Thomas Le Boteller, or Thomas Butler, nicknamed Thomas ''Bacach'' i.e. ''Thomas the Lame'' (before 1386 – 1420), was the illegitimate son of the 3rd Earl of Ormond, and a leading political figure in early fifteenth-century Ireland. He held the offices of
Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Lord Deputy of Ireland and Prior of
Kilmainham
Kilmainham (, meaning " St Maighneann's church") is a south inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland, south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre. It is in the city's Dublin 8 postal district. The area was once known as Kilmanum.
History
In t ...
. In his own lifetime, he was a highly unpopular statesman, who was accused by his numerous enemies of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
. He is now chiefly remembered as a professional soldier, who was present at the
Siege of Rouen in 1418–19. He had previously fought in the sanguinary conflict known as the Battle of Bloody Bank near Dublin in 1402.
Family
He was the son of
James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond, by an unknown mistress; he was not, as is sometimes said, the son of the Earl's first wife Anne Welles. His date of birth is uncertain, but since he saw combat in 1402, was Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1406 and Prior of Kilmainham by 1410, it must have been long before his first legitimate brother was born in 1392, and probably several years before his father's first marriage in 1386.
Thomas'
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
nickname ''Bacach'', "the lame" indicates that he was
cripple
A cripple is a person or animal with a physical disability, particularly one who is unable to walk because of an injury or illness. The word was recorded as early as 950 AD, and derives from the Proto-Germanic ''krupilaz''. The German and Dutch w ...
d,
[O'Flanagan ''Lives of the Chancellors''] but this disability did not stop him from pursuing a highly successful military career. It is said that he had a son named John Beagh Botiller, who was born before 1420 and died in Kilkenny,
County Kilkenny, although this cannot be verified with certainty. Stories that he fathered numerous other out-of-wedlock children are probably without foundation.
Career
He was appointed Prior of the Order of the
Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...
at
Kilmainham
Kilmainham (, meaning " St Maighneann's church") is a south inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland, south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre. It is in the city's Dublin 8 postal district. The area was once known as Kilmanum.
History
In t ...
sometime before 1410, and held office until his death in 1420. He was made Lord Chancellor of Ireland in 1412 but due to the pressure of his other duties, he usually acted through his deputy,
Robert Sutton Robert Sutton may refer to:
Politicians
*Robert Sutton (died 1414), MP for Lincoln
*Robert Sutton (MP for Derby), see Derby
*Robert Dudley alias Sutton (died 1539), MP
*Robert Sutton, 1st Baron Lexinton (1594–1668), Member of Parliament for Nott ...
. He was made
Lord Deputy of Ireland in the absence of
Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence
Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence (autumn 1387 – 22 March 1421) was a medieval English prince and soldier, the second son of Henry IV of England, brother of Henry V, and heir to the throne in the event of his brother's death. He acted ...
in 1406, in which office he exercised great political influence. O'Flanagan states that
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
threw out a
Bill
Bill(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States)
* Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature
* Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer
* Bill, a bird or animal's beak
Plac ...
to regulate the Irish Church on Le Boteller's sole objection.
[ Such conduct naturally led to complaints of corruption and maladministration, and these complaints may explain the attack on him by his political opponents in 1411–12.][Otway-Ruthven ''History of Medieval Ireland'' Barnes and Noble reissue 1993] At his urging Clarence confirmed the charter of Wexford, first granted in 1318.
Bloody Bank
The Knights Hospitaller were a military order and Thomas was a military man, being praised as a soldier of "tried courage". In 1402 he led an army of 1400 men against the O'Byrne clan of Wicklow
Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has a ...
, who frequently raided Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, and was joined by a larger force made up of the Dublin city militia, under the command of John Drake, Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Th ...
, in an encounter popularly known as the Battle of Bloody Bank. Half of Thomas' force deserted to the enemy and he was forced to withdraw in good order. Although accounts of the battle are confused, it seems clear that Drake rallied his men and defeated the O'Byrnes on the banks of the River Dargle
The River Dargle () is a river that flows from the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland to the Irish Sea. It forms Powerscourt Waterfall, receives the Glencree and Glencullen Rivers, and later the Glenmunder Stream / County Brook, and the Swan River ...
near Bray, County Wicklow
Bray ( ) is a coastal town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated about south of Dublin city centre on the east coast. It has a population of 32,600 making it the ninth largest urban area within Ireland (at the 2016 census). Bray is ...
. killing at least 400 of them (or 40000 by one account). So much blood poured into the Dargle that the spot was known for centuries afterwards as Bloody Bank.[Harris, Walter ''Annals of Dublin'' 1766]
Complaints about his regime
Boteller's rule as Lord Chancellor had by now become so unpopular that the Privy Council of Ireland sent an impressive deputation, including two archbishops
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 archdioc ...
, to England, to complain about his misconduct, and he was summoned to London to answer the charges made against him. He appears to have simply ignored both the original summons and a second order to appear before the English Council. On the death of King Henry IV of England in 1413, the Lord Lieutenancy of his son the Duke of Clarence automatically lapsed, and Thomas' Deputyship lapsed with it.[
]
Boteller accused of treason
In 1417 and 1418 he was engaged in a private war with the Burkes in Tipperary
Tipperary is the name of:
Places
*County Tipperary, a county in Ireland
**North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh
**South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel
*Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
and Kilkenny. This led to a clash with John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who supported the Burkes, and whose feud with Thomas's legitimate half-brother James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormonde
James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond (23 May 1393 – 23 August 1452) was the son of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond. He was called 'The White Earl', and was esteemed for his learning. He was the patron of the Irish literary work, 'The Book of the ...
would dominate Irish politics for many years. Thomas was accused of treasonable correspondence with Gerald FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Kildare
Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Kildare (d. before 24 June 1428) was an Irish peer. Gerald was the son of Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Kildare and Elizabeth Burghersh.
Career
Gerald served as Justiciar of Ireland in 1405. In 1407 ...
and Christopher Preston, 2nd Baron Gormanston
Christopher Preston, 2nd Baron Gormanston ( 1354 – 1422) was an Anglo-Irish peer and statesman. He was accused of treason and imprisoned in 1418-19, but was soon released and restored to Royal favour.
Early career
He was the son of Robert Pre ...
, both of whom were briefly imprisoned. No action seems to have been taken against Thomas himself: he was repeatedly summoned to Parliament but, as in 1411-2, he simply refused to appear. In the event, his willingness to lead an army to France helped to resolve the crisis. Preston and Gormanston were soon released and restored to favour: Otway-Ruthven concludes that they are unlikely to have been engaged in a treasonable conspiracy, and were simply opposed to Shrewsbury's high-handed regime.[''History of Medieval Ireland''] Thomas was also accused of treasonable dealings with Irish clans hostile to the English Crown and of allowing them to lay waste lands in English territory. Again, nothing seems to have come of these changes.[
]
Siege of Rouen
In 1418–1419 Thomas led a force to fight with Henry V of England at the Siege of Rouen; French and English sources agree that he was present although they differ greatly on the size of his force. The best estimate of his numbers is about 700. According to one description, there were:
"eighteen score men with red shields and eighteen score with pure white shields; and not often has so numerous and well-born a host embarked from England".
He is said to have given good service to the English cause in France, and died there in 1420, still probably less than forty years old. William Fitz Thomas
William Fitz Thomas () was Prior of the Hospitallers at Kilmainham from 1420 to 1438. He succeeded Thomas Le Boteller, who died on military service in France in 1420.
Even before he became Prior he was clearly a judge and statesman of some impo ...
succeeded him as Prior.
Character
O'Flanagan[ calls Thomas a man of great courage and considerable administrative ability, who overcame what were then the serious double drawbacks of illegitimacy and physical disability to become a successful soldier and statesman. Otway-Ruthven, on the other hand, while praising his military ability, regarded him as a quarrelsome and unsatisfactory character with a dubious record of loyalty to the Crown.] Archdall calls him "a man of tried courage".[Archdall, Mervyn ''Monasticon Hibernicum; or a History of the Abbeys Priories and other Religious Houses of Ireland'' Dublin W.B. Kelly 1863]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Boteller, Thomas
15th-century Irish politicians
Lord chancellors of Ireland
Thomas
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 A ...
1420 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Knights Hospitaller