Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex
KG | |
---|---|
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland | |
In office 6 May 1560 – 13 October 1565 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth I |
Preceded by | Himself as Lord Deputy |
Succeeded by | Sir Henry Sidney |
Personal details | |
Born | 1525 |
Died | 9 June 1583 (aged 57–58) |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Wriothesley Roman Catholicism |
Thomas Radclyffe (or Ratclyffe), 3rd Earl of Sussex
Family
He was the eldest son of Henry Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of Sussex, and his first wife Elizabeth Howard. His maternal grandparents were Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, and his second wife, Agnes Tilney.
His maternal uncles included, among others,
Early life
He was born about 1525, and after his father's succession to the earldom in 1542 was styled Viscount Fitzwalter. After serving in the army abroad, he was employed in 1551 to negotiate a marriage between King
Sussex in Ireland
Returning to England from a mission to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, in April 1556, Fitzwalter was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, the "prevailing anarchy in Ireland, a country which, nominally subject to the English Crown, was torn by feuds among its practically independent native chieftains, rendered the task of the lord deputy one of no ordinary difficulty; a difficulty that was increased by the ignorance of English statesmen con- cerning Ireland and Irish conditions, and by their incapacity to devise or to carry into execution any consistent and thorough- going policy for bringing the half-conquered island under an orderly system of administration."[2]
Fitzwalter effected
Having defeated O'Neill and his allies, the MacDonnells, the lord deputy, who by the death of his father in February 1557 became Earl of Sussex, returned to
In the autumn of 1558 the continued inroads of the Scottish islanders in the
In the metropolis, the news reached him of the queen's death. Crossing to England, he took part in the ceremonial of
He was preparing for a fresh attempt when he was superseded by Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare, who was commissioned by Elizabeth to open negotiations with O'Neill, the result of which was that the latter repaired to London and made a formal submission to the queen. Shane's conduct on his return to Ireland was no less rebellious than before, and energetic measures against him became more imperative than ever. Having obtained Elizabeth's sanction, Sussex conducted a campaign in the summer of 1563 with Armagh as his temporary headquarters; but except for some indecisive skirmishing and the seizure of many of O'Neill's cattle, the operations led to no result and left O'Neill with his power little diminished. His continued failure to effect a purpose for the accomplishment of which he possessed inadequate resources led Sussex to pray for his recall from Ireland, and his wish was granted in May 1564. His government of Ireland had not, however, been wholly without fruit.[2]
Sussex the politician
Sussex was the first representative of the English Crown who enforced authority to any considerable extent beyond the limits of
Sussex as courtier
On his return to England, Sussex, who before leaving Ireland had to endure the indignity of an inquiry into his administration instigated by his enemies and led by John Parker, threw himself into opposition to
In July 1572 Sussex became Lord Chamberlain, and he was henceforth in frequent attendance on Queen Elizabeth, both in her progresses through the country and at court, until his death.[2] Elizabeth I came to his house New Hall in September 1579. She was greeted by a theatrical entertainment of Jupiter and a thunderstorm. The next day there was jousting, and a pageant of a sleeping knight, which the Queen revived. The Earl of Sussex gave Elizabeth a white palfey horse, a cloak, and a safeguard "to keep her from evil weather that might hap" in the next day's hunting.[8]
Family
He married twice: first to Elizabeth, daughter of
See also
- Elizabeth R
- Elizabeth
- Sussex's Men
References
- ^ Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Since 1922 Queen's County is known as County Laois, and King's County as County Offaly, based on earlier Gaelic names.
- ^ David Edwards, Campaign journals of the Elizabethan Irish Wars (Dublin, 20154), pp 8-9
- ^ "Thomas Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex". National Portrait Gallery.
- ^ C. S. Knighton & David Loades, Navy of Edward VI and Mary I (Navy Records Society, 2011), pp. 386-9.
- ^ Edwards 2010, p. 74.
- ^ Neil Younger, 'Drama, Politics, and News in the Earl of Sussex's Entertainment of Elizabeth I at New Hall, 1579', The Historical Journal, 58:2 (June 2015), p. 364.
Bibliography
- Edwards, David (2010). Age of Atrocity: Violence and Political Conflict in Early Modern Ireland. Four Courts Press. ISBN 978-1846822674.
References
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sussex, Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 164–165. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the