Patrick Curtis (1740 – 26 July 1832) 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 ...
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...
of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. He served as the
Archbishop of Armagh
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
and
Primate of All Ireland
The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. ''Primate'' is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in t ...
from 1819 to 1832.
[, ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 1'', p. 231.][, ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 416.]
Biography
Patrick Curtis was born in
Stamullen
Stamullen () is a village in County Meath, Ireland on the border with County Dublin. It lies just off the M1 motorway some 35 km north of Dublin City and beside the Delvin River. In the late 1990s and early 21st century, it expanded signif ...
,
County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...
in 1746. He studied for the priesthood in Salamanca in Spain. Curtis was the
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of the
Irish College
Irish Colleges is the collective name used for approximately 34 centres of education for Irish Catholic clergy and lay people opened on continental Europe in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
History
The Colleges were set up to educate Roma ...
in
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and professor at the
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is th ...
, where he was known as Don Patricio Cortés. Whilst in Spain he was
spymaster
A spymaster is the person that leads a spy ring, or a secret service (such as an intelligence agency).
Historical spymasters
See also
*List of American spies
*List of British spies
* List of German spies
*List of fictional spymasters
This is ...
of a network that provided
military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...
to
Wellesley's Anglo-Portuguese Army
The Anglo-Portuguese Army was the combined United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and Portugal, Portuguese army that participated in the Peninsular War, under the command of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesl ...
during the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
. His friendship with Wellington assisted in his promotion to Armagh. It is also thought to have paved the way to
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...
, to which the
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
Wellington was a late but genuine convert.
He served as Professor of Philosophy and the first Professor of Astronomy at the University of Salamanca.
After his return to Ireland, he lived on a British Government pension until he was appointed the archbishop of the
Metropolitan see of Armagh by the
Propaganda Fide
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
on 2 August and confirmed by
Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...
on 8 August 1819.
His
episcopal ordination
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
took place on 28 October 1819.
He died in Drogheda of cholera on 26 July 1832 while still holding his archbishop's office.
Popular culture
He is featured in the
Sharpe (TV series)
''Sharpe'' is a British television drama series starring Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, with Irish actor Daragh O'Malley playing his second in command Patrick Harper. Sharpe and Harper are the ...
where he is portrayed by the actor
John Kavanagh.
References
Bibliography
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Patrick
1832 deaths
19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland
Roman Catholic archbishops of Armagh
People of the Peninsular War
Infectious disease deaths in the Republic of Ireland
Deaths from cholera
Spymasters
Academic staff of the University of Salamanca
1740 births