A gripping biography of Geróid Mór Fitzgerald, Lord Deputy of Ireland during the rule of Henry VII.
Gearóid Mór, the Great Earl of Kildare, or simply Gerald Fitzgerald, was, historiographically speaking, a great deceiver, and he paid for his deception in similar currency. Over time, he was regarded as the uncrowned King of Ireland, a reputation which he himself would not have recognized or welcomed.
He was the eighth earl of Kildare, the inheritor of a grand line of feudal dynastic succession that had been, despite regular obstacles and setbacks, steadily expanding its power and its glory. As a ruling magnate in the name of the king and as head of Ireland’s foremost aristocratic dynasty, his tenure marked the critical phase in what historians have termed the Kildare ascendancy. But for reasons other than those of the romantic narratives of the Great Earl reigning royally, Kildare’s epithet is merited.
This biography, which expands on established research, accounts for the myriad factors behind the Great Earl’s prominence, including his manræd, estate management, and vast distribution of patronage. His supremacy bridged the worlds of Gaelic Ireland, the English lordship of Ireland, and the center of crown authority at court. In an overview of his exceptional career, this book highlights the Great Earl’s varied and seemingly contradictory facets. He was an English subject who served as a frontier baron, yet also a governing aristocrat who transcended cultural divides. He was not merely a traditional, old colonial marcher lord but a Renaissance prince. In appreciating the combination of each of these, given the challenging circumstances of his age and considering a legacy that has evolved over the centuries, the Great Earl’s extraordinary exploits can truly be deemed, as Steven Ellis observes, the stuff of legend.
Gearóid Mór, the Great Earl of Kildare, or simply Gerald Fitzgerald, was, historiographically speaking, a great deceiver, and he paid for his deception in similar currency. Over time, he was regarded as the uncrowned King of Ireland, a reputation which he himself would not have recognized or welcomed.
He was the eighth earl of Kildare, the inheritor of a grand line of feudal dynastic succession that had been, despite regular obstacles and setbacks, steadily expanding its power and its glory. As a ruling magnate in the name of the king and as head of Ireland’s foremost aristocratic dynasty, his tenure marked the critical phase in what historians have termed the Kildare ascendancy. But for reasons other than those of the romantic narratives of the Great Earl reigning royally, Kildare’s epithet is merited.
This biography, which expands on established research, accounts for the myriad factors behind the Great Earl’s prominence, including his manræd, estate management, and vast distribution of patronage. His supremacy bridged the worlds of Gaelic Ireland, the English lordship of Ireland, and the center of crown authority at court. In an overview of his exceptional career, this book highlights the Great Earl’s varied and seemingly contradictory facets. He was an English subject who served as a frontier baron, yet also a governing aristocrat who transcended cultural divides. He was not merely a traditional, old colonial marcher lord but a Renaissance prince. In appreciating the combination of each of these, given the challenging circumstances of his age and considering a legacy that has evolved over the centuries, the Great Earl’s extraordinary exploits can truly be deemed, as Steven Ellis observes, the stuff of legend.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction (with historiographical overview)
Including a preface that outlines the enduring allure Great Earl of Kildare’s story, this
introduction offers an important historiographical overview which will emphasise the significant
changes in perspective brought about by recent research and will offer a new account of the
rapidly expanding power of the Kildare Geraldines from the mid-fifteenth century (3500 words).
Chapter 2: Rise and Rebellion
The rise of the Great Earl coincided with Irish participation in the English Wars of the Roses.
On the side of the Yorkists, he crowned a king in Dublin and resisted first Tudor king, Henry
VII. Brutal executions were carried out in the earl’s name in the Lordship’s capital. In resistance
to his opponents, including the Butlers of Ormond, a state of de facto war broke out (4000
words).
Chapter 3: Shadow of the Tower
The earl finally came to terms with the newly established King Henry VII, but not before an
uncertain period of negotiations after he agreed to travel to court. Accounts of tempestuous
debate among courtiers from this period contributes to the Great Earl’s legendary reputation
(4000 words).
Chapter 4: King’s Ruling Magnate
This chapter also offers new insights on how the king delegated power among his nobility in
particular magnates who are required to govern the marches of the Tudor realm (4000 words).
This will incorporate the most recent interpretative developments on this subject
Chapter 5: Battle and Diplomacy
The Great Earl’s stunning victory at the Battle of Knockdoe (1504) further elevated his position
as a ruling magnate of extraordinary influence. But how did it come about; and why was it
necessary? This event will be placed in the context of Kildare’s dealings with the Gaelic world
more broadly along with the aims and methods he employed (4000 words).
Chapter 6: Renaissance Prince
By means of his considerable wealth, the Great Earl was a major patron in terms of material and
literary culture. In this chapter that outlines his standing as a Renaissance lord, the Geraldines
international reputation and Italian connections are also explored (4000 words). This will be
3
perhaps the most original chapter in the book as it will incorporate my own individual research
in this altogether neglected facet of Kildare’s career
Chapter 7: Conclusion
On his death, he was eulogised as ‘an t-en macgoill’ but this was a complex legacy, in which the
actions, objectives and outlook of the Great Earl were steadily transformed, re-interpreted and
suppressed to suit the needs of subsequent political and historical writers (3000 words).
Including a preface that outlines the enduring allure Great Earl of Kildare’s story, this
introduction offers an important historiographical overview which will emphasise the significant
changes in perspective brought about by recent research and will offer a new account of the
rapidly expanding power of the Kildare Geraldines from the mid-fifteenth century (3500 words).
Chapter 2: Rise and Rebellion
The rise of the Great Earl coincided with Irish participation in the English Wars of the Roses.
On the side of the Yorkists, he crowned a king in Dublin and resisted first Tudor king, Henry
VII. Brutal executions were carried out in the earl’s name in the Lordship’s capital. In resistance
to his opponents, including the Butlers of Ormond, a state of de facto war broke out (4000
words).
Chapter 3: Shadow of the Tower
The earl finally came to terms with the newly established King Henry VII, but not before an
uncertain period of negotiations after he agreed to travel to court. Accounts of tempestuous
debate among courtiers from this period contributes to the Great Earl’s legendary reputation
(4000 words).
Chapter 4: King’s Ruling Magnate
This chapter also offers new insights on how the king delegated power among his nobility in
particular magnates who are required to govern the marches of the Tudor realm (4000 words).
This will incorporate the most recent interpretative developments on this subject
Chapter 5: Battle and Diplomacy
The Great Earl’s stunning victory at the Battle of Knockdoe (1504) further elevated his position
as a ruling magnate of extraordinary influence. But how did it come about; and why was it
necessary? This event will be placed in the context of Kildare’s dealings with the Gaelic world
more broadly along with the aims and methods he employed (4000 words).
Chapter 6: Renaissance Prince
By means of his considerable wealth, the Great Earl was a major patron in terms of material and
literary culture. In this chapter that outlines his standing as a Renaissance lord, the Geraldines
international reputation and Italian connections are also explored (4000 words). This will be
3
perhaps the most original chapter in the book as it will incorporate my own individual research
in this altogether neglected facet of Kildare’s career
Chapter 7: Conclusion
On his death, he was eulogised as ‘an t-en macgoill’ but this was a complex legacy, in which the
actions, objectives and outlook of the Great Earl were steadily transformed, re-interpreted and
suppressed to suit the needs of subsequent political and historical writers (3000 words).