Kildare, title of the FitzGerald earldom (later a marquisate) of Leinster, the most long‐lived, though by no means consistently the most powerful, of the three great dynasties stretching back to the
Anglo‐Norman conquest (see
desmond,
ormond). The earldom was created in 1316, but it was the 7th earl (see
Kildare, Thomas Fitgerald) who laid the foundations for the family's power, recovering lost lands and serving repeatedly as chief governor. The family fortunes reached a peak under the 8th earl (see
Kildare, Gerald Fitzgerald) but were destroyed when his grandson launched the disastrous
Kildare rebellion. Gerald FitzGerald (1525–85), younger son of the 9th earl, was restored as 11th earl in 1554, but was suspected of treasonable conspiracy with his cousin Shane
O'Neill, and later of complicity in
Baltinglass's rebellion.
The Kildare family returned to political prominence in the 18th century. Robert FitzGerald (1675–1744), 19th earl, served as a
lord justice in the tense period after the death of Queen Anne in 1714 and built a new residence at Carton to replace the castle at Maynooth. James FitzGerald (1722–73), 20th earl of Kildare, enjoyed a popular reputation as a
patriot politician. He supported Henry Boyle during the
money bill dispute, but subsequently came to terms with the administration, serving as lord justice 1756–7 and master‐general of the ordnance 1758–66. He became marquis of Kildare in 1761 and duke of Leinster in 1766. His Dublin town house, Leinster House, is now the headquarters of
Dáil Éireann.
