The earldom of Ormond was originally created in 1328 for
James Butler. For many subsequent years, the earls took significant roles in the government of Ireland, and kept a tradition of loyalty to the English crown and to English custom. Several of the earls also had reputations as scholars. The fifth earl was created
Earl of Wiltshire (1449) in the
Peerage of England, but he was
attainted in 1461 and his peerages were declared forfeit. The earldom of Ormond was restored to his younger brother, John Butler, the sixth earl, in 1476. Thomas, the 7th earl, died without issue in 1515; the
de facto, if not indeed the
de jure earl,
Piers Butler, a cousin of the 7th Earl, was induced to resign his rights to the title in 1528. This facilitated the next creation by awarding the titles of Ormond and Wiltshire to
Thomas Boleyn, who was the father of
Anne Boleyn. At that time, Anne was the mistress of King
Henry VIII of England. As a maternal grandson of the 7th Earl, Thomas Boleyn had a slim claim to the title. Through his daughter, Anne, he was the grandfather of
Elizabeth I of England. On the death of Boleyn, these peerages of the second creation became extinct because he lacked male heirs, his son
George having been executed for treason. As a reward for his patriotism and generosity, Piers Butler was created
Earl of Ossory five days after resigning his rights to the other titles. The third creation for Piers Butler (in 1538) merely recognised the reality of the situation prior to the Boleyn irruption, and in 1544 an act of parliament confirmed him in the possession of his earldom, which was declared to be the creation of 1328, and not the new creation of 1538. James Butler, the fifth earl of this creation, was made
Marquess of Ormonde (1642) and
Duke of Ormonde (1660) in the
Peerage of Ireland, and
Duke of Ormonde (1682) in the
Peerage of England. Through his marriage with his cousin Elizabeth Preston, granddaughter of the third earl, he had reunited the titles with the Ormonde estates. After 1682, the spelling "Ormonde" was used almost universally. ==Other titles held by the earls==