![Arms of the Earl of March](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Arms_of_the_Earl_of_March.svg)
The title of Earl of Ulster has been created six times in the
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...
and twice in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...
. Since 1928, the title has been held by the
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...
and is used as a courtesy title by the Duke's eldest son, currently Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster. The wife of the Earl of Ulster is known as the Countess of Ulster.
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 ...
, one of the four traditional
provinces of Ireland
There have been four Provinces of Ireland: Connacht (Connaught), Leinster, Munster, and Ulster. The Irish language, Irish word for this territorial division, , meaning "fifth part", suggests that there were once five, and at times Kingdom_of_ ...
, consists of nine counties: six of these make up Northern Ireland; the remainder are in the Irish Republic.
History
King
Henry II of England
Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
granted three
Palatinates or
seigniories In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; french: seigneur, lit=lord; la, senior, lit=elder), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple.
'' Nulle te ...
in Ireland to Norman nobles during the
Norman invasion of Ireland
The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...
, that are considered to be equivalents of either earldoms or lordships by modern historians.
Richard de Clare, Count Striguil, a Norman-Welsh knight known as Strongbow, was created Earl of Leinster, and the Anglo-Norman Sir
Hugh de Lacy Hugh de Lacy may refer to:
* Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Lassy (c.1020–1085), first recorded member of the Norman noble family de Lacy
* Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath (died 1186), 4th Baron Lacy
* Hugh de Lacy, Abbot of Shrewsbury (died c. 1215/18)
*Hug ...
was created Earl of Meath. In 1181, King Henry II created Sir
John de Courcy
{{Infobox noble
, image = Sir John de Courcy (1150-1219).jpg
, caption =
, alt =
, more = no
, succession =
, reign =
, predecessor =
, successor =
, ...
Earl of Ulster by patent. He was later also created Lord of Connaught and quickly became a rival of the De Lacys.
No record of his enrollment exists, but de Courcy enjoyed the grant of Ulster as an earldom, according to 19th-century analysis of deeds de Courcy executed that survived in
patent roll
The patent rolls (Latin: ''Rotuli litterarum patentium'') are a series of administrative records compiled in the English, British and United Kingdom Chancery, running from 1201 to the present day.
Description
The patent rolls comprise a register ...
s (the earliest of which dates to 1201).
Though Ulster covers one-sixth of Ireland, making it among the largest land grants in Ireland, De Courcy began aggressively seizing more land in Ireland without permission, drawing the ire of King
John of England
John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...
.
Hugh de Lacy the younger, son of the Earl of
Meath, accused de Courcy of neglecting to pay
homage
Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to:
History
*Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance
*Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts
*Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
to King John. The king sent a letter to the feudal barons of Ulster — allies of de Courcy – informing them that if they did not convince their lord to pay proper homage, all their land would be seized.
According to the ''
Four Masters'', in 1203, Hugh de Lacy the younger, along with a contingent of English soldiers from Meath, marched on
Ulaid
Ulaid (Old Irish, ) or Ulaidh (Modern Irish, ) was a Gaelic over-kingdom in north-eastern Ireland during the Middle Ages made up of a confederation of dynastic groups. Alternative names include Ulidia, which is the Latin form of Ulaid, and in ...
and expelled de Courcy. A bloody battle between the two sides ensued at place called Dundaleathglass (possibly
Down), but de Courcy escaped following defeat. In 1204, the de Lacy forces drove de Courcy, "the plunderer of churches and territories," into
Tyrone, where he sought protection from the
Clan Owen, but the English of Ulaid chased him as far as
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
, Antrim. On Good Friday 1204, de Courcy was praying at the
Church of Downpatrick
Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town. It is one of two cathedrals in the ...
(from which he had expelled, in 1177, the
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to:
*Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine
*Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs
*Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo
* Canons Regular of Sain ...
monks settled there by
St Malachy
Malachy (}; Modern ga, Maelmhaedhoc Ó Morgair; ) (1094 – 2 November 1148) is an Irish saint who was Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes later attributed to the apocryphal ...
in 1124, replacing them with
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monks). According to the account of his capture, the unarmed de Courcy managed to take a weapon from de Lacy's men and killed 13 of the men before he was finally subdued and sent to England where he was imprisoned in the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
. Though he eventually returned to royal favor, de Courcy never returned to Ireland.
De Lacy's lands and title were forfeited, and de Lacy was created the Earl of Ulster with the transfer of de Courcy's rights. The creation specifically granted Hugh de Lacy the right to everything John de Courcy possessed on the day of the battle, with exception the churches, which remained with the crown:
"The King to Meyler Fitz Henry, &c. and the Barons of Ireland, &c.
Know ye, that we have given and granted to Hugh de Lascy, for his homage and service, the land of Ulster, with the appurtenances, to have and to hold as John de Curcy held the same the day on which the same Hugh overcame him in the field, or on the day preceding: SAVING however to us the crosses of the same land. And know ye, that we do retain with us the aforesaid Hugh, and are leading him with us in our service; and therefore to you we command that his land and all his you preserve, maintain and defend as our demesne. Witness myself, at Windsor, the 2nd day of May." — '' Rotuli Litterarum Patentium in Turri Londinensi asservati 6 John''
An additional grant the following year confirmed granted to him the "whole land of Ulster" ''et hæredibus suis'' (with remainder to his heirs). He died in 1243, leaving only one legitimate daughter, Lady Maud de Lacy. Upon her marriage to
Walter de Burgh, Lord of Connaught in 1264, de Burgh was created Earl of Ulster in right of his wife.
The
Burgh
A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...
coat of arms (''or a cross gules'') were adopted as the
flag of Ulster
The flag of Ulster is a historic banner based on the coat of arms of Ulster, used to represent Ulster, one of the four provinces of Ireland. It consists of a red cross on a gold background with a red hand on a white shield in the centre.
Histor ...
, though the title passed through the female line out of the family and eventually merged with the crown. After the third earl was murdered at age 20 (leading to the
Burke Civil War
The Burke/de Burgh Civil War was a conflict in Ireland from 1333 to 1338 between three leading members of the de Burgh (Burke/ Bourke) Anglo-Norman family resulting in the division into three clans.
Background
Twenty-year-old William Donn de ...
), he left only a daughter,
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 ...
. She married
Lionel of Antwerp
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 ...
, second surviving son of King
Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
, who held the title ''jure uxoris''. Their only child
Philippa
Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or "horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of ''Philippa of Guelders'' ...
became Countess of Ulster ''suo jure'' while her husband,
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 ...
, held the title ''jure uxoris''.
After the death of
Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March and 7th Earl of Ulster, the earldoms and estates were left to his nephew,
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 ...
, the son of Edmund's elder sister
Anne de 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. ...
. Along with his land and titles, Richard also inherited Mortimer's claim to the throne, which eventually led to the
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...
. After the Yorkist victory, Richard's son
Edward of York was crowned Edward IV in 4 March 1461, and the Earldom of Ulster merged with the crown.
The title of Earl of Ulster has subsequently been recreated six times for members of the royal family. The current incarnation of the title dates to 31 March 1928, when
Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to:
People
*Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father
*Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460)
*Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...
, the third son of
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
and
Queen Mary, was simultaneously created Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
Earls Palatine of Ulster (1181)
* Sir
John de Courcy
{{Infobox noble
, image = Sir John de Courcy (1150-1219).jpg
, caption =
, alt =
, more = no
, succession =
, reign =
, predecessor =
, successor =
, ...
, ''forfeit'' 1204
Earl of Ulster, Peerage of Ireland, First Creation (1205)
*
Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster
Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster (c. 1176after December 26, 1242) was an Anglo-Norman soldier and peer. He was a leading figure in the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, and was created Earl of Ulster in 1205 by King John of En ...
(1176–1243)
Earls of Ulster, Peerage of Ireland, Second Creation (1264)
*
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 Conna ...
(died 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 (died 1313)
John de Burgh (; ; 1286 – 18 June 1313) was an Irish noble who was the son of Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster, and Margaret de Burgh.
Heir apparent to the Earldom of Ulster, he married (as her first husband) in Waltham Abbey, Ess ...
, heir apparent to the earldom
*
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 ...
(1312–1333)
*
Elizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Clarence, 4th Countess of Ulster (1332–1363)
**m.
Lionel of Antwerp
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 ...
, 1st Duke of Clarence, ''
jure uxoris
''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...
'' Earl of Ulster (1338–1368)
*
Philippa, Countess of March, 5th Countess of Ulster (1355–1382)
**m.
Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, ''jure uxoris'' Earl of Ulster (1352–1381)
*
Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March and 6th Earl of Ulster (1374–1398)
*
Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March and 7th Earl of Ulster (1391–1425)
*
Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, 8th Earl of Ulster (1411–1460)
*
Edward of York, 4th Duke of York, 9th Earl of Ulster (1442–1483), merged in crown 1461
Earl of Ulster, Peerage of Ireland, Third Creation (1659)
*
James Stuart, Duke of York and Albany (1633–1701), merged in crown 1685
Earl of Ulster, Peerage of Ireland, Fourth Creation (1716)
*
Ernest Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Duke of York and Albany (1674–1728)
Earl of Ulster, Peerage of Ireland, Fifth Creation (1760)
*
Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany
Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany, (Edward Augustus;In ''The London Gazette'', the Prince is called simply 'Prince Edward'16 November 1756
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus; 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was the second son of George III, King of the United Kingdom and Hanover, and his consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A soldier by profess ...
(1763–1827)
Earl of Ulster, Peerage of the United Kingdom, First Creation (1866)
*
Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh
Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 184430 July 1900) was the sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1893 to 1900. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was known as the Duke of Edinburgh from 1 ...
(1844–1900)
Earls of Ulster, Peerage of the United Kingdom, Second Creation (1928)
*
Prince Henry, 1st Duke of Gloucester (1900–1974)
*
Prince Richard, 2nd Duke of Gloucester (born 1944)
**Alexander Windsor (born 1974), Prince Richard's eldest son, is the heir-apparent to the dukedom, and as such uses "Earl of Ulster" as a
courtesy title
A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title).
In some co ...
.
See also
*
House of Burgh
The House of Burgh or Burke (; ; ; ga, de Búrca; la, de Burgo) was an ancient Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman aristocratic dynasty (with the Anglo-Irish branches later adopting the surname Burke and its variants) who held the earldom ...
, an
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 ...
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 ...
dynasty founded in 1193
*
Lord of the Glens
*
Twescard
Twescard () is a former county of the Earldom of Ulster in medieval Ireland. Taking its name from the native Irish territory of '' in Tuaiscirt'', it spanned the northern coastland of County Antrim and County Londonderry. At its height it stretche ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulster
Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland
House of Burgh
Earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
*
Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown
Noble titles created in 1205
Noble titles created in 1264
Noble titles created in 1659
Noble titles created in 1716
Noble titles created in 1760
Noble titles created in 1784
Noble titles created in 1866
Noble titles created in 1928