5.1) ireland c1688-1730 Flashcards
which king invaded ireland and when?
1169 - king henry II invaded ireland and started an english colony -> from then on, english kings saw themselves as rulers of england
- he controlled a small part of the country called pale and anyone living outside that area faced racism
- when england became protestant in the middle ages, ireland remained catholic
why did english monarchs set up plantations in ireland in the c16th and c17th?
- they encouraged thousands of scottish end english protestant settlers to take over large parts of irish land and set up plantations
- at the time ireland was governed by a lord deputy appointed by the english monarch and the irish parliament was protestant dominated and only the wealthy (mainly protestants) had a vote
- this was a mode of asserting english protestant power over a majority catholic ireland (and to drive them out)
why did most irish catholics support james II?
- his declaration for the liberty of conscience (1687) which granted religious freedom to all christians was popular
- he promised to give the irish parliament parliament greater powers
- james made an irish catholic lord deputy (richard talbot) and built up catholic membership in the army
why were the protestant settlements called ‘plantations’?
- protestant people were being planted in ireland to colonise it
- vast areas of irish land was confiscated and handed to to the protestant settlers -> an example of this is ulster which became a scottish settlement
- the intention was that settlers loyal to the english throne would be able to control ireland
- only english laws and customs were permitted within the plantations
where were the catholics forced to live?
- irish catholics were forced to live outside the high walls of derry (called bogside)
- the irish catholic majority resented the plantations and there were many uprisings against them
- english policy created a deep divide
what did king louis XIV want james to do?
- after william’s invasion in 1688, the king pressed him to return and win back the ‘three kingdoms’ (ireland, scotland and england) by military force
where did james’ support come from? and what did james do in ireland?
- most irish catholics were jacobites
- tyrconnell, the lord deputy of ireland, formed a jacobite army
- in 1689, james landed in irealnd with 6000 french troops and held a parliament
- this passed a law giving confiscated land back to the former catholic owners
- also declared that english parliament had no right to make laws governing ireland
when did the war in ireland take place?
1689-91
what happened at the battle of boyne
1690
- it was a confused encounter with no clear winner but james lost heart and left ireland
- many soldiers deserted the army and the jacobites retreated from dublin
- despite this, the war carried on
what happened at the battle of aughrim?
1691
- this was the final battle - 7000 were killed on both sides but william clearly won
what was the outcome of the war in ireland?
1691 - both sides signed the treaty of limerick which marked the end of the war
what were the terms of the treaty of limerick?
those who fought for james were given three choices:
- to join william’s army
- return home
- continue following james’ army in france which meant leaving ireland forever
what were the longer term consequences of the war?
- 14,000 soldiers chose to return to france which removed the risk of the fighting continuing
- jacobite landowners were told they could their land if they pledged allegiance to william and mary
- but he did not stick to this promises in the treaty and many people’s land was taken away
- irish catholics lost their land, political power and army so they were totally excluded for the next 200 years
what were the penal laws?
1691-1728 - laws governing what catholics could do in ireland
- 1695: weapons taken away, banned from studying overseas, priests and bishops banished
- 1704: inheritance rights taken away, no longer have the right to buy and lease property, some professions restricted, not allowed to hold a public position unless they become protestant
- 1728: not allowed to vote
what was the protestant ascendancy?
- the system favoured the wealthy protestants - they saw themselves as the only true ‘irish nation’ whose god-given right to rule was proved by williamite victories in battle
why were there divides amongst the protestants?
- the ascendancy class belonged to the church of ireland
- but most of the scottish settlers were presbyterians
- presbyterians suffered laws discriminating against them (like the catholics)
- there was a division of class between the protestant ascendancy and the catholics and protestant poor
what was england’s relationship with ireland viewed as during 1691?
- the protestant ascendancy saw their relationship with england as one of siblings or two parallel kingdoms
- but london viewed ireland as a colony -> england was the ‘parent’ and ireland was the child
- london expected ireland to accept second-class status
what ‘parent’ impositions did england make on ireland?
- 1699: to protect english exports, the english woollen act made it illegal for the irish to export woollen cloth outside of the british isles
- 1720: the declaratory act ruled that the british parliament had the right to make laws for ireland for ‘all reasons whatsoever’. the irish house of lords no longer had the right
- 1722-25: the british gov. gave the right to manufacture irish halfpennies to an english entrepreneur, against the will of the irish protestants
what changes took place in ireland?
- woods were like cattle and the growth of thr potato took over - it was brought over to america and proved to be well-suited to irish conditions
- by 1700s it was the staple diet in many homes
- there was little manufacturing in ireland and many were dependent on crop growth so when they failed, there was a famine
