Sir John Fitzgerald was an Irish soldier of the seventeenth century, best known for serving as

Governor of Tangier This is a list of governors of Tangier during the period when it was under European control. See also * Timeline of Tangier * English Tangier *Tangier {{Tangier Tangier Tangier Tangier Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a ...

during the 1660s. He commanded the

Tangier Garrison The Tangier Garrison was the land force which oversaw the defence of English Tangier between 1661 and 1684 when it was evacuated. It was part of the English Army, the de facto standing army that Charles II established following the Restoration ...

during this time. He later participated in 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 ...

(1689–91) on the Jacobite side.

Continental service

Fitzgerald was a Roman Catholic. Following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, he went into exile in Continental Europe. He commanded a regiment of Irish exiles in the service of Charles II, serving alongside the Spanish Army at the Battle of the Dunes in 1658. He became known for his connections with Charles' younger brother James, Duke of York. Following the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

in 1660, the regiment marched to the English-held fortress at Dunkirk.

Tangier

As Charles had acquired

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...

in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

from Portugal in the

Marriage Treaty The Marriage Treaty, or Anglo-Portuguese Treaty, was a treaty of alliance that was agreed between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Portugal and concluded on 23 June 1661. It led to the marriage of Charles II of England and Catherine o ...

, it was decided to bring Fitzgerald's and another Irish regiment under Lisagh Farrell to form the garrison at Tangier. At the time the Penal Laws against Catholics meant that the regiments couldn't join either the

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The A ...

or English Army. The garrison reached Tangier in 1662. The following year the Governor

Andrew Rutherford, 1st Earl of Teviot Andrew Rutherford, 1st Earl of Teviot (died 4 May 1664; sometimes spelt "Rutherfurd") was a Scottish soldier. Early life Andrew was the fifth and youngest son of a merchant burgess of EdinburghWilliam Rutherfurd (died 1624) of Wrightslands and ...

amalgamated the two Irish regiment's under Fizgerald's command. After Teviot's death during the Battle of Tangier against the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

in 1664, he was temporarily replaced by Tobias Bridge. Fitzgerald was then formally appointed as governor. During his time in Tangier, Fitzgerald fought a duel with a fellow officer Palmes Fairborne.Childs p.130

References

Bibliography

* Childs, John. ''The Army of Charles II''. Routledge, 1976. 17th-century Irish people Irish knights Irish soldiers Irish Jacobites Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Irish soldiers in the army of James II of England Soldiers of the Tangier Garrison Governors of Tangier Irish colonial officials {{Ireland-bio-stub