Lords of Connaught

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The title of Lord of Connaught was used by several Norman barons in Ireland.

During the Norman conquest of Ireland, William de Burgh was apparently granted Connacht, but never took possession of it. It remained in the hands of native kings until 1224, when Richard Mor de Burgh claimed it on the basis of his father's grant. His uncle Hubert de Burgh was then Justiciar of Ireland and upheld the claim in 1227. Richard called upon the feudal levies of Ireland and conquered Connacht in 1235, taking the title Lord of Connaught. Richard's son Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster, his son Richard Og de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster, and Richard's grandson William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster all seem to have used the title, but upon the death of the latter in 1333, civil war broke out over control of the de Burgh lands. Connacht was divided between Sir Ulick Burke and Edmond Albanach Burke^[1], and the title fell out of use. It was not recognized in the Peerage of Ireland, and the heirs-general of William Donn, who retained the title Earl of Ulster, did not use it.

[edit] References

1. ^ Curtis, Edmund [1950] (2004). A History of Ireland, 6th ed., Routledge, 58, 70–72, 91–92. ISBN 0-415-27949-6.