William De Burgh, Earl of Ulster, Is Assassinated by His Own Knights
June 06, 1333
William de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster, known as “The Brown Earl”, is assassinated in 1333 by his own knights — John de Logan and two members of the de Mandeville family — at Le Ford, near Belfast. His murder was the result of intense rivalries and intrigue among the Norman-Irish lords, and it triggered a period of political instability in Ulster. The power vacuum following his death ultimately contributed to the decline of Norman control in parts of Ireland.