Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory

Vice-Admiral Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory Template:Post-nominals (8 July 1634 – 30 July 1680) was an Irish soldier and politician. He was the eldest son of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond but predeceased his father and therefore never succeeded as duke.

Birth and origins

Thomas Butler was born on 8 July 1634, at Kilkenny Castle.Template:Sfn He was the eldest son of James Butler and his wife Elizabeth Preston. His father was then the 12th Earl of Ormond but would be raised to marquess and duke. His family, the Butler dynasty, is Old English and descends from Theobald Walter, who had been appointed Chief Butler of Ireland by King Henry II in 1177.Template:Sfn

Thomas's mother was a second cousin once removed of his father as she was a granddaughter of Black Tom, the 10th Earl of Ormond. Her father, however, was Scottish, Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond, a favourite of James I. Both parents were Protestants. They had married on Christmas Day 1629.Template:Sfn

He had three surviving brothers and two sisters,Template:Sfn who are listed in his father's article.

The Earl of Ossory

Early life

As the eldest living son, he was the heir apparent and was styled with the corresponding courtesy title, which initially was Viscount Thurles but changed to Earl of Ossory when his father became marquess in 1642.Template:Sfn Ossory, as he was after 1642, continued to live with his family in Ireland until 1647 when his father abandoned Dublin to the parliamentarians and Ossory accompanied his father to England. In 1648 his father renewed his support for the royalist cause and Ossory fled with his father to France, arriving in Caen, Normandy, in February 1648.Template:Sfn Ossory's mother also moved to Caen, where she arrived on 23 June 1648 with his siblings.Template:Sfn Ossory was educated at a school in Caen and was an accomplished athlete and a good scholar.

However, the family soon ran into financial problems. In 1652 when Cromwell had completed the conquest of Ireland, his mother brought Ossory and his sibling to London where she obtained a pension of £2000 per year from the income from her Irish estates under the condition that none of that money would be passed on to her husband.Template:Sfn In 1655 Ossory was rightly suspected of sympathising with the exiled royalists, and was jailed by Oliver Cromwell. After his release about a year later he went into exile to the NetherlandsTemplate:Sfn where Charles II had his exile court at the time.Template:Sfn

Marriage and children

On 17 November 1659, while in exile in the Netherlands, Ossory married Emilia van Nassau, the second daughter of Louis of Nassau, Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd.Template:Sfn

Template:Anchor Thomas and Emilia had eleven children,Template:Sfn including two sons:Template:Sfn

1. James (1665–1745), became the 2nd Duke of Ormonde in 1688Template:Sfn
2. Charles (1671–1758), became the de jure 3rd Duke of Ormonde, following his elder brother's attainder in 1715Template:Sfn

—and three daughters:

1. Elizabeth (died 1717), married William Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby in 1673Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
2. Amelia (died 1760), inherited the estates of her brother Charles and never marriedTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
3. Henrietta (died 1724), married Henry de Nassau d'Auverquerque, 1st Earl of GranthamTemplate:Sfn

Later life

Quartered arms of Thomas Butler, 6th Earl of Ossory, KG, PC, PC (Ireland)

In 1660 at the Restoration, Ossory accompanied Charles II back to England. That same year he was appointed Lord of the Bedchamber to Charles II, a post he held until his death. Emilia was naturalised as English by act of Parliament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1661 Ossory became an MP for Bristol in the English and for Dublin University in the Irish house of commons.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

In 1662 Ossory was called to the Irish House of Lords under a writ of acceleration as Earl of Ossory.Template:Sfn His father had held the title "5th Earl of Ossory" as one of his subsidiary titles. The acceleration made Thomas Butler the 6th Earl of Ossory.

In 1665 Ossory was appointed lieutenant-general in the Irish army. In 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665–1667), a fortunate accident allowed Ossory to take part in the Battle of Lowestoft against the Dutch.

He was created an English peer as Baron Butler of Moore Park by being summoned to the English House of Lords by a writ on 17 September 1666.Template:Sfn Almost as soon as he appeared in the House of Lords, he was imprisoned for two days for challenging the Duke of Buckingham.Template:Sfn

He acted as deputy for his father,Template:Sfn who was lord-lieutenant of Ireland, and in parliament he defended Ormond's Irish administration with great vigour.

On 12 March 1672 he attacked the Dutch Smyrna fleet with HMS Resolution,Template:Sfn starting the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674) in an action that he is said to have greatly regretted later in life.Template:Sfn

In May 1672 he fought against the same enemies in the Battle of Solebay, serving with great distinction on both occasions.

While visiting France in 1672, he rejected the liberal offers made by Louis XIV to induce him to enter the service of France.

In August 1673 he added to his high reputation by his conduct during the Battle of Texel in August 1673.Template:Sfn From 1677 until 1679, he served alongside his father as a Lord of the Admiralty.

Ossory was intimate with William, Prince of Orange,Template:Sfn and in 1677 he joined the allied army in the Netherlands, commanding the British contingent and excelling at the siege of Mons in 1678.

In 1680 he was appointed governor of English Tangier, but his death prevented him from taking up his new duties.Template:Sfn

Death, succession, and timeline

Ossory died on 30 July 1680 at Arlington House in London.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He was buried provisionally in Westminster Abbey on 31 July 1680.Template:Sfn The ceremony of burial was performed belatedly on 13 November 1680.Template:Sfn Some say Ossory's body was later taken to Ireland and reburied in the family vault in St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny. James, his eldest son, succeeded him as the 7th Earl of Ossory and would in 1688 become the 2nd Duke of Ormond.

Timeline

Italics for historical background.
Age	Date	Event
0	8 July 1634	Born at Kilkenny Castle, Ireland<ref name="FOOTNOTEDavies2004[httpsarchiveorgdetailsisbn_0198613598page226 226, left column]"/>
Template:Age	30 Aug 1642	Father advanced to Marquess of Ormond.<ref name="FOOTNOTECokayne1895[httpsarchiveorgdetailscompletepeerage06cokahrishpagen150 149, line 27]"/>
Template:Age	Nov 1643	Father appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.Template:Sfn
Template:Age	1647	Left Dublin for England with his father<ref name="FOOTNOTEAiry1886b[httpsarchiveorgdetailsdictionaryofnati08stepuoftpage81 81, right column, line 23]"/>
Template:Age	Feb 1648	Arrived at Caen, France, with his father<ref name="FOOTNOTEAiry1886b[httpsarchiveorgdetailsdictionaryofnati08stepuoftpage81 81, right column, line 23]"/>
Template:Age	30 Jan 1649	Charles I beheadedTemplate:Sfn
Template:Age	17 Nov 1659	Married Emilia von Nassau<ref name="FOOTNOTELodge1789[httpsarchiveorgdetailspeerageofireland04lodgpage59 59, line 27]"/>
Template:Age	29 May 1660	Restoration of Charles IITemplate:Sfn
Template:Age	about Jun 1660	George Monck appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.Template:Sfn
Template:Age	18 Apr 1661	MP for Dublin University in the Irish House of Commons<ref name="FOOTNOTEHouse of Commons1878[httpsbooksgooglecombooksidL1ETAAAAYAAJpg615 615]"/>
Template:Age	21 Feb 1662	Father re-appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.Template:Sfn
Template:Age	22 Jun 1662	Became the 6th Earl of Ossory by writ of acceleration<ref name="FOOTNOTEAiry1886b[httpsarchiveorgdetailsdictionaryofnati08stepuoftpage82 82, right column]"/>
Template:Age	17 Sep 1666	Created Baron Butler of Moore Park in the English peerageTemplate:Sfn
Template:Age	7 Feb 1668	Appointed Lord Deputy of IrelandTemplate:Sfn
Template:Age	12 Mar 1672	Attacked the Dutch Smyrna fleet<ref name="FOOTNOTEEvelyn1901[httpsarchiveorgstreamdiaryofjohnevely02evelialapage76 76]"/>
Template:Age	30 July 1680	Died<ref name="FOOTNOTECokayne1895[httpsarchiveorgdetailscompletepeerage06cokahrishpagen151 150, line 28]"/>

Notes and references

Sources

• Template:Cite encyclopedia
• Template:Cite encyclopedia
• Template:Cite encyclopedia
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book – 1643 to 1660
• Template:Cite book – Marriages, baptisms and burials from about 1660 to 1875
• Template:Cite encyclopedia
• Template:Cite book – N to R (for Ossory under Ormond)
• Template:Cite book – Ab-Adam to Basing (for Arran)
• Template:Cite book – Bass to Canning (for Butler of Moore Park)
• Template:Cite encyclopedia
• Template:Cite book – England (for his daughter Elizabeth, cited here because the corresponding page is missing in the 1828 edition.)
• Template:Cite book – Scotland and Ireland
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book – 1665 to 1706
• Template:Cite book – (for timeline)
• Template:Cite book (for the subject as MP)
• Template:Cite book – Viscounts
• Template:Cite encyclopedia
• Template:Cite encyclopedia

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