Sir Maurice FITZ MAURICE FITZ GERALD (1238-bef1286)

Individual Events and Attributes

Marriage

	Bunratty Castle, the home of Juliana FitzGerald and Thomas de Clare

Individual Note

Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly (1238 – before 10 November 1286)[1] was a Norman-Irish peer, soldier, and Justiciar of Ireland from 1272 to 1273.

Career

He was born in 1238 in Wexford, Ireland, one of the sons of Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Lord of Offaly and Juliana, whose surname is unknown. He had three brothers, Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald (died 1243), Thomas FitzMaurice FitzGerald (died 1271), David FitzMaurice FitzGerald (died without issue). Maurice was known by the nickname of Maurice Mael (in English bald). He succeeded as 3rd Lord of Offaly on 20 May 1257, upon the death of his father at Youghal Monastery, bypassing the rightful heir to the barony, his nephew Maurice (died 1268), son of his elder brother, Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald who had died in 1243.[2]

In May 1262, he was among the chief magnates in Ireland summoned to inform King Henry III of England and his son Prince Edward about conditions in the country. He was summoned again in June 1265. Maurice was appointed Justiciar of Ireland on 23 June 1272 following the accidental death of his predecessor, James de Audley on 11 June of that year; his father had served in the same capacity from 1232 to 1245. Maurice himself held the post until September 1273, when he was succeeded by Sir Geoffrey de Geneville, Seigneur de Vaucouleurs.

He held four knight's fees in both Lea and Geashill from Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore who had inherited them from his wife, Maud de Braose.[3]

In 1276, he led a force of men from Connacht against the Irish clans of County Wicklow. Maurice's contingent joined the main army of Normans jointly commanded by his son-in-law, Thomas de Clare, Lord of Inchiquin and Youghal who had been made Lord of Thomond earlier that same year, and Sir Geoffrey de Geneville, Maurice's successor as Justiciar of Ireland. The Normans under Lords Thomond and Justiciar de Geneville attacked the Irish at Glenmalure, but were defeated and suffered heavy losses.[4]

Marriages and issue

Sometime between May 1258 and 28 October 1259, he married his first wife, Maud de Prendergast, a daughter of Sir Gerald de Prendergast of Beauvoir and an unnamed daughter of Richard Mor de Burgh. Together he and Maud had two daughters:[5]

Juliana FitzGerald (c.1263 Dublin, Ireland- 24 September 1300), married firstly, Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond, by whom she had four children; she married secondly Nicholas Avenel, and thirdly, Adam de Cretynges.

Amabel FitzGerald, married but died childless.

Maurice was Maud's third husband. She died on an unknown date. In 1273, Maurice married his second wife, Emmeline Longespee (1252–1291), daughter of Stephen Longespee and Emmeline de Ridelsford. His marriage to Emmeline was childless, and the latter's property was inherited by Maud La Zouche, Baroness Holland, who was the granddaughter of Emmeline's elder sister, Ela Longespee.

Maurice died sometime before 10 November 1286 at Ross, County Wexford. As he did not have any sons, he was succeeded by his nephew John FitzGerald, who would be created 1st Earl of Kildare on 14 May 1316. John was the son of his brother Thomas by Rohesia de St. Michael.

NOTES:

1 www.thePeerage.com

2 Note:Gerald's son, Maurice who drowned in the Irish Channel in July 1268, was the rightful successor to his grandfather, the 2nd Lord of Offaly, and after Maurice, came his own son, Gerald (born February 1265). Gerald himself married Joan de Geneville, daughter of the Justiciar, and died childless in battle on 29 August 1287.

3 Calendar of Documents., Ire. 125-84, p. 467

4 Annette J. Otway-Ruthven, A History of Medieval Ireland, p. 202, Google Books, retrieved on 11-11-2009

5 The Complete Peerage, Volume II, p.200

SOURCES:

The Complete Peerage, Volume II, p. 200

Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Ireland²

Sources