Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare, also known as Silken Thomas, was a leading figure in 16th-century Irish history.
Thomas Fitz Gerald, 10th Earl of Kildare
Illustration of the Earl of Kildare throwing down the sword of state.
Gallowglass
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The gallowglasses were a class of elite mercenary warriors in Ireland, who were originally members of Norse-Gaelic clans from the Scottish Highlands prior to arriving in Ireland between the mid-13th c
Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare
…intended the same fate for himself and his uncles. He summoned the council to St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin, and on 11 June 1534, accompanied by 140 armoured gallowglasses with silk fringes on their helmets (from which he got his nickname), rode to the abbey and publicly renounced his allegiance to his cousin King Henry…
15th-century depiction of gallowglasses on Felim O'Connor's tomb
Irish gallowglass and kern. Drawing by Albrecht Dürer, 1521. This is now thought to have been derived from a 1518 written account by Laurent Vital, rather than a drawing from life.