Fitzgerald, Thomas (1513–1537)

Lord Deputy of Ireland, and leader of the Kildare uprising against Henry VIII in 1534–35. Despite the capture of Dublin, the rebellion failed, Tudor rule in Ireland was consolidated, and Fitzgerald was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He and his five uncles, who had helped him undertake the insurrection, were hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn.

Thomas was the son of Gerald Fitzgerald, 9th Earl, and was appointed acting lord deputy by his father when the latter was summoned to England in 1534 to answer charges of disloyalty. When rumours reached him that his father had been executed in London, he renounced his allegiance to Henry VIII, and declared loyalty to the Pope. His attack on Dublin Castle was unsuccessful, but after taking the town his forces murdered Archbishop John Alen. Henry VIII's appointee as lord deputy, William Skeffington, retook Dublin and stormed Fitzgerald's base at Maynooth. Fitzgerald surrendered on a guarantee of personal safety from the English commander, which was then revoked.