Henry FitzGerald, 12th Earl of Kildare (1562 – 30 September 1597) was an Irish peer and soldier.

Background

Kildare was the second son of

Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and ...

and Mabel Browne. cites His eldest brother died in 1580, and Henry inherited the earldom in 1585.

Military career

Nicknamed Henry "na Tuagh", or Henry "of the Battleaxes", he fought against the Spanish invaders in Ireland in 1588. In 1597 he helped quell the Earl of Tyrone's uprising 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 ...

, where he was mortally wounded. Wounded in a skirmish on the Blackwater in July 1597, he was brought to Drogheda where he died of his wounds on 30 September 1597.

Family

Kildare married Frances, daughter of

Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, 2nd Baron Howard of Effingham, KG (1536 – 14 December 1624), known as Lord Howard of Effingham, was an English statesman and Lord High Admiral under Elizabeth I and James I. He was commander of the Eng ...

and Katherine Carey, in 1589. They had no sons and Kildare was succeeded by his brother William FitzGerald, 13th Earl of Kildare. He had at least two surviving daughters: *

Bridget Bridget is an Irish female name derived from the Gaelic noun ''brígh'', meaning "power, strength, vigor, virtue". An alternate meaning of the name is "exalted one". Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is largely related to the popularity of ...

, cites (''c.'' 1590 – died between 1661 and 1683), married firstly

Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell Rory O'Donnell (; 1575 – 30 July 1608), younger brother of Hugh Roe O'Donnell, was the last King of Tyrconnell and 1st Earl of Tyrconnell.An apparent original of the letters patent of the Earldom were in the possession of Count Maximilian ...

, and secondly Nicholas Barnewall, 1st Viscount Barnewall and had children from both marriages. * Elizabeth, who married

Luke Plunkett, 1st Earl of Fingall Lucas More Plunket of Killeen, County Meath (before 1602 – 29 March 1637), styled Lucas Môr, tenth lord Killeen, created Earl of Fingall on 26 September 1628, was an Irish peer. Biography Plunket was the elder son of Christopher Plunket, 9th Ba ...

, when he was still

Baron Killeen 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 ...

. She died in London in 1611, whereas her widowed husband married three more times and became

Earl of Fingall Earl of Fingall and Baron Fingall were titles in the Peerage of Ireland. Baron Fingall was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The seat of the title-holders was, from its establishment until 1953, Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland ...

in 1628.

Notes

References

* cites: ** ** {{DEFAULTSORT:Kildare, Henry FitzGerald, 12th Earl of Henry 1562 births 1597 deaths People from County Kildare 16th-century Irish people People of Elizabethan Ireland Earls of Kildare Barons Offaly