The Burke/de Burgh Civil War was a conflict in Ireland from 1333 to 1338 between three leading members of the

de Burgh de Burgh (also spelt de Bourgh, and Burke, and also Latinised as de Burgo) is an Anglo-Norman surname deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (c ...

(

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...

/ Bourke)

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

family resulting in the division into three clans.

Background

Twenty-year-old

William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster William de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster and 4th Baron of Connaught (; ; 17 September 1312 – 6 June 1333) was an Irish noble who was Lieutenant of Ireland (1331) and whose murder, aged 20, led to the Burke Civil War. Background The grandso ...

, known as "the Brown Earl", was murdered by his household knights in June 1333 after he had starved to death his cousin and rival Sir

Walter Liath de Burgh Sir Walter Liath de Burgh (; ; died February 1332) was an Anglo-Irish noble whose imprisonment by the Earl of Ulster and death from starvation led to the Earl's murder the following year. De Burgh was the eldest son of Sir William Liath de ...

in the previous year (1332). The Earl's only child,

Elizabeth de Burgh Lady Elizabeth de Burgh (; ; c. 1289 – 27 October 1327) was the second wife and the only queen consort of King Robert the Bruce. Elizabeth was born sometime around 1289, probably in what is now County Down or County Antrim in Ulster, th ...

(1332–1363), succeeded as Countess of Ulster and legal heir to the de Burgh estates as an infant. For safety, as an infant and a female heiress, she was taken by her mother to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

as her lordships collapsed in a power struggle. Three members of the de Burgh family fought against each other in an attempt to preserve their own personal estates, and hold overall control of the massive de Burgh inheritance in Ireland. They were: * Sir Edmond de Burgh of

Castleconnell Castleconnell (, historically ''Caisleán Uí Chonaing'') is a village in County Limerick on the banks of the River Shannon. It is from Limerick city and near the boundaries of counties Clare and Tipperary. History The ruins of the ' Castle ...

(only surviving uncle of the Brown Earl, and senior member of the de Burgh dynasty) who drowned in

Lough Mask Lough Mask () is a limestone lake of about in Counties Mayo and Galway, Ireland, north of Lough Corrib. Lough Mask is the middle of the three lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway, into Galway Bay. Lough Carra flows into ...

in 1338. * Sir Edmond Albanach de Burgh of north

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

(cousin of the Brown Earl, brother of the Walter Liath de Burgh who died in 1332) * Sir Uilleag de Burgh of south

(chief of another illegitimate branch of the de Burghs)

Loss and divisions

The eventual outcome of the war was the loss of almost all the de Burgh lands in

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

, which was reconquered within a year by the Gaelic-

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 ...

. The remaining de Burghs in Ireland fragmented into three distinct clans, all of which had several sub-septs. They were: * Clan William Bourke of

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Ireland, Province , subd ...

Mac William Íochtar Mac William Íochtar (Lower Mac William), also known as the Mayo Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh in Ireland. Mayo covered much of the northern part of the province of Connacht and the Mac William Í ...

(Bourke) of County Mayo *

Mac William Uachtar Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Te ...

Clanricarde Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries. T ...

( Burke / de Burgh) of County Galway

Clan William, Mac William, Clanricarde

* Walter de Burgh of

Burgh Castle Burgh Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the east bank of the River Waveney, some west of Great Yarmouth and within the Norfolk Broads National Park. The parish was part of Suffolk until ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

m. Alice **

William de Burgh William de Burgh (; ; ; la, de Burgo; c.1160–winter 1205/06) was the founder of the House of Burgh (later surnamed Burke or Bourke) in Ireland and elder brother of Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent and Geoffrey de Burgh, Bishop of Ely. I ...

(d. 1206) m. Daughter of Domnall Mór Ó Briain, King of Thomond *** Richard Mór / Óge de Burgh, 1st Lord of Connaught m.

Egidia de Lacy, Lady of Connacht Egidia de Lacy, Lady of Connacht (c. 1205 – 24 February 1240), was a Cambro-Norman noblewoman, the wife of Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Baron of Connaught and Strathearn (c.1194–1242), and the mother of his seven children, including Walter ...

**** Sir Richard de Burgh (d.1248), 2nd Lord of Connaught ****

Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster, 2nd Lord of Connaught (; ; 1230 – 28 July 1271) also spelt Burke or Bourke, was an Irish peer from the House of Burgh. Biography De Burgh was the second son of Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Lord of Conna ...

(d. 1271) ***** Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster (1259–1326) ****** John de Burgh m.

Elizabeth de Clare Elizabeth de Clare, 11th Lady of Clare (16 September 1295 – 4 November 1360) was the heiress to the lordships of Clare, Suffolk, in England and Usk in Wales. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertfo ...

*******

(1312–33) m. Maud of Lancaster ******** Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster (1332–63) m.

Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence Lionel of Antwerp, Duke of Clarence, (; 29 November 133817 October 1368) was the third son, but the second son to survive infancy, of the English king Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. He was named after his birthplace, at Antwerp in the Duc ...

********* Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster (1355–82) m.

Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March Edmund de Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and ''jure uxoris'' Earl of Ulster (1 February 135227 December 1381) was the son of Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, by his wife Philippa, daughter of William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Catherine G ...

*********

Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March Roger de Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, 6th Earl of Ulster (11 April 137420 July 1398) was an English nobleman. He was considered the heir presumptive to King Richard II, his mother's first cousin. Roger Mortimer's father, the 3rd Earl of Marc ...

, 6th Earl of Ulster (1374–98) ********** Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, 7th Earl of Ulster (1391–1425) **********

Anne Mortimer Anne de Mortimer, also known as Anne Mortimer (27 December 1388 – 22 September 1411), was a medieval English noblewoman who became an ancestor to the royal House of York, one of the parties in the fifteenth-century dynastic Wars of the Roses. ...

(1388–1411) m. Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge ***********

Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantage ...

, 8th Earl of Ulster (1411–60) ************ Edward IV (Edward, 4th Duke of York, 9th Earl of Ulster) ************* House of York (Kings and Queens of England and Ireland) ****** Edmond de Burgh ******* Sir Richard Burke ******** Walter Burke (d. 1432) ********* Burkes of Castleconnell and Brittas (Clanwilliam) ******** Uileag Carragh Burke ********* Burkes of Cois tSiúire (Clanwilliam) ******* Sir David Burke, ******** Burkes of Muskerryquirk (Clanwilliam) ****** Elizabeth, Queen of Scotland m. Robert I of Scotland ***** Theobald de Burgh ***** William de Burgh ***** Thomas de Burgh ***** Egidia de Burgh **** William Óg de Burgh (d. 1270) ***** William Liath de Burgh (d. 1324) ****** Sir

, d. 1332 ****** Sir Edmond Albanach de Burgh (d. 1375), 1st

(Lower Mac William), (Mayo) ******* Mac William Íochtars, Viscounts Mayo and

Earls of Mayo Earl of the County of Mayo, usually known simply as Earl of Mayo, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland created, in 1785, for John Bourke, 1st Viscount Mayo (of the second creation). For many years he served as "First Commissioner of Revenue" in ...

****** John de Burgh (1350–98), Chancellor of the University of Cambridge ****** Richard an Fhorbhair de Burgh ******* Sir Ulick de Burgh (d. 1343/53), 1st Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or

(Galway) ********

Richard Óg Burke Richard Óg Burke, 2nd Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; died 1387) was an Irish chieftain and nobleman who was the son of Sir Ulick Burke or Uilleag de Burgh, 1st Clanricarde (d.1343/1353). Richard died in 1387, and was succeeded by h ...

(d. 1387) *********

Ulick an Fhiona Burke Ulick an Fhiona Burke, 3rd Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; ; ; died 1424) was an Irish chieftain and noble who was nicknamed ''an Fhiona'' (meaning ''of the wine''). Ulick became chieftain on the death of this father, Richard Óg Bu ...

********** Clanricardes, Earls of Marquesses of Clanricarde ******* Raymond de Burgh ******* Walter Óge de Burgh ****** Raymund de Burgh ****** Ulick de Burgh of Umhall **** Alice de Burgh **** Margery de Burgh **** Matilda de Burgh **** Daughter de Burgh *** Hubert de Burgh, Bishop of Limerick (d. 1250) *** William de Burgh, Sheriff of Connacht **

Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequenc ...

(d. 1243) m. *** John de Burgh *** Hubert de Burgh *** Hubert de Burgh ****

Barons Burgh Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

** Geoffrey de Burgh, Bishop of Ely (d. 1228) ** Thomas de Burgh

References

* ''A New History of Ireland'', volume IX, Oxford, 1984; ** ''Earls of Ulster and Lords of Connacht, 1205-1460 (De Burgh, De Lacy and Mortimer)'', p. 170; ** ''Mac William Burkes: Mac William Iochtar (de Burgh), Lords of Lower Connacht and Viscounts of Mayo, 1332–1649'', p. 171; ** ''Burke of Clanricard: Mac William Uachtar (de Burgh), Lords of Upper Connacht and Earls of Clanricard, 1332–1722. * ''Burke:People and Places'', Eamonn de Burca, Dublin, 1995.

Background

Loss and divisions

Clan William, Mac William, Clanricarde

References

See also