Gerald Fitzmoris Fitzgerald , also known as Gerald Poet ( Eng. Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond , irl. Gearóid mac Géarailt , 1335–1398) - Anglo-Irish Aristocrat, 3rd Earl of Desmond (1358–1398), Lord Justiciar ireland and peer ireland.
| Gerald Fitzgerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald FitzGerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond | |||||||
 Map of Ireland in 1450, where Desmond County is shown in the southwest of the island | |||||||
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| Predecessor | Maurice Fitzgerald, 2nd Earl of Desmond | ||||||
| Successor | John Fitzgerald, 4th Earl of Desmond | ||||||
| Birth | 1335 Ireland | ||||||
| Death | 1398 Ireland | ||||||
| Rod | Fitzgeralds | ||||||
| Father | Maurice Fitzgerald, 1st Earl of Desmond | ||||||
| Mother | Eleonora Fitzmouris | ||||||
| Spouse | Eleanor (Ellen) Butler | ||||||
| Children | John , Maurice, Gerald , Robert de Adair, Joan and Catherine | ||||||
| Religion | Christianity | ||||||
Biography
The representative of the Anglo-Norman dynasty Fitzgerald (Heraldine) . The youngest son of Maurice Fitzgerald, 1st Earl of Desmond , and his third wife Evelyn (Eleanor) Fitzmouris, daughter of Nicholas Fitzmouris, 3rd Lord Kerry. Step-brother of Maurice Fitzgerald, 2nd Earl of Desmond.
In 1356, Gerald was sent to England as a hostage for his father. In the same year, 1356, after the death of his father Maurice Fitzgerald, the 1st Earl of Desmond , Gerald was released to his homeland. In 1358, after the death of his elder half-brother, Maurice Fitzgerald, 2nd Earl of Desmond, Gerald inherited the title of 3rd Earl Desmond and possession of the Desmond house.
The King of England Edward III Plantagenet approved for Gerald Fitzgerald all his possessions in Munster , on the condition that he marries Eleanor Butler, the daughter of Lord Justist of Ireland, James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond . Gerald did this, but did not make peace with Count Ormond and did not accept the English rules and customs.
In 1367, Earl Desmond received the position of Lord Justiciar of Ireland from the king, but was soon replaced by Sir William de Windsor. In 1370, King Thomond Brian O'Brien expelled his cousin Thurlow from his domain. Earl Desmond attempted to support Thurlow against King Thomond . Brian O'Brien marched on Limerick and defeated the Earl of Desmond, burned the city and the possessions of Desmond, and imprisoned him himself.
While in prison, Gerald Fitzgerald, 3rd Earl of Desmond, wrote poems about Ireland. Count Desmond was instrumental in the Heraldine movement for the wider use of the Irish language.
Marriage and Children
In 1359, Gerald Fitzgerald married Eleanor (or Ellen) Butler (died 1404), the eldest daughter of James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond (1331–1382), and Elizabeth Darcy (1332–1390). The couple had four sons and two daughters:
- John Fitzgerald, 4th Earl of Desmond (d. 1399 )
- Maurice Fitzgerald
- James Fitzgerald, 6th Earl of Desmond , The Usurper (d. 1462 )
- Robert Fitzgerald de Adair
- Joan Fitzgerald , wife of Maurice FitzJohn, Lord Kerry
- Katherine Fitzgerald , wife of John Fitztomas.