Thomas FitzJohn, 2nd Earl of Kildare, Lord Offaly (died 9 April 1328) was a noble in the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

who held the office of

Lord Justice of Ireland The Lords Justices (more formally the Lords Justices General and General Governors of Ireland) were deputies who acted collectively in the absence of the chief governor of Ireland (latterly the Lord Lieutenant) as head of the executive branch o ...

. The eldest son of

John FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare John FitzThomas (c. 1250 – d. 10 September 1316) was an Anglo-Norman in the Peerage of Ireland, as 4th Lord of Offaly from 1287 and subsequently as 1st Earl of Kildare from 1316. Life He was the eldest son of Thomas FitzMaurice (son of Mau ...

, Lord Offaly, by his spouse Blanche Roche, daughter of John Roche, Lord Fermoy, the second earl was appointed commander of 30,000 men to fight

Edward Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick (Norman French: ; ; Modern Scottish Gaelic: or ; 1280 – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 struggle for the Scottish cro ...

and the Scots.Webb, Alfred. "Fitzgerald, Thomas, 2nd Earl of Kildare", ''A Compendium of Irish Biography'', M.H. Gill & Son, Dublin, 1878
/ref> But with Roger, Lord Mortimer landing about the same time at Youghal the engagement was deferred until his force could also join them. Bruce was in the meantime defeated and killed in 1318, putting an end to the Scottish kingdom in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. In 1318 Thomas was appointed

(until 1321) and later reappointed in February 1326, holding the office until his death two years later at

Maynooth Maynooth (; ) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's College, Maynoo ...

. He was interred in the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Friary at

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

. He married at

Greencastle, County Down Greencastle is a castle in County Down, Northern Ireland. While it dates mainly from the 13th century, it had substantial 15th- and 16th-century alterations. It was originally surrounded by outer rectangular walls with four corner towers (ruin ...

on 16 August 1312, Joan (d. 23 April 1359), the third daughter of

Richard de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...

, and had issue: * John FitzGerald (1314–1323) * Richard FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Kildare (c. 1317 – 7 July 1329), died at Rathangan. He was buried on the right-hand side of his father. *

Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Kildare Maurice FitzThomas FitzGerald, 4th Earl of Kildare (1318 - 25 August 1390) was a prominent Irish nobleman in the Peerage of Ireland who held the office of Lord Justice of Ireland. The second son of Thomas FitzGerald, 2nd Earl of Kildare by his ...

Notes

References

* Lodge, John, &

Archdall, Mervyn Mervyn Archdall (1723 – 1791) was an Irish antiquary and clergyman of the Church of Ireland. Life He was descended from John Archdale, of Abbotts Hall, Darsham, in Suffolk, who settled at Castle Archdale, County Fermanagh as an Undertaker ...

, A.M., ''The Peerage of Ireland'', Dublin, 1789, vol.1, p. 79. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kildare, Thomas Fitgerald, 2nd Earl of

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

13th-century births 1328 deaths Irish soldiers People from County Kildare 14th-century Irish politicians Earls of Kildare Lords Lieutenant of Ireland