Page "Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond" Paragraph 3

Much of his life was taken up with a fierce feud with his hereditary foe, Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond, son of James FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond.

The two sides fought a pitched battle in 1565, the Battle of Affane.

Butler's victory, not only in the field but also in the handling the political fallout, helped to spark the Desmond Rebellions.

This struggle ( 1569 – 73 and 1579 – 83 ) desolated Munster for many years.

Ormonde was a Protestant and threw his great influence on the side of Queen Elizabeth I and her ministers in their efforts to crush the rebels, although he was motivated as much by factional rivalry with the Desmond dynasty as by religion.