Our common ancestors - Fitzgerald - Contents

2nd Earl of Kildare

Thomas Fitzgerald, 2nd Earl of Kildare (see here),
mar 1312 to Joan de Burgh,
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland 1327-8,
there is a description of Maynooth Castle in 1328,
had issue:

Maurice Fitzgerald, 4th Earl of Kildare, had issue:

John Fitzgerald, had issue:

John Fitzgerald, 6th Earl of Kildare, enlarged and rebuilt Maynooth Castle 1426, had issue:

Thomas Fitzgerald, 7th Earl of Kildare,
mar Joan Fitzgerald [descendant of Edward I and of Aoife Mac Murrough],
died 1478, had issue:

1. Garret Mor Fitzgerald, 8th Earl of Kildare (see here),
   The Great Earl, born 1456, succ 1478,
   effective Irish independence 1477-95,
   mar 1stly to Alison FitzEustace and had issue:
   1. Margaret Fitzgerald, mar c.1485 to Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormonde [succ 1515] and had issue.

   2. Garret Og Fitzgerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, born 1487.

   Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland 1483-4,
   he was a Yorkist, supported claims of Lambert Simnel to be Edward of Warwick in the remnant Yorkist opposition to Henry VII, Simnel was crowned as "Edward VI" at Christ Church, Dublin, 1487,
   despite the fact that his daughter was married to one of them [the future 8th Earl of Ormonde] there was intense Fitzgerald rivalry with the Butlers, this came to a head in 1492 with a skirmish in Dublin between the 8th Earl of Kildare and James Butler, "Black James", Black James took refuge in the chapter house of St.Patrick's Cathedral, the standoff ended when Kildare cut a hole in the door and stuck his hand through to offer a truce, this is supposed to be the origin of the expression "to chance your arm",
   he was arrested in 1495 and imprisoned in the Tower of London,
   Alison died 22nd Nov 1495 [NOT 1480], bur New Abbey, Kilcullen, Co.Kildare,
   she is said to have died of grief after his arrest, she did not live to see him come into favour again,
   he was freed 1496, and again Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland 1496-(think 1513),
   fought with the 3rd Baron Howth against the Irish at the Battle of Knockdoe, Co.Galway, 1504,
   K.G. 1505 (first Irish one),
   died 1513, age 57 yrs.

   
   

2. Eleanor Fitzgerald, mar Con Mor O'Neill and had issue.