James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond
Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, KG, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was an Anglo-Irish statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond from 1634 to 1642 and Marquess of Ormond from 1642 to 1661. Following the failure of the senior line of the Butler family, he was the second representative of the Kilcash branch to inherit the earldom.
Lieutenant-General His Grace The Duke of Ormond KG | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Peter Lely | |
| Chancellor of the University of Oxford | |
| In office 4 August 1669 – 1688 | |
| Preceded by | Gilbert Sheldon |
| Succeeded by | The 2nd Duke of Ormond |
| Lord High Steward | |
| In office 29 May 1660 – 13 February 1689 | |
| Monarchs | Charles II, James II |
| Preceded by | The 1st Duke of Richmond |
| Succeeded by | The 1st Duke of Devonshire |
| Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | |
| In office 24 May 1677 – 24 February 1685 | |
| Monarch | Charles II |
| Preceded by | The 1st Earl of Essex |
| Succeeded by | The 2nd Earl of Clarendon |
| In office 21 February 1662 – 7 February 1668 | |
| Monarch | Charles II |
| Preceded by | The 1st Duke of Albemarle |
| Succeeded by | The 6th Earl of Ossory |
| In office 30 September 1648 – 22 June 1649 | |
| Monarch | Charles I |
| Preceded by | Viscount Lisle |
| Succeeded by | Oliver Cromwell |
| In office 13 November 1643 – 9 April 1646 | |
| Monarch | Charles I |
| Preceded by | 2nd Earl of Leicester |
| Succeeded by | Viscount Lisle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 October 1610 Clerkenwell, London, England |
| Died | 21 July 1688 (aged 77) Kingston Lacy, England |
| Resting place | Westminster Abbey, London |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Preston, Baroness Dingwall |
| Children | Thomas, Richard, Elizabeth, John, & others |
| Parent(s) | Thomas, Viscount Thurles Elizabeth, Lady Thurles |
| Education | Trinity College Dublin |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | English Army Irish Confederates |
| Years of service | 1639–1651 |
| Rank | Commander-in-chief, General, Commandant |
| Battles/wars | Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639—1651) Second Bishops' War, 1st Siege of Drogheda, Battle of Kilrush, Battle of New Ross, Battle of Rathmines, 2nd Siege of Drogheda. |
His friend, the Earl of Strafford, secured his appointment as commander of the government army in Ireland. Following the outbreak of the Irish Rebellion of 1641, he led government forces against the Irish Catholic Confederation; when the First English Civil War began in August 1642, he supported the Royalists and in 1643 negotiated a ceasefire with the Confederation which allowed his troops to be transferred to England. Shortly before the Execution of Charles I in January 1649, he agreed the Second Ormonde Peace, an alliance between the Confederation and Royalist forces which fought against the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
During the 1650s he lived in exile on the continent with Charles II of England. After the Stuart Restoration in 1660, Ormond became a major figure in English and Irish politics, holding many high government offices such as Chancellor of the University of Oxford.