Richard Creagh

Richard Creagh ( Irish Risteard Craobhach , Risteárd Ó Maoilchraoibhe ; * 1523 in Limerick , † December 1586 in London ) was an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman and Archbishop of Armagh from 1564 until his death . He died in the Tower of London as a victim of Elizabethan church politics .

Life

Career

Creagh came from a wealthy Gaelic- Irish merchant family who had lived in Limerick for generations, and had a commercial education. His decision to become a priest is explained by the early biographers partly with disgust at fraudulent practices in the trade, partly with an experience of shipwreck off Spain. After attending the Latin school in Limerick, Creagh went to Leuven in 1549 , where he studied philosophy and theology with an imperial scholarship . There he was ordained a priest . In 1557, at the time of the Catholic Restoration under Maria Tudor , he returned to Limerick, where he founded and directed a high school in the former Dominican monastery .

In addition to his academic interest in the geography and history of Ireland, his aim was to carry out the Tridentine reforms in his homeland, primarily through thorough training of the future clergy. Pope Pius IV commissioned him to found a papal college in Ireland. The ecclesiastical political situation changed again when Elizabeth I came to power in 1558. Catholicism was again pushed into the underground or into emigration. During this period, Creagh played a key role in the creation of Irish colleges on mainland Europe.

Elevation to Archbishop

In Leuven, Ignatius von Loyola had proposed Creagh for the occupation of vacant Irish bishoprics, but had refused. In 1562 he allowed himself to be moved to Rome . There he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh in Ulster in 1564 and consecrated . On the return journey he met a. a. Petrus Canisius .

As Archbishop and Primate of Ireland, Creagh planned to combine church fellowship with Rome and the rejection of the Supreme Oath with loyalty to the Protestant Queen as secular head of state. He maintained this position in the later interrogations. However, it was not acceptable to the crown, nor to the most powerful clan chief of Ulster Shane O'Neill . This sought a rebellion against the English rule. He also had church career plans for his own family members that Creagh stood in the way.

Years of Imprisonment and Death

On the way back from Rome, Creagh was arrested and imprisoned first in Dublin Castle , then in the spring of 1565 in the Tower of London. There he was interrogated three times by William Cecil . On the Sunday after Easter, Creagh managed to escape from the tower - it is said that several doors were open and the guards let him pass unmolested. Although a reward was offered for his capture, he was able to cross over to Flanders .

This was followed by a stay of several months in Leuven with close contact with the Roman Curia. In preparation for his return to Ireland, Creagh traveled to Madrid in 1566 and briefed Philip II on the situation. At the same time, he wrote to seek contact with the royal government in London.

In the summer of 1566, Creagh returned to Ireland to take up his post in Armagh. Attempts to reach an understanding with Shane O'Neill, mediated by double player Bishop Miler Magrath , failed and ended with the destruction of the cathedral. O'Neill and Magrath charged heresy against Creagh for his loyalty to English rule. He tried again to mediate, but without success.

On April 27, 1567, Creagh was recognized while traveling and arrested again. He managed to escape again in Dublin, but was captured again and taken to the Tower of London, this time under harsher conditions. Philip II of Spain therefore intervened personally with Elizabeth I; Creagh viewed this as a traitor and had him tried in Ireland in 1570. The local court found him not guilty, as he was able to credibly refute the accusation of a conspiracy with Shane O'Neill († June 2, 1567) and reaffirmed his loyalty to the queen - with the exception of the ecclesiastical supremacy. But at the direction of the Privy Council , he was taken to Dublin Castle in chains and held there for almost five years. During this time he had the opportunity to strengthen the Catholic forces in Dublin. In 1575 he was again brought to the Tower of London.

Meanwhile, Creagh's health had suffered badly. One leg was paralyzed by the bondage. He applied to the Privy Council for release into exile and promised to refrain from anything that could disturb the Queen's government. Since he had meanwhile become a symbolic figure known throughout Europe and was held in high regard, especially by Irish law students in London, the Privy Council found his release too dangerous; only the conditions of detention were eased. The attempt to destroy his reputation in 1577 by alleging sexual abuse of the daughter of one of his guards ended with the witness being withdrawn.

Creagh was repeatedly subjected to severe interrogation whenever insurgent tendencies arose in Ireland, for example during the second Desmond Rebellion in 1580. While in custody he had the opportunity of extensive correspondence. More and more he became the identification figure of all Catholic "confessors".

His name appears for the last time on a Tower prison list in late 1586, along with that of Robert Poleys , a royal spy . He is said to have killed him with a piece of poisoned cheese, possibly in the course of preparing for the execution of Maria Stuart .

Aftermath

While contemporary English historiography sought to wipe out Creagh's memory, he was considered a martyr in Ireland by 1590 at the latest . Its lasting importance lies in the connection of Irish-Gaelic origin and language - also in teaching and science - and Catholic beliefs with the affirmation of English supremacy and the cultural achievements of the Elizabethan age .

In 1998, the beatification of Richard Creagh and 41 other Irish martyrs was requested in Rome.

Works

• Chronicon Hiberniae
• Topographia Hiberniae
• Treatise on Irish grammar
• The essential duty of a Christian , Anglo-Gaelic catechism , around 1560

literature

• Colm Lennon: "A dangerous man to be among the Irish". Archbishop Richard Creagh & the early Irish Counter-Reformation . In: History Ireland , Vol. 8 (2000), Issue 3, pp. 27–31, ISSN  0791-8224 ( digitized version )

Web links

• Entry to Richard Creagh on catholic-hierarchy.org
• Article by Creagh, Richard ( Catholic Encyclopedia )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Irish name forms according to Ainm.ie, Beathaisnéisí Gaeilge , Risteard Craobhach according to Foras feasa ar Éirinn by Seathrún Céitinn
2. ↑ The date of death October 14, 1585 ( catholic-hierarchy.org ) does not fit.
3. ↑ Lennon p. 31
4. ^ Catholicireland.net

predecessor	Office	successor
Donat O'Teige	Archbishop of Armagh 1564–1585	Edmund Magauran