Brian Oge O'Rourke ( Irish: ''Brian Óg na Samhthach Ó Ruairc''; – 28 January

1604 Events January–March * January 1 – The earliest recorded performance of William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' takes place at Hampton Court prior to the main presentation, ''The Masque of Indian and China K ...

), was the penultimate king of

West Breifne The Kingdom of West Breifne (Irish: ''Breifne Ua Ruairc'') or Breifne O'Rourke was a historic kingdom of Ireland that existed from 1256 to 1605, located in the area that is now County Leitrim. It took its present boundaries in 1583 when West Br ...

, from

1591 Events January–March * January 27 – Scottish schoolmaster John Fian becomes the first person to be executed after the North Berwick witch trials, following his conviction for the crime of witchcraft. Fian is taken to the Ca ...

until his overthrow in April

1603 Events January–March * January 24 – Anglo-Spanish War: English Admiral Christopher Newport leads an unsuccessful attempt to take the Spanish-controlled Caribbean island of Jamaica, where he was attempting to pillage the area t ...

, at the end of the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

. Due to the successive deaths of both his older brother Eoghan in 1589 and his father

Brian O'Rourke Sir Brian O'Rourke (; c. 1540 – 1591) was first king and then lord of West Bréifne in the west of Ireland from 1566 until his execution in 1591. He reigned during the later stages of the Tudor conquest of Ireland and his rule was marked by ...

, who was executed in London in 1591, Brian Oge was thrust into the leadership of his kingdom at just 23 years old. In 1599, O'Rourke's forces fought alongside those of

Hugh Roe O'Donnell Hugh Roe O'Donnell II (; 20 October 1572 – 30 August 1602), also known as Red Hugh O'Donnell, was an Irish Chief of the Name, clan chief and senior leader of the Irish confederacy during the Nine Years' War (Ireland), Nine Years' War. He was ...

at the Battle of Curlew Pass, during the Nine Years' War. His forces, along with those of

Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (; – 20 July 1616) was an Irish lord and key figure of the Nine Years' War (Ireland), Nine Years' War. Known as the "Great Earl", he led the confederacy of Irish lords against the Crown, the English Crown in r ...

, were still sufficiently menacing to Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

that she was persuaded to agree to a peace in Ireland - the

Treaty of Mellifont The Treaty of Mellifont (), also known as the Articles of Mellifont, was signed in 1603, ending the Nine Years' War (Ireland), Nine Years' War which took place in Ireland from 1593 to 1603. End of war Following the English victory in the Battl ...

. O'Rourke was the last Irish king to be defeated in the war, roughly a month after the others had surrendered. He never surrendered, but was ousted by his brother Teigue, who had defected to the English during the war and with their support invaded his kingdom in March 1603. He fled to Galway where he died of fever on 28 January 1604. In accordance with his wishes, O'Rourke was buried in the cloister of the

Ross Errilly Friary The Ross Errilly Friary (, often Anglicisation, anglicised in 18th and 19th century sources as ''Rosserelly'') is a medieval Franciscan friary located about a mile to the northwest of Headford, County Galway, Ireland. It is a National Monument ...

. He was succeeded by his brother, Teigue. Brian Oge O'Rourke was a founding member of the Irish confederacy.

References

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

a
CELT
(University College Cork) *Burke, Oliver J. ''The Abbey of Ross, its History and Details'', Dublin, 1869. {{DEFAULTSORT:ORourke, Brian Oge 1560s births 1604 deaths 16th-century Irish monarchs 17th-century Irish monarchs Irish lords People of Elizabethan Ireland People from County Leitrim Nobility from County Galway People of the Nine Years' War (Ireland)