Peter Martyn (1772–1827) was an Irish soldier. He was a member of one of the

Tribes of Galway The Tribes of Galway ( ga, Treibheanna na Gaillimhe) were 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries. They were the families ...

. He was born in

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal poi ...

, County Mayo in 1772. He joined the

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

Service in June 1790 as a Second-Lieutenant in the 1st Cuirassier Regiment. He was promoted to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Hohenzolleran

Light Cavalry Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily rai ...

in March 1808, and was awarded the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cr ...

of the

Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (german: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; hu, Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; cs, Vojenský řád Marie Terezie; pl, Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy; sl, Vojaški red Marije Terezije; hr, Vojni Red Marije Te ...

in 1810. Following this, he was promoted to the rank of Major in 1812, serving with

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Kleanu's Light Cavalry Regiment. He retired in January 1822, and died at Arad, Hungary, on 21 May 1827. Among his descendants was the artist,

Ferenc Martyn Ferenc Martyn (1899 – 1986) was an artist and sculptor, Hungarian-born descendant of the Martyn tribe of County Galway, descended from the same branch of the Tribe as Edward Martyn of Tullira (1859 – 1923). His great-grandfather and brother ...

References

* ''Further Notes on Some Irishmen in the Imperial Service'', by Micheline Walsh, in ''The Irish Sword'', volume 6, 1963–64. * ''The Tribes of Galway'', Adrian James Martyn, Galway, 2001. 1772 births 1827 deaths 18th-century Irish people 19th-century Irish people Hungarian people of Irish descent Irish expatriates in Austria-Hungary Irish soldiers in the Austrian Army Military personnel from County Mayo Wild Geese (soldiers) {{Ireland-mil-bio-stub