James FitzMaurice FitzGerald

James FitzMaurice FitzGerald (died 18 August 1579) was a member of the 16th century ruling Geraldine dynasty in the province of Munster in Ireland. He rebelled against the crown authority of Queen Elizabeth I of England in response to the onset of the Tudor conquest of Ireland. He led the first of the Desmond Rebellions in 1569, spent a period in exile in continental Europe, but returned with an invasion force in 1579. He died shortly after landing. His rebellions were strongly associated with counter-reformation Catholic ideology.

FitzMaurice was son of Maurice Fitzjohn a Totane, brother of the 12th Earl of Desmond, and Julia O'Mulryan of County Tipperary, making him nephew of James FitzGerald, Earl of Desmond and cousin of Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond. Upon James' death, Totane had been granted the barony of Kerricurrihy in County Cork by the earl's successor, but Gerald fell out with Totane and wars were fought between the families.

Following his defeat by Sir Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormonde, at the Battle of Affane in 1565, the 15th Earl and his brother, John of Desmond, were detained in England. During their absence, FitzMaurice became captain general of County Desmond with the warrant of the Earl. This meant he had authority over the soldiers retained in the service of the Desmond Fitzgeralds. In July 1568, he entered Clanmaurice, the territory of the lord of Lixnaw, to distrain for rent and assert the Desmond authority: having seized 200 head of cattle and wasted the country, he was confronted by Lixnaw on the way home and utterly defeated.

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