The Burke/de Burgh Civil War was a conflict in Ireland from 1333 to 1338 between three leading members of the

de Burgh de Burgh (also spelt de Bourgh, and Burke, and also Latinised as de Burgo) is an Anglo-Norman surname deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (c.1 ...

(

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...

/ Bourke)

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 ...

family resulting in the division into three clans.

Background

Twenty-year-old

William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster William de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster and 4th Baron of Connaught (; ; 17 September 1312 – 6 June 1333) was an Irish noble who was Lieutenant of Ireland (1331) and whose murder, aged 20, led to the Burke Civil War. Background The grandson ...

, known as "the Brown Earl", was murdered by his household knights in June 1333 after he had starved to death his cousin and rival Sir

Walter Liath de Burgh Sir Walter Liath de Burgh (; ; died February 1332) was an Anglo-Irish noble whose imprisonment by the Earl of Ulster and death from starvation led to the Earl's murder the following year. De Burgh was the eldest son of Sir William Liath de Bur ...

in the previous year (1332). The Earl's only child,

Elizabeth de Burgh Lady Elizabeth de Burgh (; ; c. 1289 – 27 October 1327) was the second wife and the only queen consort of King Robert the Bruce. Elizabeth was born sometime around 1289, probably in what is now County Down or County Antrim in Ulster, the ...

(1332–1363), succeeded as Countess of Ulster and legal heir to the de Burgh estates as an infant. For safety, as an infant and a female heiress, she was taken by her mother to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

as her lordships collapsed in a power struggle. Three members of the de Burgh family fought against each other in an attempt to preserve their own personal estates, and hold overall control of the massive de Burgh inheritance in Ireland. They were: * Sir

Edmond de Burgh Sir Edmund de Burgh (; ; 1298–1338) was an Irish knight and ancestor of the Burke family of Clanwilliam. Background De Burgh was the fifth and last surviving son of Richard, Lord of Connaught and Earl of Ulster. His elder brother, John de ...

Castleconnell Castleconnell (, historically ''Caisleán Uí Chonaing'') is a village in County Limerick on the banks of the River Shannon. It is from Limerick city and near the boundaries of counties Clare and Tipperary. History The ruins of the ' Castle ...

(only surviving uncle of the Brown Earl, and senior member of the de Burgh dynasty) who drowned in

Lough Mask Lough Mask () is a limestone lake of about in Counties Mayo and Galway, Ireland, north of Lough Corrib. Lough Mask is the middle of the three lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway, into Galway Bay. Lough Carra flows into ...

in 1338. * Sir

Edmond Albanach de Burgh Edmond Albanach de Burgh, 1st Mac William Íochtar (; ; born before 1315; died 1375) was an Irish chieftain and noble who established himself as the most powerful lord in Connacht west of the Shannon. Early life Edmond Albanach was the son o ...

of north

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

(cousin of the Brown Earl, brother of the Walter Liath de Burgh who died in 1332) * Sir Uilleag de Burgh of south

(chief of another illegitimate branch of the de Burghs)

Loss and divisions

The eventual outcome of the war was the loss of almost all the de Burgh lands in

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

, which was reconquered within a year by the

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 ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

. The remaining de Burghs in Ireland fragmented into three distinct clans, all of which had several sub-septs. They were: * Clan William Bourke of

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision ...

Mac William Íochtar Mac William Íochtar (Lower Mac William), also known as the Mayo Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh in Ireland. Mayo covered much of the northern part of the province of Connacht and the Mac William Í ...

(Bourke) of

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

Mac William Uachtar Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Ter ...

Clanricarde Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Ter ...

( Burke / de Burgh) of

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

Clan William, Mac William, Clanricarde

* Walter de Burgh of

Burgh Castle Burgh Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the east bank of the River Waveney, some west of Great Yarmouth and within the Norfolk Broads National Park. The parish was part of Suffolk until 1 ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

m. Alice **

William de Burgh William de Burgh (; ; ; la, de Burgo; c.1160–winter 1205/06) was the founder of the House of Burgh (later surnamed Burke or Bourke) in Ireland and elder brother of Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent and Geoffrey de Burgh, Bishop of Ely. In ...

(d. 1206) m. Daughter of Domnall Mór Ó Briain,

King of Thomond The kings of Thomond ( ga, Rí Tuamhain) ruled from the establishment of Thomond during the High Middle Ages, until the Early modern period. Thomond represented the legacy of Brian Bóruma and the High Kings of Ireland of his line who could no ...

*** Richard Mór / Óge de Burgh, 1st Lord of Connaught m.

Egidia de Lacy, Lady of Connacht Egidia de Lacy, Lady of Connacht (c. 1205 – 24 February 1240), was a Cambro-Norman noblewoman, the wife of Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Baron of Connaught and Strathearn (c.1194–1242), and the mother of his seven children, including Walter ...

**** Sir Richard de Burgh (d.1248), 2nd Lord of Connaught ****

Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster, 2nd Lord of Connaught (; ; 1230 – 28 July 1271) also spelt Burke or Bourke, was an Irish peer from the House of Burgh. Biography De Burgh was the second son of Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Lord of Connau ...

(d. 1271) *****

Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and 3rd Baron of Connaught (; ; 1259 – 29 July 1326), called The Red Earl ( Latinized to de Burgo), was one of the most powerful Irish nobles of the late 13th and early 14th centuries and father of ...

(1259–1326) ****** John de Burgh m.

Elizabeth de Clare Elizabeth de Clare, 11th Lady of Clare (16 September 1295 – 4 November 1360) was the heiress to the lordships of Clare, Suffolk, in England and Usk in Wales. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford ...

*******

(1312–33) m.

Maud of Lancaster Maud of Lancaster, Countess of Ulster (c. 1310 – 5 May 1377) was an English noblewoman and the wife of William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster. She was the mother of Elizabeth de Burgh, ''suo jure'' Countess of Ulster. Her second husband w ...

********

Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster Elizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Clarence, ''suo jure'' 4th Countess of Ulster and 5th Baroness of Connaught (; ; 6 July 1332 – 10 December 1363) was a Norman-Irish noblewoman who married Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence. Family Elizab ...

(1332–63) m.

Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, (; 29 November 133817 October 1368) was the third son, but the second son to survive infancy, of the English king Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. He was named after his birthplace, at Antwerp in the Duch ...

*********

Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster Philippa of Clarence (16 August 1355 – 5 January 1382) was a medieval English princess and the ''suo jure'' Countess of Ulster. Biography She was born at Eltham Palace in Kent on 16 August 1355, the only child of Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke ...

(1355–82) m.

Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March Edmund de Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and ''jure uxoris'' Earl of Ulster (1 February 135227 December 1381) was the son of Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, by his wife Philippa, daughter of William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Catherine Gr ...

*********

Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March Roger de Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, 6th Earl of Ulster (11 April 137420 July 1398) was an English nobleman. He was considered the heir presumptive to King Richard II, his mother's first cousin. Roger Mortimer's father, the 3rd Earl of Marc ...

, 6th Earl of Ulster (1374–98) **********

Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, 7th Earl of Ulster (6 November 139118 January 1425), was an English nobleman and a potential claimant to the throne of England. A great-great-grandson of King Edward III of England, he was heir presumptive to ...

, 7th Earl of Ulster (1391–1425) **********

Anne Mortimer Anne de Mortimer, also known as Anne Mortimer (27 December 1388 – 22 September 1411), was a medieval English noblewoman who became an ancestor to the royal House of York, one of the parties in the fifteenth-century dynastic Wars of the Roses. ...

(1388–1411) m.

Richard of Conisburgh Richard of Conisbrough, 3rd Earl of Cambridge (20 July 1385 – 5 August 1415) was the second son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York. He was beheaded for his part in the Southampton Plot, a conspirac ...

, 3rd Earl of Cambridge ***********

Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantage ...

, 8th Earl of Ulster (1411–60) ************

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

(Edward, 4th Duke of York, 9th Earl of Ulster) *************

House of York The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, ...

(Kings and Queens of England and Ireland) ******

******* Sir Richard Burke ******** Walter Burke (d. 1432) ********* Burkes of Castleconnell and Brittas (Clanwilliam) ******** Uileag Carragh Burke ********* Burkes of Cois tSiúire (Clanwilliam) ******* Sir David Burke, ******** Burkes of Muskerryquirk (Clanwilliam) ****** Elizabeth, Queen of Scotland m.

Robert I of Scotland Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

***** Theobald de Burgh ***** William de Burgh ***** Thomas de Burgh ***** Egidia de Burgh ****

William Óg de Burgh Sir William Óg de Burgh (; ; died 1270) was an Anglo-Irish noble and soldier who was the ancestor of the Earls of Clanricarde and the Mac William Iochtar (Burkes of County Mayo). Career William Óg was the third son of Richard Mor de Burg ...

(d. 1270) *****

William Liath de Burgh William Liath de Burgh (; ; died 1324) was an Irish noble and deputy Justiciar of Ireland (1308–09). Background De Burgh was a son of William Og de Burgh, who was killed at the Battle of Áth-an-Chip or Athankip in 1270, and a nephew of ...

(d. 1324) ****** Sir

, d. 1332 ****** Sir

(d. 1375), 1st

(Lower Mac William), (Mayo) ******* Mac William Íochtars, Viscounts Mayo and

Earls of Mayo Earl of the County of Mayo, usually known simply as Earl of Mayo, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland created, in 1785, for John Bourke, 1st Viscount Mayo (of the second creation). For many years he served as "First Commissioner of Revenue" in ...

****** John de Burgh (1350–98), Chancellor of the University of Cambridge ****** Richard an Fhorbhair de Burgh ******* Sir Ulick de Burgh (d. 1343/53), 1st Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or

(Galway) ********

Richard Óg Burke Richard Óg Burke, 2nd Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; died 1387) was an Irish chieftain and nobleman who was the son of Sir Ulick Burke or Uilleag de Burgh, 1st Clanricarde (d.1343/1353). Richard died in 1387, and was succeeded by h ...

(d. 1387) *********

Ulick an Fhiona Burke Ulick an Fhiona Burke, 3rd Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; ; ; died 1424) was an Irish chieftain and noble who was nicknamed ''an Fhiona'' (meaning ''of the wine''). Ulick became chieftain on the death of this father, Richard Óg Bur ...

********** Clanricardes, Earls of Marquesses of Clanricarde ******* Raymond de Burgh ******* Walter Óge de Burgh ****** Raymund de Burgh ****** Ulick de Burgh of Umhall **** Alice de Burgh ****

Margery de Burgh Margery de Burgh (; ), was a Norman-Irish noblewoman and wife of Theobald Butler, 3rd Chief Butler of Ireland. Family and lineage Margery de Burgh was born in Galway, Ireland, the eldest daughter of Richard Mor de Burgh, Lord of Connacht and ...

**** Matilda de Burgh **** Daughter de Burgh *** Hubert de Burgh, Bishop of Limerick (d. 1250) *** William de Burgh, Sheriff of Connacht **

Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequenc ...

(d. 1243) m. *** John de Burgh *** Hubert de Burgh *** Hubert de Burgh ****

Barons Burgh Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

Geoffrey de Burgh Geoffrey de Burgh (; ; ; 1180 – 8 December 1228) was a medieval English cleric who was Archdeacon of Norwich (1200–1225), Bishop of Ely (1215–1219, 1225–1228) and the brother of William de Burgh and Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of ...

, Bishop of Ely (d. 1228) ** Thomas de Burgh

References

* ''A New History of Ireland'', volume IX, Oxford, 1984; ** ''Earls of Ulster and Lords of Connacht, 1205-1460 (De Burgh, De Lacy and Mortimer)'', p. 170; ** ''Mac William Burkes: Mac William Iochtar (de Burgh), Lords of Lower Connacht and Viscounts of Mayo, 1332–1649'', p. 171; ** ''Burke of Clanricard: Mac William Uachtar (de Burgh), Lords of Upper Connacht and Earls of Clanricard, 1332–1722. * ''Burke:People and Places'', Eamonn de Burca, Dublin, 1995.

Background

Loss and divisions

Clan William, Mac William, Clanricarde

References

See also