Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 17:50, 10 April 2006

William de Burgh (c. 1160 - 1204) was born in the village of Burgh Castle, Norfolk, East Anglia, Kingdom of England and died at Athassell Abbey, Golden, County Tipperary, Munster, Ireland.

Early life

William took his surname from the village of Burgh Castle, Norfolk, England. Very little can be ascertained about his background other than his family were minor gentry, and that his probable younger brother was Hubert de Burgh, later Earl of Kent.

Early career

William apparently arrived in Ireland in 1184 among the retinue of Prince John of England, son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

John apparently appointed him Governor of Limerick. Within a few years he was granted the manors of Kilsheeland and Ardpatrick, and in time, the castle of Tibraghty in County Kilkenny.

Sometime in the 1190s, William married a daughter of Donal Mor mac Turlough O'Brian, King of Thomond (died 1194). This alliance probably took place during the reign of his son, Murtough, as up to the time of his death Donal had being at war with the Normans. At any rate no more wars are recorded between the two sides for the rest of the decade.

Alliance with Connacht

In 1200, "Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair went into Munster, to the son of Mac Carthy and William Burke to solicit their aid." This marked the start of de Burgh's interest in the province. Though King of Connacht Cathal Crobderg Ua Conchobair (reigned 1190 - 1224) faced much opposition, mainly from within his own family and wished to engage Burke's aid to help secure his position. The following year William and Ua Conchobair led an army from Limerick to Tuam and finally to Boyle. Ua Conchobair's rival, Cathal Carragh Ua Conchobair marched at the head of his army to give them battle but was killed in a combined Burke/Ua Conchobair onslaught after a week of skirmishing between the two sides.

William and Ua Conchobair then travelled to Iar Connacht and stayed at Cong for Easter. Here, William and the sons of Rory O'Flaherty conspired to kill Ua Conchobair but the plot was foiled, apparently by holy oaths they were made to swear by the local Coarb family. However, when de Burgh demanded payment for himself and his retinue, battle finally broke out with over seven hundred of de Burgh's followers said to have being killed. William, however, managed to return to Limerick.

Death

The Annals of the Four Masters recorded his passing in 1204:

"William Burke plundered Connaught, as well churches as territories; but God and the saints took vengeance on him for that; for he died of a singular disease, too shameful to be described."

Descendants

He was survived by his sons Richard Mor de Burgh (d.1242), Bishop Hubert de Burgh of Limerick (d. 1251), Sheriff William de Burgh (d. 1247) and an apparently illegitimate son, Richard de Burgh.

The senior male line of the family came to an end with the murder of William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster, in 1333. A junior branch later gave rise to the Earls of Clanricarde.

His descendants include:

• Elizabeth de Burgh
• Hubert George de Burgh-Canning, 15th Earl of Clanricarde
• Mary Robinson, nee Bourke, 7th President of Ireland.
• Ray Bourke, former Irish government minister.
• Richard Southwell Bourke, Chief Secretary of Ireland & Governor General of India
• Sir Richard Bourke
• Tibbot na Long Bourke, Lord Viscount Bourke
• Count William Gall Von Bourckh
• Aedanus Burke
• Edmund Burke
• Honora Burke
• Robert O'Hara Burke
• Samuel Martin Burke
• Thomas Henry Burke, Under Secretary for Ireland.
• Sir Ulick Burke
• Major General Count Walter Burke, founder of Burke's Regiment

See also

• Burke Civil War 1333-38
• Clanricarde
• Earl of Ulster

                                 
                                    |
         |------------------|-------|--------------------------|
         |                  |                                  |
                                    Pépin 
    House of Burke                     |                   House of Senlis 
         |                  |----------|------------|
         |                  |          |            |
         |               Lothar I   Louis II    Charles I
         |                   |             |      |
         |                   |             |      |----------------------|----------------------|
         |                   |             |      |                      |                      |
     |---|----|-----------|--|-----|       |     Louis II              Carloman               Charles 
     |   |    |           |        |       |____   |----------------------------------------|
     |   |    |           |        |        |      |                      |                 | 
 Rothilde| Louis II    Lothar II Charles    |    Louis III            Charles III       Carloman 
     |   |    |                             |                             |
     |   |    |                             |                             |
   Guido | Louis III                        |                          Louis IV 
     |   |-|                                |                             |
     |     |                                |                             |
   Lambert |                                |                          Lothar 
           |   |-------------|--------------|                             |
           |   |             |              |                             |
           | Carloman       Louis         Charles II                    Louis V 
           |   |
           |   |
           | Arnulf 
           |   |
           |   |
           | Louis 
           |
           |
           Rowland of Neustria 
           |
           |
           Godfrey of Neustria 
           |
           |
           Baldwin of Blois
           |
                            |
           Baldwin II of Blois 
           |
           |
           Jean de Bourg de Tonsburgh DE CONTEVILLE
                            |
           |
          Herluin Visconti of Conteville DE CONTEVILLE
                            |
           |---------------------------------|-----|---|-----|---------|------------------------------------------|
           |                                 |     |   |     |         |                                          |
        Robert of Mortain Count of Mortain Ralph Emma Odo Muriel ½ William I “the Conquérir” King of England ½ Adeliza
           |
           |----------------|-----------------|
           |                |                 |
           William de Burg Emma DE MORTAIGNE Agnès of Montaigne 
           |
           |
           Adelm de Burgh 
           = Agnès Princesse of France 
           |
           |
           William FitzAldelm de Burgh
           |
           |
           Walter de Burgh 
           |
           |---------------------------------|----------------|---------------|----------------|
           |                                 |                |               |                |
           |                                 |                |               |                |
           Hubert de Burgh John de Burg Geoffrey de Burg Thomas de Burg 
           = Isabel Plantagenet (daughter of King Richard I of England & Bérengère of Navarre)
           |
           |----------------------------------------|
           |                                        |
           |                                        |
            Hubert de Burg
          |
          |-----------------|------------------------------|-------------------|
          |                 |                              |                   |
          |                 |                              |                   |
         Richard de Burg Walter de Burg Earl of Ulster William óc de Burg Margerie de Burg 
                            |
                  |---------|-------------------------------|------|-----|-------|------|
                  |                                         |      |     |       |      |
                  |                                         |      |     |       |      |
                 Theobald Egida Agatha William Thomas 
                 |
                 |-------|-----|-------|------|---------|----|-------|--------|---
                 |       |     |       |      |         |    |       |        |
                 |       |     |       |      |         |    |       |        | 
                Walter John Thomas Edmund Catherine Joan Avelina Matilda Elizabeth

Sources

• http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005C/index.html
• "Burke: People and Places", Eamonn Bourke, Dublin, 1995.

• 1160 births
• 1204 deaths
• History of Ireland
• Irish people
• Irish politicians
• Natives of Norfolk