Thomas Butler, earl of Ossory, was a widely recognised hero of his time and his life story directly reflects the turbulent nature of seventeenth-century British and Irish politics. Heir to the first duke of Ormond, Ireland's premier nobleman, Ossory aggressively defended his father's interests at Whitehall and Westminster and twice deputized for him as governor of Ireland. Ossory's European-wide reputation was based on his military exploits at sea during the Anglo-Dutch wars and fighting against the armies of Louis XIV on the continent. He was a popular figure who counted contemporaries such as Prince William of Orange, Lord Arlington and the diarist John Evelyn amongst his closest friends.
