Henry Nugent, Count of Valdesoto and Viscount Coolamber (died November 1704), was an

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 ...

military man. He was the second

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

during the Habsburg occupation. He served in this military position during the period of 6 August 1704 to November 1704.

Early years

Nugent was born at Coolamber,

County Longford County Longford ( gle, Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,6 ...

. His father was Thomas Nugent, who descended from James Nugent, the younger brother of Richard Nugent, 13th Baron Delvin (died 1559). Henry's older brother was James Nugent of Coolamber.

Career

In 1690–91, Nugent fought in the Irish campaign, in support of King James, during the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...

. After the siege of Limerick in 1691, Nugent joined the Imperial regiment of Irish under

Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt Prince George Louis of Hessen-Darmstadt (1669 – 13 September 1705) was a Field Marshal in the Austrian army. He is known for his career in Habsburg Spain, as Viceroy of Catalonia (1698–1701), head of the Austrian army in the War of the Spani ...

in 1692,Parnell 1905, p. 45 entering into service for the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

, as being a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, he was unable to be commissioned in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. In 1697, he distinguished himself while defending

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

against the French during the Siege of Barcelona at the orders of Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt. Once the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

started, he was created Count of Val de Soto (Conde de Valdesoto) in Spain by

Archduke Charles Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Laurentius of Austria, Duke of Teschen (german: link=no, Erzherzog Karl Ludwig Johann Josef Lorenz von Österreich, Herzog von Teschen; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field-marshal, the third s ...

, pretender to the Spanish throne. On 4 August 1704, Gibraltar was captured by an Anglo-Dutch force after a short siege which ended when Governor Diego de Salinas

surrendered Surrender, in military terms, is the relinquishment of control over territory, combatants, fortifications, ships or armament to another power. A surrender may be accomplished peacefully or it may be the result of defeat in battle. A sovereign ...

Gibraltar to Prince George, who took it in the name of the Archduke, as Charles III, king of Castile and Aragon. Two days later, on 6 August 1704, Nugent was appointed Governor of Gibraltar,Parnell 1905, p. 80 with the rank of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. He was described as "an Irish Catholic, not well regarded by the English" ( es, un católico irlandes, mal visto por los ingleses). Brigadier Fox, commander of the English Marines, and junior to Nugent, demanded to go home. Hesse gave a refusal to Fox, prompting antagonism between Nugent and Fox. During the Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar in November 1704, Nugent was mortally wounded on 9 November and died soon thereafter. His death was caused by wounds sustained at San Pablo Battery (North Bastion). He was succeeded as Governor by Brigadier

John Shrimpton Major-General John Shrimpton was Governor of Gibraltar. Military career Shrimpton joined the Army becoming a Major in the 1st (Queen's Own) Foot Guards.

Personal life

Nugent was survived by his wife and children. *Daughter, Marcella, married Edward Nugent, grandson of

Richard Nugent, 1st Earl of Westmeath Richard Nugent, 1st Earl of Westmeath (1583–1642) was an Irish nobleman and politician of the seventeenth century. He was imprisoned for plotting against the English Crown in 1607, but soon obtained a royal pardon, and thereafter was, in gener ...

. *Son, Thomas, became 2nd Count of Valdesoto. Thomas' son, Francis, became the 3rd Count of Valdesoto.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nugent, Henry 1704 deaths Governors of Gibraltar Irish soldiers in the Austrian Army People from County Longford 17th-century Irish people 18th-century Irish people Austrian military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Jacobite military personnel of the Williamite War in Ireland Year of birth unknown