James Butler, 1st Earl of Wiltshire
| James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond, 1st Earl of Wiltshire | |
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Quartered arms of Sir James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, KG
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| Spouse(s) | Avice Stafford Eleanor Beaufort |
| Father | James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond |
| Mother | Joan de Beauchamp, Countess of Ormond |
| Born |
24 November 1420 Kilkenny, Ireland |
| Died | 1 May 1461 (aged 40) Newcastle, England |
James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond, 1st Earl of Wiltshire KG (24 November 1420 – 1 May 1461) was a staunch Lancastrian and supporter of Queen consort Margaret of Anjou during the Wars of the Roses. He was beheaded by the victorious Yorkists following the Battle of Towton.
James Butler, born on 24 November 1420, was the eldest son of James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond, by his first wife, Joan de Beauchamp, Countess of Ormond (d. 3 or 5 August 1430). He had two younger brothers, John Butler, 6th Earl of Ormond, and Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond, as well as two sisters, Elizabeth Butler, who married John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, and Anne Butler (d. 4 January 1435), who was contracted to marry Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond, although the marriage appears not to have taken place.
He was created Earl of Wiltshire, in the Peerage of England, by King Henry VI on 8 July 1449, for his fidelity to the Lancastrian interest. In 1451 he became Lord Deputy of Ireland; the next year he succeeded his father in the Earldom of Ormond and was additionally appointed Lord Lieutenant for ten years. In 1454, he was constituted Lord High Treasurer of England and made a Knight of the Garter in 1459.
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