Battle of the Curragh Irish: Cath an Churraigh | |||||||
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The Curragh plains | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Lordship of Ireland | Rebel forces | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Lord Offaly Lord Meath Earl of Ulster | Lord Leinster | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
140 Knights | 15 Knights |
The Battle of the Curragh (Irish : Cath an Churraigh) was fought on 1 April 1234 on the Curragh plain in County Kildare, Ireland. The adversaries were men loyal to King Henry III of England on one side, and on the other side Richard Marshal, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Leinster, who lost the battle and later died from the wounds he suffered. [1] The battle was a small affair in the number of knights involved, but was still significant because it ended the career of the popular Richard Marshal.
The conflict between Richard Marshal and Henry III went back several years, and centred particularly on the earl's discontent with the influence that certain foreigners held over the king. Most prominent among these was the Poitevin Peter des Roches, bishop of Winchester. [2] In March 1234, a truce was reached between the king and Marshal, the condition of which was the removal of Peter des Roches from court. [3] In the meanwhile, however, conflict had broken out in Ireland between Marshal's brothers and some of the king's supporters. These included Maurice FitzGerald, justiciar of Ireland, Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath and Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster. [4] Richard Marshal crossed to Ireland to assist his brothers, where he met with the enemies at the Curragh on 1 April. Here he was defeated and captured. He was taken to his castle at Kilkenny, where he died from his injuries on 16 April. [5]
Richard Marshal had become highly popular in England because of his fight against foreign influence at court, and for this reason the accounts of the battle were idealised and not necessarily reliable. According to contemporary accounts, he was tricked into meeting his enemies at the Curragh, and then deserted by his own forces. Rather than flee, he remained to fight against the odds, allegedly with only fifteen knights against 140. [3] Marshal's popularity also meant that his death was mourned in England, while the Poitevins—who were rumoured to have instigated the Irish war—fell further into disregard. [5] Henry III nevertheless rewarded Marshal's Irish opponents richly. [3]
The Curragh plains were later used as a location to recreate the Battle of Stirling Bridge in Mel Gibson's 1995 film Braveheart . [6]
Henry III, also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry assumed the throne when he was only nine in the middle of the First Barons' War. Cardinal Guala Bicchieri declared the war against the rebel barons to be a religious crusade and Henry's forces, led by William Marshal, defeated the rebels at the battles of Lincoln and Sandwich in 1217. Henry promised to abide by the Great Charter of 1225, a later version of the 1215 Magna Carta, which limited royal power and protected the rights of the major barons. His early rule was dominated first by Hubert de Burgh and then Peter des Roches, who re-established royal authority after the war. In 1230, the King attempted to reconquer the provinces of France that had once belonged to his father, but the invasion was a debacle. A revolt led by William Marshal's son Richard broke out in 1232, ending in a peace settlement negotiated by the Church.
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, also called William the Marshal, was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He served five English kings: Henry II and his son and de jure co-ruler Young King Henry, Richard I, John, and finally John's son Henry III.
Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its original inception. Due to the number of creations of the Earldom, the original seat of Pembroke Castle is no longer attached to the title.
Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England (1215–1232) and Justiciar of Ireland (1232) during the reigns of King John and his son and successor King Henry III and, as Regent of England (1219–1227) during Henry's minority, was one of the most influential and powerful men in English politics in the thirteenth century.
Roger Bigod was 4th Earl of Norfolk and Marshal of England.
The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 2,000 hectares of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the Japanese Gardens. Also located here is Pollardstown Fen, the largest fen in Ireland. This area is of particular interest to botanists and ecologists because of the numerous bird species that nest and visit there. There are also many rare plants that grow there.
Peter de Rivaux or Peter de Rivallis was an influential Poitevin courtier at the court of Henry III of England. He was related to Peter des Roches, being a nephew.
William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke was a medieval English nobleman and was one of Magna Carta sureties. He fought during the First Barons' War and was present at the Battle of Lincoln (1217) alongside his father William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who led the English troops in that battle. He commissioned the first biography of a medieval knight to be written, called L'Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal, in honour of his father.
Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, was the son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and brother of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, whom he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke and Lord Marshal of England upon his brother's death on 6 April 1231.
Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke was the third son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Countess Isabel, the daughter of Richard son of Gilbert, earl of Striguil. He was a member of the Marshal family.
Events from the 1230s in England.
Isabel de Clare, suo jure 4th Countess of Pembroke and Striguil, was an Anglo-Norman and Irish noblewoman descended from Aoife Macmurrough and Richard de Clare and one of the wealthiest heiresses in Wales and Ireland. She was the wife of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who served three successive kings as Marshal of England. Her marriage had been arranged by King Richard I.
Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke was the fourth son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Countess Isabel, the daughter of Richard son of Gilbert, earl of Striguil. He was a member of the Marshal Family.
Maurice Fitzmaurice FitzGerald I, 2nd Lord of Offaly was an Anglo-Norman peer, soldier, and Justiciar of Ireland from 1232 to 1245. He mustered many armies against the Irish, and due to his harsh methods as Justiciar, he received criticism from King Henry III of England. He was succeeded as Lord of Offaly by his son, Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly.
The Battle of Monmouth took place on 25 November 1233, the feast day of St Catherine, between forces loyal to Henry III, King of England, and those of Richard Marshal, Earl of Pembroke and Lord Marshal of England, who had formed an alliance with the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth and his supporter Owain ap Gruffydd, a grandson of Rhys of Deheubarth.
Events from the year 1234 in Ireland.
Stephen Devereux was a powerful Marcher Lord, and held Lyonshall Castle controlling an important approach to the border of Wales. As a key member of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke retinue, he played a significant role in the Earl's support of King John during the First Barons' War, and during the minority of Henry III.
John Devereux of Bodenham and Decies was an Anglo-Norman nobleman living during the reigns of King John and Henry III of England. The Devereux were a prominent knightly family along the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century, and John Devereux was a key member of the retinue of Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, and companion of Walter III de Clifford, Baron of Clifford.
Nicholas Devereux of Chanston (Vowchurch) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman living during the reigns of John and Henry III of England. The Devereux were a prominent knightly family along the Welsh Marches during the thirteenth century, and Nicholas Devereux was a key member of the retinue of Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath.
Richard Siward was a distinguished 13th-century soldier, adventurer and banneret. He rose from obscurity to become a member of King Henry III's Royal Council and husband of Philippa Basset, the widowed countess of Warwick.