Charles Edward Jennings
Irish soldier (1751–1799)
Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine (19 October 1751 – 11 December 1799) was an Irish-born French army officer who served under Napoleon. He was a staunch supporter of Irish independence from British rule in Ireland, while being an active supporter of the French Revolution. Kilmaine is known to have been an associate of Wolfe Tone, Thomas Paine and Napper Tandy.
Kilmaine served in both the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. He played a minor role in Irish Rebellion of 1798, going as far as to set up secret meetings between Tone and Napoleon. Kilmaine was known for being one of the most charismatic Irish generals of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic period. Though he was not ennobled, he is sometimes referred to as de Kilmaine and Baron de Kilmaine in reference to the Jennings's ancestral home in Kilmaine, County Mayo.
Early life
Jennings was born on 19 October 1751 in Dublin at Saul's Court, Temple Bar. His father, Dr. Theobald Jennings of Polaniran (Irish: Poll an Iarainn) (Ironpool), near Tuam, County Galway, was a prominent physician who married a cousin, Eleanor Saul, daughter of Laurence Saul, a wealthy Dublin distiller.
The public source identifies “Charles Edward Jennings” as irish soldier (1751–1799). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Charles, Edward and Jennings.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Charles Edward Jennings”, the useful work is to connect “irish soldier (1751–1799)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2960764. The first chronological checks are 1751, 1799 and 1798.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Charles Edward Jennings”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Charles Edward Jennings primary sources, Charles Edward Jennings archive and Charles research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Charles Edward Jennings”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Charles Edward Jennings” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.