Godert de Ginkell, 1st Earl of Athlone

Infobox Person
name = Godert de Ginkell


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caption = 1st Earl of Athlone
birth_date = 1630
birth_place = Utrecht
death_date = 1703
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occupation = General
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Godert de Ginkell, 1st Earl of Athlone, or Godart van Ginkel, and in the Netherlands known as Godard, Baron van Reede (Utrecht, 1630 – February 11, 1703, Utrecht) was a Dutch general in the service of England.

He came of a noble family, and bore the title of Baron van Reede, being the eldest son of Godart Adrian van Reede, Baron Ginkel. In his youth, he entered the Dutch army, and in 1688, he followed William, Prince of Orange, in his expedition to England — the "Glorious Revolution" which deposed James II. In the following year, he distinguished himself by a memorable exploit the pursuit, defeat and capture of a Scottish regiment that had mutinied for James at Ipswich, and was marching northward across the fens. It was the alarm excited by this mutiny that facilitated the passing of the first Mutiny Act. In 1690, Ginkel accompanied William III to Ireland to put down the Irish Jacobites, and commanded a body of Dutch cavalry at the Battle of the Boyne. On the King's return to England, General Ginkel was entrusted with the conduct of the war. (See also Williamite war in Ireland).

He took the field in the spring of 1691, and established his headquarters at Mullingar. Among those who held a command under him was the Marquis of Ruvigny, the recognized chief of the Huguenot refugees. Early in June, Ginkel took the fortress of Ballymore, capturing the whole garrison of 1,000 men. The English lost only eight men. After reconstructing the fortifications of Ballymore, the army marched to Athlone, then one of the most important of the fortified towns of Ireland and key to the Jacobite defensive position, as it bridged the river Shannon. The Irish defenders of the place were commanded by a distinguished French general, the Marquis de St Ruth. The firing began on June 19, and on June 30 the town was stormed, the Irish army retreating towards Galway, and took up their next defensive position at Aughrim. Having strengthened the fortifications of Athlone and having left a garrison there, Ginkel led the English, on 12 July, to Aughrim. The subsequent Battle of Aughrim all but decided the war in the Williamites' favour. An immediate attack was resolved on, and, after a severe and at one time doubtful contest, the crisis was precipitated by the fall of Saint-Ruth, and the disorganized Irish were defeated and fled. A horrible slaughter of the Irish followed the struggle, and 4,000 corpses were left unburied on the field, besides a multitude of others that lay along the line of the retreat.

Galway next capitulated, its garrison being permitted to retire to Limerick. There the viceroy Tyrconnell was in command of a large force, but his sudden death early in August left the command in the hands of General Patrick Sarsfield and the Frenchman Dusson. The English came in sight of the town on the day of Tyrconnell's death, and the bombardment and siege were immediately begun. Ginkel, by a bold device, crossed the River Shannon and captured the camp of the Irish cavalry. A few days later he stormed the fort on Thomond Bridge, and after difficult negotiations a capitulation was signed — the Treaty of Limerick, the terms of which were divided into a civil and a military treaty. Thus was completed the conquest or pacification of Ireland, and the services of the Dutch general were amply recognized and rewarded. He received the formal thanks of the House of Commons, and was created by the king 1st earl of Athlone and baron of Aughrim. The immense forfeited estates of the Earl of Limerick were given to him, but the grant was a few years later revoked by the English parliament. The earl continued to serve in the English army, and accompanied the king to the continent in 1693. He fought at the sieges of Namur and the Battle of Neerwinden, and assisted in destroying the French magazine at Givet. In 1702, waiving his own claims to the position of commander-in-chief, he commanded the Dutch serving under the duke of Marlborough.

He was succeeded by his son the 2nd earl (1668–1719), a distinguished soldier in the reigns of William III and Queen Anne. On the death of the 10th earl without issue in 1844, the title became extinct.

See also

* List of people on stamps of Ireland