James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde
An Irish duke and military commander whose stellar career crumbled into exile over accusations of Jacobite treason.
1665–1745 (age 80)·Irish statesman and army officer·Birthday: April 29
Biography
James Butler, the 2nd Duke of Ormonde, lived a life of aristocratic privilege, military command, and dramatic political downfall. Born into one of Ireland's most powerful Protestant families, he was groomed for service, fighting for the Crown against the Monmouth Rebellion and, most significantly, in the Williamite War in Ireland, where he commanded a troop of cavalry at the Battle of the Boyne. His charm and stature made him a favorite of Queen Anne, who appointed him Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Captain-General of the British forces. He led troops with distinction in the War of the Spanish Succession. However, his Tory politics and suspected sympathies for the exiled Stuart line—the Jacobites—made him enemies after the Hanoverian succession. In 1715, he was impeached for high treason, accused of conspiring with the Jacobites. Rather than face trial, he fled to France, living out his decades in exile, his vast estates forfeited, his name a byword for grand, fallen ambition in the volatile world of 18th-century succession politics.
#1 When James Was Born
The biggest hits of 1665
James's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1665Born
1670Started school
1678Became a teenager
1681Could drive
1683Could vote
1686Turned 21
1695Turned 30
1705Turned 40
1715Turned 50
1725Turned 60
1735Turned 70
1745Turned 80
Key Achievements
- Served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland twice, in 1703 and 1710, wielding significant political power.
- Appointed Captain-General of the British army in 1711, the highest military rank at the time.
- Commanded British and allied forces during the War of the Spanish Succession, including at the Battle of Schellenberg.
- Founded the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin as a home for retired soldiers, following the model of Chelsea Hospital.
Did You Know?
He was the first person to be made a Knight of the Garter after the Union of England and Scotland in 1707.
Ormonde was a major patron of the architect Christopher Wren.
His impeachment led to the passage of the Septennial Act 1716, which extended the maximum life of a parliament.
He died in exile in Avignon, then a Papal territory, and was buried there.
“My loyalty to the Crown was absolute, but the Hanoverian court saw only a Tory threat.”
