1569-83 Munster & Geraldine Flashcards
What year was the Munster rebellion?
1569 to 1573
What year was the Geraldine rebellion?
1579 to 1583
Give an overview of the Munster rebellion
The Fitzgerald/Munster rebellion was a response to English plantations in Munster. It started as a private war between the Earls of Desmond and Ormonde, but Desmond’s cousin appealed for foreign help and this worried Elizabeth. The unrest was quickly put down
Give an overview of the Geraldine rebellion
James Fitzgerald fled to Rome after the Munster rebellion but returned to lead the Geraldine rebellion. The protests were about the increased English control and the imposition of English reform. Although Fitzgerald was killed, his brother succeeded him as Earl of Desmond and took over the rebellion
Who led the rebellions?
James Fitzgerald
Earl of Desmond
How did the English respond to the Munster rebellion?
The English responded brutally. Sir Humphrey Gilbert committed atrocities – forcing Irishmen who came to his tent to walk between two rows of severed heads. 800 rebels were executed
Who supported the Geraldine rebellion?
Pope Gregory had given him letters to support the crusade
What was the significance of Elizabeth’s excommunication in the Geraldine rebellion?
An ardent supporter of the Counter Reformation, Desmond proclaimed a Holy War in support of a Papal bull (1570) that had excommunicated Elizabeth
Why did the rebellions fail?
English spending – an army of 6,500 was eventually raised – and English brutality. Nearly 2,000 men were massacred over the course of the rebellion, including the whole of a Spanish landing force of 600
Failure of the Desmonds to secure significant foreign backing despite Fitzgerald spending several years raising funds and men in Spain
Internal squabbles between Irish clans – the absence of Desmond and Butler in London resolving a spat was the spark for English incursions The Butlers then sided with the English and sent 4,500 men to besiege Desmond’s main castle
