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Art Mac Murchadha and the Earl of Gloucester

Art Óg Mac Murchadha Caomhánach (anglicized Art MacMurrough-Kavanagh and Art MacMorrough; 1357 December 1417) was an Irish king who is generally regarded as the most formidable of the later

kings of Leinster Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

. He revived not only the royal family's prerogatives, but also their lands and power. During his 42-year reign, he dominated the

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

settlers of Leinster. His dominance of the province and its inhabitants, both

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

and

Hiberno-Norman From the 12th century onwards, a group of Normans invaded and settled in Gaelic Ireland. These settlers later became known as Norman Irish or Hiberno-Normans. They originated mainly among Cambro-Norman families in Wales and Anglo-Normans from ...

, was deemed sufficiently detrimental to the colony that

Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father die ...

spent much of the years 1394 and 1395 sparring with him. While MacMurrough-Kavanagh did eventually submit to Richard, he renounced this fealty on Richard's departure and made much of his kingdom a death trap for any invading English or Anglo-Irish forces. The Crown accordingly dealt with him cautiously and he was granted an

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

in 1409. MacMurrough-Kavanagh was married to Anglo-Irish noblewoman Elizabeth le Veel, widow of Sir John Staunton of

Clane Clane (; ) is a town in County Kildare, Ireland, from Dublin. Its population of 7,280 makes it the eighth largest town in Kildare and the 66th largest in Ireland. It is on the River Liffey. Clane gives its name to the associated townland, ci ...

and the only daughter of Sir Robert le Veel. Through her father, she was the heiress of the

barony of Norragh The Barony of Norragh in County Kildare was an Irish feudal barony: that is, the holder had the right to call himself Baron, but did not hold a peerage and had no right to sit in the Irish House of Lords. The De Wellesley family were of Anglo-Sax ...

. Such an interracial marriage violated the

Statutes of Kilkenny The Statutes of Kilkenny were a series of thirty-five acts enacted by the Parliament of Ireland at Kilkenny in 1366, aiming to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship of Ireland. Background to the Statutes By the middle decades of the ...

and the Crown thus forfeited Elizabeth's lands, which later became one of the causes of her husband's enmity with the English. They had three sons: Donnchadh, King of Leinster; Diarmuid Lamhdearg; and Gerald, Lord of

Ferns A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except th ...

. Elizabeth's estates later passed to the Wellesley family, who were ancestors of the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

and descendants of her daughter, Elizabeth, by her first husband. MacMurrough-Kavanagh died soon after Christmas 1417, perhaps in his bed in Ferns, or perhaps was poisoned in

New Ross New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. It is located on the River Barrow, near the border with County Kilkenny, and is around northeast of Waterford. In 2016 it had a population of 8,040 people, making it the ...

accounts differ. The 1885 historical novel ''Art M'Morrough O'Cavanagh, Prince of Leinster: An Historical Romance of the Fourteenth Century'' by M. L. O'Byrne is a loosely biographical account of his life, written from a

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

perspective. The politician

Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh (25 March 183125 December 1889) was an Irish politician. His middle name is spelled MacMorrough in some contemporaneous sources. Biography Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh was born on 25 March 1831 at Borris House in Cou ...

(1831–1889) was a descendant of MacMurrough-Kavanagh.

References

Books

* ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

'
online
* Francis John Byrne, ''Irish Kings and High Kings'' (Dublin, 1973) * Emmett O'Byrne, ''War, Politics and the Irish of Leinster 1156-1606'' (Dublin, 2003) *

External links

''Ireland's Wars: How Art MacMurragh Brought Down the English Monarchy''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Art Mor Mac Murchadha Caomhanach 1357 births 1417 deaths Kings of Leinster 15th-century Irish monarchs 14th-century Irish monarchs People from County Wexford MacMorrough Kavanagh dynasty Gaels

See also

References

Books

External links