Emilia Butler, Countess of Ossory (4 March 1635 (baptised) – 12 December 1688 (buried)), born Æmilia van Nassau-Beverweerd, was an Anglo-Dutch courtier. Emilia was born in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

, the daughter of Lodewijk van Nassau, Lord of Beverweerd, the Governor of

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

, and his wife, Isabella, Countess of Hornes. Her elder sister, Elisabeth van Nassau-Beverweerd (1631–1717), became the wife of the prominent Stuart politician

Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (1618 – 28 July 1685) was an England, English statesman. A supporter of the Cavaliers, Royalists during the English Civil War, he joined the royal family in exile before returning to England at the Stuart R ...

; her brother was the Dutch field marshal Hendrik Van Nassau-Ouwerkerk. Emilia was married in Den Bosch in the Netherlands on 14 November 1659 to Thomas Butler,

viscount Thurles A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...

(1633–1680), the eldest son and heir of the Irish peer

James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde Lieutenant general, Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, Knight of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of England, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was an Anglo-Irish statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond fr ...

, and accompanied him to England, where she was

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

by Act of Parliament (1660). Lord Thurles became earl of Ossory several years later when his father achieved the dukedom (1662). The countess was presented to

Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza (; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to Charles II of England, King Charles II, which la ...

, the wife of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

upon her arrival in London and was appointed as

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

to the queen at

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...

. She attended the queen at

Greenwich Palace Greenwich ( , , ) is an area in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian ...

when the latter met her mother-in-law,

Queen Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France ( French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until his execution on 30 January 1649. She was ...

, for the first time (August 1662). During the outbreak of the plague (1665) the countess accompanied the queen and her household to the safety of Hampton Court, later removing to Oxford. She accompanied the king and queen to Dover to farewell the Duchesse d'Orleans on her final visit (June 1670). During the

plot Plot or Plotting may refer to: Art, media and entertainment * Plot (narrative), the connected story elements of a piece of fiction Music * ''The Plot'' (album), a 1976 album by jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava * The Plot (band), a band formed in 2003 ...

s directed against the queen and other prominent Catholic figures, the countess and others of the queen's ladies came under the suspicion of being secret papists (1678). Lady Ossory served Queen Catherine for over twenty years, retiring from service after the death of Charles II (1685). A famous beauty, her portrait was painted by Wissing. She was buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

in London on 12 December 1688. Her children included: *

James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde James FitzJames Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, (1665–1745) was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the third of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the Earl of Ormond (Ireland), earldom of Ormond. Like his grandfather, the 1st Duke, ...

(1665–1745), who succeeded his grandfather; * Charles Butler, third Duke of Ormonde (1671–1758), who succeeded his brother; * Lady Elizabeth Butler (1660–1717), who married

William Richard George Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby William Richard George Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby (c. 1655 – 5 November 1702), styled Lord Strange from 1655 to 1672, was an English peer and politician. Derby was the eldest son of Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby, and Dorotha Helena Kir ...

; * Lady Henrietta Butler (died 11 October 1724), who married her cousin

Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of Grantham (born Hendrik van Nassau, 16735 December 1754), was a British Army officer, courtier and peer who was a member of the House of Orange-Nassau and second cousin once removed to William III of ...

References

Sources

* * G. E. Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage'' (1910–1959) (Ormonde). * A. Strickland, ''Lives of the Queens of England'', London (1888) (under "Catharine of Braganza") {{DEFAULTSORT:Ossory, Emilia Butler, Countess of 1635 births 1688 deaths 17th-century English women Burials at Westminster Abbey Emilia Irish countesses Nobility from The Hague English ladies-in-waiting Court of Charles II of England Household of Catherine of Braganza Wives of knights Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom