James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond (d. 1462),FitzGerald of Desmond
/ref> called 'the Usurper', was a younger son of

Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald (1335–1398), Webb, Alfred. A Compendium of Irish Biography'. Dublin: 1878. also known by the Irish Gaelic ''Gearóid Iarla'' (Earl Gerald), was the 3rd Earl of Desmond, in southwestern Ireland, under the first cre ...

, and Lady Eleanor, daughter of James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond.

Life

The younger brother of John FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Desmond, James was uncle to the 4th Earl's only son

Thomas FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Desmond Thomas FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Desmond (c. 1386– 1420), was the only son of John FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Desmond. Upon John's death in 1399, Thomas succeeded to the earldom of Desmond, which lay in Munster, in the southwest of Ireland. In ...

, whom he was able to deprive of his earldom and dispossess in 1418 for marrying far below his station. The marriage between a man of Norman ancestry and a woman of Gaelic blood was in violation of 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 ...

. James FitzGerald took a leading role in forcing his nephew into exile in France where he died at Rouen two years later. Although not acknowledged until 1422, he was in 1420 made Seneschal of

Imokilly Imokilly () is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. Its chief town is Youghal. It is one of 24 baronies in the county of Cork. Other neighbouring baronies include Barrymore to the west (whose chief town is ...

Inchiquin Inchiquin () is a Barony (Ireland), barony in County Clare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 11 baronies in the county. Its chief town is Corofin, County Clare, Corofin. It is administered by Clare County C ...

, and the town of

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long ...

, by

James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

. Also in 1420, he founded the Franciscan friary at Askeaton Abbey.''Ireland and her people; a library of Irish biography'', (Thomas W. H. Fitzgerald, ed.), Fitzgerald Book Company, 1910, p. 190
/ref> In 1423 he was made Constable of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

for life. In 1445 he was excused attendance at Parliament. Along with his son-in-law

Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare Thomas FitzJohn FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare ( – 25 March 1477), was an Irish peer and statesman of the fifteenth century who held the office of Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Background Kildare was the son of John Fitzmaurice FitzGerald, 6t ...

, James was a prominent Irish supporter of the

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 ...

. He was also godfather to

George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the sixth child and third surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He p ...

. Dying in 1462 or 1463, Desmond was buried at the Franciscan friary in Youghal.

Marriage and issue

James married Mary, daughter of William

de Burgh de Burgh ( , ; ; ) 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.1160–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gae ...

, and they had issue two sons: #

Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...

# Sir Gerald Mor FitzGerald, ancestor of the FitzGerald Lords of Decies of

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

and two daughters: # Honor, married Thomas Fitzmaurice.,

Lord of Kerry Baron Kerry is an ancient title in the Peerage of Ireland, named after County Kerry. It was created circa 1223 for Thomas FitzMaurice, Lord OConnello, son of Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Llanstephan. In 1325, Maurice FitzMaurice, 4th Baron Ke ...

# Joan/Jane, married

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Burke, Bernard,
A Genealogical History of the Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire
'. London: Harrison. 1866. p. 204 * Cokayne, George Edward,
Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct, or Dormant. Volume III
'. London: George Bell & Sons. 1890. p. 85 {{DEFAULTSORT:Desmond, James FitzGerald, 6th Earl Of James Normans in Ireland Norman warriors 15th-century Irish nobility 1463 deaths Year of birth unknown Earls of Desmond (1329 creation)