Earl of Kildare

Earl of Kildare
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Name	Earldom of Kildare
Creation date	1316
Monarch	Edward II of England
Peerage	Peerage of Ireland
First holder	John FitzGerald
Present holder	Desmond FitzGerald, 29th Earl of Kildare
Heir apparent	Maurice FitzGerald
Status	Extant

Earl of Kildare is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1316 during the reign of Edward II of England for the Anglo-Norman magnate John FitzGerald. The earldom became the principal title of the FitzGerald dynasty, a branch of the Geraldines who played central roles in medieval and early modern Ireland, interacting with monarchs such as Edward III of England, Henry VII of England, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I of England, and James I of England. Holders of the title were frequently Lord Deputies or Lord Lieutenants, and their fortunes rose and fell with events including the Norman invasion, the Gaelic resurgence, the Desmond Rebellions, the Nine Years' War, and the Williamite War in Ireland.

Origins and Creation of the Title

The earldom originated from the FitzGerald family's consolidation of power after the Anglo-Norman invasion and land grants associated with figures like Strongbow. The FitzGeralds, related to Maurice FitzGerald and Gerald FitzMaurice, acquired lordships in Kildare, Maynooth, and Leixlip before the earldom was conferred by Edward II of England on John FitzGerald in 1316, a creation linked to conflicts such as the Bruce invasion and the political fallout of the Bannockburn.

Holders of the Title (Notable Earls)

Prominent FitzGerald earls include the 8th Earl, Gerald FitzGerald, who served as Lord Deputy and negotiated with Henry VII of England; the 9th Earl, the Great Earl, whose tenure spanned Henry VIII’s viceregal politics and interactions with Cardinal Wolsey; and the 10th and 11th Earls, participants in Tudor statecraft and Reformation tensions involving figures like Thomas Cromwell. The 15th Earl, Gerald the "Old" and the 16th Earl, Charles, later became linked to the marquessate and dukedom politics of the British peerage during the reigns of George III and George IV. Later holders engaged with the Act of Union 1800, the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and parliamentary careers in House of Lords and House of Commons circles, intersecting with politicians such as William Pitt the Younger and Charles James Fox.

Political Role and Influence in Ireland

The earls operated as quasi-sovereigns within the Pale and beyond, negotiating with Gaelic Irish chieftains like the O'Neills and O'Connors, engaging in treaties such as local truces and participating in conflicts including the Knockdoe and the Siege of Maynooth. As holders of offices like Lord Deputy of Ireland, they interfaced with Tudor administrators—William Fitzwilliam, Earl of Sussex, and Sir Henry Sidney—and were implicated in legal measures like the Composition of Connacht and policies under the plantations, notably the Plantation of Laois and Offaly. Their influence touched the Anglo-Irish elite, the Irish Parliament, and military campaigns during the English Civil War and the Cromwellian campaign, interacting with commanders such as Oliver Cromwell and Henry Ireton.

Estates, Seats, and Heraldry

The FitzGerald seat at Maynooth Castle and estates across County Kildare, County Meath, County Dublin, and County Laois anchored their wealth, alongside holdings in Carton House and urban properties in Dublin. Their heraldic arms—argent a saltire gules with a plain cross and the distinctive FitzGerald crest—were displayed in ecclesiastical patronage at Christ Church, St Patrick's Cathedral, and monastic foundations like Kildare Cathedral and Kildare Abbey. The family's architectural patronage included fortifications influenced by contemporaries such as Hugh de Lacy and manor houses paralleling Bective Abbey and Newtownbarry House.

Succession, Forfeitures, and Restoration

Succession followed primogeniture but was complicated by attainders such as that of the 10th Earl during Tudor centralization and later forfeitures in the aftermath of rebellions like the Rising of the North and the Jacobite risings. Restorations occurred under monarchs including Charles II and legislative acts like the Act of Settlement 1662 that adjusted land claims after the Restoration of the monarchy. Claims and counterclaims involved peers such as the Duke of Leinster line and legal instruments from the Irish Chancery and the House of Lords, with litigations linked to figures like Lord Chancellor of Ireland and settlements during the 19th-century land reforms.

Legacy and Cultural Impact

The FitzGerald earls left legacies in Irish political memory, literature, and historic preservation: they feature in Gaelic annals like the Annals of the Four Masters and in accounts by chroniclers such as Giraldus Cambrensis and Hugh O'Neill’s correspondence. Cultural depictions appear in works exploring Tudor Ireland, biographies of Silken Thomas and studies of Geraldine identity, influencing later nationalist and antiquarian movements represented by the Royal Irish Academy, the Archaeological Society of Kilkenny, and historians like Eoin MacNeill, J. H. Round, and W. E. H. Lecky. The earldom's buildings and manuscripts survive in collections of institutions such as the National Library of Ireland, the British Library, and regional museums, while commemorations appear in place names across Dublin, Kildare County, and estates like Carton House that host cultural events tied to Irish heritage and tourism.

Category:Irish peerage Category:House of FitzGerald