Teigue O'Rourke facts for kids

Teigue O'Rourke (Irish: Tadhg Ó Ruairc) was an important figure in Irish history, living from 1576 to 1605. He was the very last king of West Breifne, a kingdom in Ireland. Teigue became king in 1603 and ruled until he passed away in 1605.

He was the son of Brian O'Rourke and Mary Burke. Teigue grew up in County Galway with his mother's family. For most of his life, he was away from his kingdom. He spent his time trying to find friends and allies to help him become king. This was because his half-brother, Brian Oge O'Rourke, was also trying to be king.

At first, Teigue supported the Irish side during the Nine Years' War. This was a big conflict in Ireland. But after a major battle called the Battle of Kinsale in 1602, he changed his mind. He decided to support England instead. With help from English soldiers, Teigue took over West Breifne in 1603. He removed his half-brother and became king. Sadly, he died unexpectedly in late 1605 when he was only 28 years old.

Teigue O'Rourke's Early Life

Teigue O'Rourke was born in 1576. Soon after his birth, he was separated from his father. He was raised in Galway by his mother and her family, the Burkes of Clanricarde. According to English law, Teigue was the rightful heir to be king of West Breifne. He came from a rich family that supported England. Because of this, the English government in Dublin wanted him to become king.

However, Teigue's father had chosen his older half-brother, Brian Oge O'Rourke, to be his successor. Brian Oge was nine years older than Teigue. He lived with their father in Leitrim. Teigue's chances of becoming king became even more uncertain in 1590. That year, Richard Bingham, an English leader, took over West Breifne. Bingham wanted to end the O'Rourke family's rule. He removed Teigue's father, Sir Brian, who was later executed in England.

Teigue's Fight for the Throne

By 1593, Brian Oge had pushed Bingham out of West Breifne. When the Nine Years' War started in 1594, Teigue moved to Tyrconnell. Even though his brother, Brian Oge, was fighting alongside Irish leaders like Hugh Roe O'Donnell and Hugh O'Neill, Teigue kept asking them to support his claim to the throne.

There is no clear proof that these Irish leaders ever seriously thought about making Teigue king. But he was useful to them. They could use Teigue as a threat to keep Brian Oge in line. Brian Oge was so worried about Teigue's claim that he briefly switched his loyalty to England. This happened from February to June 1598. He even got written support from the English Governor, Conyers Clifford.

However, Teigue's powerful family kept pushing his claim. They gained support from important people like Thomas Butler. Because of this, Brian Oge switched back to the Irish side. He believed the English promises were not real.

In 1599, Teigue married Mary, who was Hugh Roe O'Donnell's sister. They had their first son, Brian, that same year. By 1600, the Irish side was doing well in the war. Brian Oge had shown himself to be a strong military leader. Teigue, however, had not been as successful in battles. Being strong and brave was very important for a leader in Gaelic Ireland. This meant Teigue's chances of becoming king were getting smaller. English officials even said that Teigue "could not bring one man" to fight for him in the kingdom he claimed.

During his time away from West Breifne, Teigue often wrote to the English. He once wrote:

"I pray the Lord that I may never enter the kingdom of Heaven if I do not spend my blood, flesh and all that I can get in the world to do Her Majesty's service."

In January 1601, Teigue had a very bad military campaign in Munster. He lost 500 of the 800 men O'Donnell had given him. After this, he went back to Tyrconnell and made up with his brother.

By late 1601, the Irish side had lost several battles. Brian Oge and O'Donnell traveled south to help the Spanish army at Kinsale. Teigue realized that the English forces were going to win at Kinsale. His cousin, Richard, was even leading the English cavalry there. Teigue quickly moved with his Clanricarde family's help to take control of West Breifne.

Even though they lost at Kinsale, Brian Oge returned to West Breifne in early 1602. He quickly removed Teigue, who then fled to Dublin.

Teigue Becomes King of West Breifne

Teigue spent the rest of the war in Dublin. English officials welcomed him there as the rightful heir. By March 1603, a peace agreement called the Treaty of Mellifont was signed. This meant the war was mostly over. However, Brian Oge's West Breifne still resisted.

Teigue was given command of 3,000 English soldiers by the government. He was sent with Rory O'Donnell and Henry Folliott to take back West Breifne. This happened at the end of March 1603.

As a final challenge to his kingship, Teigue's army faced strong resistance. Brian Oge's forces were well-prepared. They stopped Teigue and his allies from crossing the Shannon and entering West Breifne for twelve days. When the defenses were finally broken, Teigue's forces caused a lot of damage in the kingdom. Brian Oge and other leaders loyal to him stayed hidden in their castles.

On April 25, 1603, Brian Oge fled. Teigue then became king. This was officially recognized in September 1603. King James I formally granted Teigue "the country or lordship of Breny Ui Ruairc and Muinter Eoluis."

The defeat of the Irish in the Nine Years' War changed everything. It meant the end of the old Gaelic way of ruling. The power of native kings was greatly reduced. Because of special events, Teigue was the very last king of West Breifne. He became very ill and died in late 1605.

Teigue O'Rourke's Family

Teigue was Mary O'Donnell's third husband. They had two sons. Brian was born in 1599, and Aedh (also known as Hugh) was born a year later. After Teigue died, his two young sons were placed under the care of his cousin, Richard Burke. Brian, who was the heir, went to live with Burke. Mary O'Donnell married again and settled in County Mayo. Aedh continued to live with her there. Brian later went to Oxford University. He had a son named Brian before or during his time in the Tower of London in 1619.

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