Richard Bingham (soldier)
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Sir Richard Bingham |
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| Lord President of Connaught | |
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In office 1584–1597 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth I |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Malby |
| Succeeded by | Conyers Clifford |
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Member of Parliament for Roscommon |
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In office 26 April 1585 – 14 May 1586 |
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| Succeeded by | Sir John King |
| Marshal of Ireland | |
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In office August 1598 – 19 January 1599 |
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| Preceded by | Henry Bagenal |
| Succeeded by | Richard Wingfield |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1528 Dorset, England |
| Died | 19 January 1599 (aged 70) Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Heigham |
| Profession | Soldier, Naval Commander |
| Religion | Anglican |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 England
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| Service/branch |
Royal Navy English Army |
| Years of service | 1547-1599 |
| Rank |
 Commander
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| Battles/wars |
The Rough Wooing Ottoman–Venetian War • Battle of Lepanto Eighty Years' War • Battle of Rijmenam Tudor conquest of Ireland Second Desmond Rebellion Spanish Armada Nine Years' War |
Sir Richard Bingham (1528 – 19 January 1599) was an English soldier and naval commander. He served under Queen Elizabeth I during the Tudor conquest of Ireland and was appointed governor of Connacht.
Bingham was born in Dorset to Richard Bingham and his wife Alice, and was the eldest of three brothers. Little is known of his early life, but he had embarked upon a military career before turning twenty, despite his small stature. He took part in Protector Somerset's Scottish expedition in 1547. A decade later, he served with the Spanish against the French at the Battle of St. Quentin. In October of the following year, 1558, he took part in a naval expedition in the Western Isles in Scotland.
In the Ottoman–Venetian War, Bingham fought under John of Austria (Don Juan de Austria) on the side of the Spaniards and Venetians. During this campaign he was engaged in efforts to save the island of Cyprus, and at the crucial naval Battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571. The next two years were spent in the Low Countries, relaying intelligence to the queen's principal secretary, Lord Burghley. In 1576 he attempted peace negotiations with Don Juan on behalf of the Estates General and, when the negotiations failed, fought valiantly for his employers at the Battle of Rijmenam. In the same year, 1578, the queen granted him an annuity of 50 marks in recognition of his military and diplomatic services.
In 1579, Bingham was sent to Ireland to aid in the suppression of the Second Desmond Rebellion. In September the following year he served as captain of the Swiftsure under Admiral William Winter, and in the course of that expedition took part in the massacre at Smerwick of hundreds of Italian and Spanish troops who had surrendered to the English, an event on which he reported to another of the queen's secretaries, Francis Walsingham.
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