John Alen
The Most Reverend John Alen LL.D. | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Dublin Primate of Ireland | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Archdiocese | Dublin |
| Appointed | 3 September 1529 |
| In office | 1529-1534 |
| Predecessor | Hugh Inge |
| Successor | George Browne |
| Other post(s) | Lord Chancellor of Ireland |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 25 August 1499 |
| Consecration | 13 March 1530 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1476 |
| Died | 28 July 1534 Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | English |
John Alen (1476 – 28 July 1534) was an English priest and canon lawyer, whose later years were spent in Ireland. He held office as Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and was a member of the Privy Council of Ireland. In the latter office, for a few years, he played a central role in the government of Ireland.
He was murdered during the Rebellion of "Silken Thomas" Fitzgerald, 10th Earl of Kildare, who is said to have wrongly believed that Alen had been responsible for the death of Thomas's father, the 9th Earl of Kildare, who had in fact died a natural death. Despite his grievance against the archbishop, Thomas always maintained that he had intended to spare Alen's life but that his order (delivered in Irish) to "take him away" had been misinterpreted by his followers as a command to kill him.