Family of Thomas * of CLARE and Juliana * + FITZGERALD

Husband:	Thomas * of CLARE (1245-1287)
Wife:	Juliana * + FITZGERALD (1263-1300)
Children:	Maud + *of CLARE (1276-1327)
	Gilbert of CLARE (1281- )
	Richard of CLARE (1281-1318)
	Margaret + * of CLARE (1287-to1334)
Marriage	"2/1275"

Husband: Thomas * of CLARE

Name:	Thomas * of CLARE
Sex:	Male
Father:	Richard * of CLARE (1222-1262)
Mother:	Maud * + of LACY (1223-1288)
Birth	1245	Tonbridge, Kent, England
Occupation		Lord of Thomand, Inchiquin and Youhai
Title		Lord of Inchiquin and Youhai
Title	frm 1276 to 1287 (age 30-42)	Lord of Thomond
Death	29 Aug 1287 (age 41-42)	Thomond, Connaught, Clare, Ireland
	Cause: killed in battle

Wife: Juliana * + FITZGERALD

Child 1: Maud + *of CLARE

Name:	Maud + *of CLARE
Sex:	Female
Spouse:	Robert +* of CLIFFORD (1274-1314)
Birth	1276	Gloucestershire, England
Death	1 Feb 1327 (age 50-51)

Child 2: Gilbert of CLARE

Name:	Gilbert of CLARE
Sex:	Male
Birth	3 Feb 1281

Child 3: Richard of CLARE

Child 4: Margaret + * of CLARE

Name:	Margaret + * of CLARE
Sex:	Female
Spouse 1:	Gilbert of UMFRAVILLE (1274-1303)
Spouse 2:	Bartholomew + * of BADLESMERE (1275-1322)
Birth	1 Apr 1287	Bunratty Castle, Thomond, Connaught, Clare, Ireland
Death	frm 22 Oct 1333 to 3 Jan 1334 (age 46)	Castle Badlesmere, Kent, England

Note on Husband: Thomas * of CLARE

Thomas de Clare, Lord of Inchiquin and Youghal (c. 1245 – 29 August 1287) was a Hiberno-Norman peer and soldier. He was the second son of Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester and his wife Maud de Lacy. On 26 January 1276 he was granted the lordship of Thomond by Edward I of England; he spent the next eight years attempting to conquer it from the O'Brien dynasty, kings of Thomond.

 

Thomas was born in about 1245 in Tonbridge, Kent, England, the second eldest son of Richard de Clare and Maud de Lacy.[1] Thomas was a close friend and intimate advisor of Prince Edward of England, who would in 1272 accede to the throne as King Edward I. Together they went on Crusade. He held many important posts such as the Office of the Governor of Clochester Castle (1266), Governor of The City of London (1273). He was made Commander of the English forces in Munster, Ireland and created Lord of Inchiquin and Youghal. On 26 January 1276, he was granted the entire lordship of Thomond by King Edward.

 

That same year, he jointly commanded a Norman army along with Sir Geoffrey de Geneville, Justiciar of Ireland against the Irish clans of County Wicklow. They were joined by a contingent of men from Connacht led by his father-in-law Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly. Thomas and Justiciar de Geneville's forces attacked the Irish at Glenmalure, but they were soundly defeated and suffered severe losses.[2]

 

Civil war raged in Thomond between the rival factions of the O'Brien dynasty. In 1276, Brian Ruad, the deposed King of Thomond appealed to Thomas for support to help him regain his kingdom from his great-nephew Toirrdelbach MacTaidg O' Brien, who had usurped the throne. In return for his aid, Brian Ruad promised that Thomas would be allowed to colonise all the land between Athsollus in Quin and Limerick.[3] Together, Thomas and Brian Ruad expelled Toirrdelbach MacTaidg O'Brien and recaptured Clonroad which the latter had taken from Brian Ruad. O'Brien escaped to Galway where he elicited the help of his cousin William de Burgh, and in 1277 together with the assistance from clans, MacNamara and O'Dea they defeated the combined forces of Thomas and Brian Ruad. The latter fled to Bunratty Castle, but Thomas had his former ally hanged and drawn for treason.[4] The civil war continued for the next seven years, with Thomas supporting Brian Ruad's son Donnchad against Toirrdelbach; however, following the drowning death of Donnchad in 1284, Toirrdelbach emerged the victor. Thereafter until his death in 1306, Toirrdelbach MacTaidg O'Brien ruled as undisputed King of Thomond and Thomas had no choice but to accommodate him. O'Brien rented part of Bunratty Manor at £121 per annum.[4]

 

In 1280, Thomas embarked on a castle-building project at Quin, but was disrupted in his efforts by the O'Briens and MacNamaras.

 

[edit] Marriage and childrenIn February 1275, he married Juliana FitzGerald, the 12-year old daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly and Maud de Prendergast. Thomas and his wife made their principal residence at Bunratty Castle, which he had constructed in stone, replacing the earlier wooden structure. Together they had four children:

 

Maud de Clare (c. 1276–1326/27), married firstly, Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, by whom she had issue; and secondly Robert de Welle

Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Thomond, (3 February 1281–1308)

Richard de Clare, Steward of Forest of Essex, 1st Lord Clare, Lord of Thomond (after 1281 – 10 May 1318), married a woman by the name of Joan, by whom he had one son, Thomas. He was killed at the Battle of Dysert O'Dea.

Margaret de Clare (c. 1 April 1287 – 22 October 1333/3 January 1334), married firstly, Gilbert de Umfraville; and secondly Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, by whom she had issue.

[edit] DeathThomas was killed in battle on 29 August 1287 leaving behind four children, the youngest, Margaret being not quite five months old. He was succeeded as Lord of Thomond by his eldest son, Gilbert who was six years old. His widow Juliana, aged 24 years, would go on to marry two more times.

Note on Wife: Juliana * + FITZGERALD

Juliana FitzGerald, Lady of Thomond (c. 1263 – 24 September 1300) was a Norman-Irish noblewoman, the daughter of Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly, and the wife of Thomas de Clare, Lord of Thomond, a powerful Anglo-Norman baron in Ireland, who was a younger brother of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford. Juliana was married three times; Thomas being her first. He was the father of her four children.

 

She is sometimes referred to as Juliane FitzMaurice.

 

[edit] FamilyJuliana FitzGerald was born in about 1263 in Dublin, Ireland the eldest daughter of Maurice FitzMaurice FitzGerald, 3rd Lord of Offaly, Justiciar of Ireland (1238–1286) and his first wife, Maud de Prendergast (17 March 1242 – before 1273).[1] She had a sister Amabel who married but was childless. Her first cousin was John FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare. Her paternal grandparents were Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Lord of Offaly (1194 – 20 May 1257) and Juliana, and her maternal grandparents were Sir Gerald de Prendergast of Beauvoir and the unnamed daughter of Richard Mor de Burgh, Lord of Connacht and Egidia de Lacy. Juliana's maternal ancestors included Brian Boru, Dermot McMurrough, and Maud de Braose.

 

Juliana's mother Maud died on an unknown date. Her father married secondly in 1273, Emmeline Longespee, but fathered no children by her. It had been previously believed that Emmeline was Juliana's mother, but many genealogists, including Douglas Richardson,[2] have since established that the mother of Juliana and her sister Amabel was Maud de Prendergast, since Emmeline's heiress was Maud La Zouche, wife of Robert de Holland, 1st Baron Holand, and the granddaughter of her elder sister, Ela Longespee, which is further proof that she died childless.[3] The Complete Peerage also confirms this.

 

 

Bunratty Castle, the home of Juliana FitzGerald and Thomas de Clare[edit] Marriages and issueIn February 1275, at the age of about twelve years, Juliana married her first husband, Thomas de Clare, Lord of Inchiquin and Youghal. He was the second eldest son of Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 2nd Earl of Gloucester and Maud de Lacy. Thomas was a friend of King Edward I of England, with whom he went on a Crusade. He held many important posts including the Office of Governor of Colchester Castle (1266), Governor of the City of London (1273). He was also the commander of the English forces in Munster, Ireland, and on 26 January 1276, he was granted the lordship of Thomond. He was born in 1245, which made him about eighteen years older than Juliana.

 

Juliana and her husband Thomas resided at Bunratty Castle, which Thomas constructed in stone replacing the earlier wooden structure. Together Thomas and Juliana had four children:[4]

 

Maud de Clare (c. 1276–1326/27), married firstly on 3 November 1295 Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, by whom she had issue; she married secondly after 1314 Robert de Welle.

Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Thomond (3 February 1281–1308)

Richard de Clare, Steward of Forest of Essex, 1st Lord Clare, Lord of Thomond (after 1281 – 10 May 1318 at the Battle of Dysert O'Dea), married a woman by the name of Joan by whom he fathered one son, Thomas.

Margaret de Clare (c. 1 April 1287 – 22 October 1333 / 3 January 1334), married firstly in 1303 Gilbert de Umfraville; she married secondly before 30 June 1308 Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere, by whom she had four daughters and one son.

Life at Bunratty Castle was marked by unrest and strife as civil war was waged between rival factions of the powerful O'Brien clan. In 1277, Juliana's husband had his former ally Brian Ruad, the deposed King of Thomond, hanged for treason at Bunratty.[5]

 

Thomas was killed in battle on 29 August 1287, leaving Juliana a widow at the age of twenty-four with four small children; the youngest, Margaret was not quite five months old. On an unknown date she married her second husband, Nicholas Avenel. He presumably died before 11 December 1291/16 February 1292, as this is when she married her third husband, Adam de Cretynges.[6][7]

 

Juliana died on 24 September 1300. Her numerous descendants included English kings Henry V, Edward IV, Richard III, Mary, Queen of Scots, Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn, and Diana, Princess of Wales. The current British Royal Family directly descend from her, as do most of the other European royal families.