In 1562, was in commission for presentation of the peace in
County Carlow, during the Deputy's absence in the North against
Shane O'Neill. He was knighted in 1567 and had a grant for the return of all Writs in the cantreds (
baronies) of Oremond (
Ormond Lower and
Ormond Upper), Elyogerth (
Eliogarty), and Elyocarrol (
Ikerrin) in Tipperary.
Battle of Affane During the
Battle of Affane in 1565, Edmund wounded
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond in the right hip with a pistol-shot, cracking his thigh-bone and throwing him from his mount. With their leader fallen, the
Geraldine troops were routed and the Butlers, led by Edmund's brother
Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond, pursued them to the riverbank killing about 300 Geraldines.
Butler Revolt His father died in London in 1546 when Edmund was about 12 years of age. By his father's will, he received the Dullough - the western part of the barony of Idrone, which, with the
Roscrea property, was considered to be worth £400 yearly. The 9th Earl had purchased the Dullogh from the Kavanaghs who had been in occupation of the land since before the
Norman invasion of Ireland. Sir
Peter Carew put forward his claims in right of his ancestors, the lords of Idrone. It was in defence of this property that Sir Edmund came into conflict with the Government. Edmund, then heir to his brother, earned renown when he led the Butler Revolt in 1569. Alongside his brothers Edward and Pierce, Edmund's rebellion was in direct response to the
Lord Deputy of Ireland,
Sir Henry Sidney who unjustly granted Edmund's lands in Idrone to the English adventurer Sir
Peter Carew. Edmund and his brothers responded by raiding English settlements up and down the breadth of
Leinster and were declared traitors by Sidney. This was all the more remarkable because the Butlers had long been famed for their strong loyalty to the Crown of England. Eventually Edmund's brother, the Earl of Ormond, fearing for the future of his lands and titles, responded by joining his erstwhile enemy Sidney and marched against Edmund. Under pressure from Earl Thomas, he was attainted by
Queen Elizabeth I. But on surrendering his estate to the Queen, 10 October 1570, he was pardoned, (together with his brothers Edward and Piers) dated at Gorhambury 12 March 1573, of all their treasons. While she agreed to save his life, Elizabeth did not remove the attainder on Edmund. His brothers Edward and Piers Butler remained with the Desmond forces. Nevertheless, the indefatigable Edmund, with the help of
Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne, escaped from
Dublin Castle where he was imprisoned. He rather ungallantly fell from a rope hung from the battlements and was forced to spend the night roaming around in the castle
fosse evading Sidney's troops. Following his escape from Dublin, Edmund regained control of Cloughrenan once more, however, his holdings were in a ruinous state and he never lived there again. He remained at large until his death at
Inistioge between 1580 and 1590. He is buried at
St Canice's Cathedral in
Kilkenny city.
Heirs and legacy Some years after Edmund's death,
Queen Elizabeth I reversed the
attainder on his eldest son Piers, who was granted ancestral lands in
Roscrea,
County Tipperary. Both Piers and his brother James were executed at
Thurles by their uncle Earl Thomas during another rebellion in 1596. In 1602, Elizabeth also reversed the attainder on his last remaining legitimate son
Theobald, who became the 1st Viscount of Tulleophelim and Governor of County Carlow. He was also survived by an illegitimate son
Thomas who was made a
Baronet of Cloughrenan by
King Charles I in 1628. The Butlers remained in possession of Cloughrenan until 1715, when
James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde was attainted and the lands were granted to the
Rochfort family. ==Marriage and issue==