The Battle of Piltown took place near
Piltown,
County Kilkenny in 1462 as part of the
Wars of the Roses. It was fought between the supporters of the two leading Irish
magnatesThomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond, head of the government in
Dublin and a committed
Yorkist, and
John Butler, 6th Earl of Ormond who backed the
Lancastrian cause. It ended in decisive victory for Desmond and his Yorkists, with Ormond's army suffering more than a thousand casualties. This effectively ended Lancastrian hopes in Ireland and bolstered FitzGerald control for a further half-century.[1] The Ormonds departed into exile, although they were later pardoned by
Edward IV.[2]
1 Briefly joined the Lancastrians. 2 Briefly joined the Yorkists. 3 Defected from the Yorkist to the Lancastrian cause. 4 Initially a Yorkist who later supported the Tudor claim. 5 Initially a Lancastrian who later supported the Tudor claim.