Battle of Piltown

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Battle of Piltown
Part of Wars of the Roses
DateSummer 1462
Location
Result Yorkist (FitzGerald) victory
Belligerents
Arms of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York.svg House of York Arms of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster.svg House of Lancaster
Commanders and leaders
Earl of Desmond Earl of Ormond
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown 1,000+

The Battle of Piltown took place near Piltown, County Kilkenny in 1462 as part of the Wars of the Roses. It was fought between the supporters of the two leading Irish magnates Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond, head of the government in Dublin and a committed Yorkist, and John Butler, 6th Earl of Ormond who backed the Lancastrian cause. It ended in decisive victory for Desmond and his Yorkists, with Ormond's army suffering more than a thousand casualties. This effectively ended Lancastrian hopes in Ireland and bolstered FitzGerald control for a further half-century. [1] The Ormonds departed into exile, although they were later pardoned by Edward IV. [2]

It was the only major battle to be fought in the Lordship of Ireland during the Wars of the Roses. It is also part of the long-running feud between the FitzGerald dynasty and the Butler dynasty.


References

  1. James
  2. McCormack p.40

Bibliography