Walter Butler of Ballinakill Castle, Roscrea (c. 1600 – 25 December 1634) was a military officer, who served as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

(''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

'') in the Imperial Army under

Albrecht von Wallenstein Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...

and was involved in Wallenstein's murder in 1634.

Ancestry

Walter Butler was a descendant of the Butler family – the Earls of Ormond. He was the son of

Peter Butler of Roscrea Peter Butler of Roscrea, County Tipperary, was a descendant of the Butler family - the Earls of Ormond. He was the second son of Edmond Butler of Polestown. The "Roscrea" cadet branch of the family is in turn descended from the "Polestown" cadet b ...

. The "Roscrea" cadet branch of the family is in turn descended from the "Polestown" cadet branch. *

James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond (c. 1359 – 7 September 1405), was a noble in the Peerage of Ireland. He acceded to the title in 1382, and built Gowran Castle three years later in 1385 close to the centre of Gowran, making it his usual residence, ...

Sir Richard Butler of Polestown Sir Richard Butler (1395 – 1443) of Polestown, County Kilkenny, was the second son of James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond, and Anne Welles. His older brother James inherited the earldom. Following the extinction of the senior family line, his ...

, the second son of the 3rd Earl. ::* Sir

Edmund MacRichard Butler Sir Edmund MacRichard Butler of Polestown (1420 – June 13, 1464) was the eldest son of Sir Richard Butler of Polestown and adopted the Gaelic title of The MacRichard of Ossory. Career Like his father before him, Edmund was the Lord Deputy to hi ...

, the eldest son of Sir Richard. :::*

Walter Butler of Polestown Walter Butler of Polestown was High Sheriff of County Kilkenny, Ireland in 1483. He was the second son of Sir Edmund MacRichard Butler. His nephew Piers would become the 8th Earl of Ormond.Byrne, Frances John, et al (2002). ''A New History of I ...

, second son of Edmund MacRichard. ::::* Edmond Butler of Polestown, son of Walter. :::::*

, second son of Edmond.

Ballinakill Castle

Ballinakill Castle lies between

Roscrea Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland, which in 2016 had a population of 5,446. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Saint Crónán of Roscrea, parts of which rem ...

and

Dunkerrin Dunkerrin () is a small village in County Offaly, Ireland, just south of Roscrea and near the County Tipperary border. It is on the R445 road which was once the main road from Dublin to Limerick. Dunkerrin is now bypassed by the M7, the nearest ...

. The ruins can now be seen on the main Dublin-Limerick road (N7) about six kilometers on the Nenagh side of Roscrea. It is more of a fortified house than a true castle, similar to Cloncourse Castle. The exact date of the fortification is uncertain but is no earlier than 1580 when Pierce Butler of Paulstown bought land there. The three story fortified house has long been gutted and only the shell remains of this large building. What is most impressive about the site however, is not the house but the impressive bawn around it. A bawn is very similar to the curtain walls of a castle. The bawn at Ballinakill is still one of the finest in the country. The castle was acquired by Sir Richard Stephens, who sold it in 1680 to a former Cromwellian soldier, Col. Charles Minchin. His descendants, two of whom were High Sheriffs of Tipperary, added a house at the southern end. Humphrey Minchin moved to England in 1760.

Career

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When his family estates in

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

were confiscated in 1616, Walter became a soldier of fortune. He entered the armed forces of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

emperor Ferdinand II and served with distinction as a colonel in the

Thirty Years’ War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

. In 1631 he and his Irish officers fought under General

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against

MacKay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

's Swedish regiment laying siege to

Frankfurt-an-der-Oder Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...

. Injured and captured by the Swedish, he was accused of being responsible for the loss of the Oder fortress. Butler made King

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certify his bravery and after his release appeared at the Imperial headquarters before Field Marshal Rudolf von Tiefenbach, where his opponents had to withdraw their accusations. In 1632 he joined the armed forces under Wallenstein, who, in view of the Swedish progress, had been again appointed Imperial commander-in-chief by Emperor Ferdinand II. Butler quickly gained the trust of the ''

Generalissimo ''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used. Usage The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus me ...

'' and was appointed Colonel of a

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

regiment. While the Imperial army fought against the Swedish at

Zirndorf Zirndorf () is a town, which is part of the district of Fürth. It is located in northern Bavaria, Germany in the Regierungsbezirk of Middle Franconia. Neighbouring municipalities The following towns and municipalities share borders with Zirn ...

and

Lützen is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Geography Lützen is situated in the Leipzig Bay, approximately southwest of the Leipzig city limits and northeast of Weißenfels. The town has access to the Bundesstraße 8 ...

, Wallenstein's envoys were in secret discussions with the opponents, which led to accusations of making peace with the King of Sweden without the consent of the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

. When Wallenstein's treachery was discovered in 1632, it was Butler who saved the Empire and arranged his assassination in 1634.''Thomas Bartlett and Keith Jeffery (editors)'', A Military History of Ireland, 1996, page 301. He together with the officers John Gordon and

Walter Leslie Sir Walter Leslie (died 1382) was a 14th-century Scottish nobleman and crusader, one of the foremost knights of his time. Family Leslie was a younger son, probably the third son, of Sir Andrew Leslie of Leslie Castle sixth in line from Barthol ...

had the plot executed on 25 February, after the murder of Wallenstein's confidants Christian von Ilow, Adam Erdmann Trčka von Lípa and

Vilém Kinský Count Wilhelm Kinsky von Wchinitz (; ; 1574 – 25 February 1634) was a Czech landowner and a statesman. By birth, he was member of the House of Kinsky, which belonged to the highest circle of Bohemian aristocracy. Early life Wilhelm was bo ...

. Emperor Ferdinand II created him a Count (''

Graf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

'') of the Empire, bestowed on him the domain of Friedberg and presented him with the Imperial Gold Chain. Walter Butler remained in the emperor's service and died while fighting at

Schorndorf Schorndorf is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located approximately 26 km east of Stuttgart. Its train station is the terminus of the S2 line of the Stuttgart S-Bahn. The town is also sometimes referred to as ' (''The Daimler Town ...

on 25 December 1634.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Walter

Walter Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

1634 deaths 17th-century Irish people People from Roscrea Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain Military personnel of the Holy Roman Empire Counts of the Holy Roman Empire Military personnel of the Thirty Years' War

Ancestry

Ballinakill Castle

Career

See also

References