherine MacCormac of Abbeyfeale;[1] Catherine was the daughter of one of Thomas's dependants, William MacCormac, known as "the Monk of Feale."[2] A marriage between a man of Norman blood and a woman of Gaelic ancestry was in violation of the Statutes of Kilkenny.[3]
This ill-fated romance was the subject[1] of the air "Desmond's Song"[4] by the Irish poet Thomas Moore.
After the loss of his earldom, Thomas withdrew to France, where he "died at Rouen, 10th August 1420, and was buried at Paris 'with great and mighty show, where the two kings of England and France were present'".[1]
Marriage and issue edit
Thomas FitzGerald and Catherine MacCormac (a.k.a. Katherine McCormick)[2] of Abbyfeale had two sons:[5]
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Notes edit
- ^ a b c Webb, Alfred. A Compendium of Irish Biography. Dublin: 1878.
- ^ a b Cokayne, George Edward, Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. Volume III. London: George Bell & Sons. 1890. p. 85
- ^ "Parish History", Abbeyfeale Parish, Diocese of Limerick
- ^ Moore, Thomas, The poetical works of Thomas Moore, including melodies, ballads, etc. Philadelphia: 1835. p. 349
- ^ Burke, Bernard, A Genealogical History of the Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire. London: Harrison. 1866. p. 204
- ^ Ireland and her people; a library of Irish biography, (Thomas W. H. Fitzgerald, ed.), Fitzgerald Book Company, 1910, p. 189
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
