Chapter 10 - Plantations Flashcards
1
Q
What was the Pale? How was it founded, and describe some ways in which it differed from the rest of Ireland
A
- A strip of land from Bray to Dundalk which was the base of English rule in Ireland
- English first came to Ireland in 1167, Dermot Mac Murrough (king of Leinster) invited group of Norman lords led by Strongbow to Ireland
- Differed from rest in number of ways:
- spoke English instead of Irish
- practiced tillage farming (crops) instead of raising cattle + sheep
- ruled by English common law rather than Gaelic Brehon law
- loyal to king of England rather than local lord/chieftain
2
Q
Describe the main reason for the occurrence of the Plantations, + what Henry VIII first did to try and solve this
A
- Wars were expensive, English monarchs in 16th century hated having to pay for a war, win it, then come back + fight another one a few years later
- First tried ‘Surrender + Regrant’ - Old English Lord’s + Gaelic Chieftains of Ireland would surrender land, swear oath of allegiance to king, then get land back on promise of loyalty + English title
- Short-term solution designed to save money, failed to extend English law outside the Pale
- Did result in significant weakening of power of Gaelic clans - fought over English tradition of eldest son inheriting all (went against traditional Brehon law)
3
Q
Give a brief description of the Laois-Offaly plantation
A
- Officially began in 1557 under Queen Mary
- Bc Gaelic families kept raiding Pale (black rent)
- New fortresses + roads built
- Planters had to follow strict set of rules (e.g. employ only loyal subjects as servants/labourers; use English farming practices)
- Failed bc once army left, planters had no real protection, living in Irish wilds didn’t attract many planters, too few English settlers
available to forced to employ Gaelic Irish - Queen Mary died in 1558, Liz too busy ensuring she remained in power to pay attention to events in Ireland
4
Q
Brief description of Munster plantation
A
- Liz determined to spread her religion + rule of English law in Ireland - met with resistance from Fitzgerald of Desmond, horrible 4 year rebellion
- Ordered plantation for same reasons as L-O
- V. big estates, land granted to loyal subjects of queen, new towns built, undertakers promised to employ only English settlers
- Again proved impossible, Gaelic worked for less
- But wasn’t complete failure: English farming practices took hold, new plantation towns grew + prospered
- English were learning lessons about plantations they would put into practice in most successful, Munster
5
Q
What was the Nine Years War?
A
- In 1594, great rebellion broke out against English rule - turned into 9 years war, led by Earl of Tyrone, Hugh O’ Neill
- Determined to maintain lands + resist Protestantism
- Was as bloody as Desmond rebellion in early 1580s, rebels at first successful at breaking English power in Ireland
- Had little hope of completely defeating english without help from Liz’s Spanish enemies - but arrival of Spaniards actually meant success for English
- In December 1601, Spanish force arrive in Kinsale, Cork - 100s of miles from O’N stronghold in Ulster
- O’N+D matched south to meet spaniards, but English army led by Lord Mountjoy arrived first + smashed Spanish force on Christmas Eve 1601 a then turned around + defeated exhausted Irish
- This marked final defeat for power of Gaelic families in Ireland - war dragged on for 2 more years, but O’N finally forced to surrender in 1603
- Treaty of Mellifont ended war - said that O’N could keep lands as long as accepted English rule in Ireland
- O’N + fellow lords found it impossible living under total English control, left Ireland in The Flight of the Earls (1607)
- Most went to Rome where given assistance by Pope
6
Q
Give an overview of the Ulster Plantation
A
- Liz died + succeeded by James I in 1603
- When Gaelic lords left on 14 September 1607, declared them traitors + confiscated lands - like those before, determined to pacify lands he’d won after such a long + costly war
- Lessons learned from other 2, carefully planned + ready to begin by 1609
- Proved to be a success (unlike others), large population of loyal subjects successfully planted in FATDCD (Armagh)
- Success evident in large population of unionists in Northern Ireland today (many of these descendants of planters who came in early 1700s)
7
Q
Describe the features of the Ulster Plantation
A
- Size of estates awarded to planters limited in comparison to Munster Plantations - they were too large + difficult to manage, here maximum was 2000 acres
- Servitors (men who had served in English army during 9 years war) awarded land - tough, experienced fighters who wouldn’t be easily driven from new land
- Gaelic Irish divided by Plantation - those who were regarded as loyal to king allowed to retain lands, many of those who lost lands had to live as outlaws, scavenging for food + attacking settlers (these dispossessed nicknamed tories)
- Derry given over to control of London Trade Guilds, very clever political move from James, increased popularity in capital - renamed Londonderry
- Many of planters were tough Scots Presbyterians (John Knox in 16th century) - like servitors, were tough people who wouldn’t be driven from land like many had been in other 2
- Despised Catholics, felt it was God’s will that they be driven from land - this religious difference reinforced resistance of planters, major reason for success of Ulster Plantation
- Undertakers built stone houses + stone-walled defensive enclosures called bawns to protect selves from attack
- Practice of building towns (started in L-O) which would offer protection to planters in times of crisis perfected in Ulster (Omagh, Enniskillen, Virginia, Belfast) - quickly became important centres of population + trade
- Use of land changed radically - before Plantation Gaelic family had practised pastoral farming, keeping animals
- new settlers successfully employed English farming methods - practised arable farming (growing crops e.g. wheat + oats)
- soil in Ulster proved particularly suitable for production of flax (used to make linen) - one of main reasons why industrial revolution came to Ulster during 19th century but bypassed rest of country) - As in earlier 2, proved impossible to successfully work land without native Irish population - most became farm labourers, continued to work land as had done before Plantation
- crucial difference was in ownership, native population lost control of land - created level of resentment that would grow over coming centuries
8
Q
Account of the effects of the Ulster Plantation on political control
A
- Gaelic chieftains who controlled Ulster had left in 1607 in Flight of the Earls, and they were replaced by people of English/Scottish birth (planters), who ruled on behalf of the crown
- Gaelic Irish had been left behind, and nothing they could do about the new planters control as the Plantation had been so well + carefully planned
- English monarchs considered planters to be far more dependable than Irish bc loyal to crown - handed them all power
- Irish Catholic viewed as inferior, forced to work on the land they’d previously owned as farm labourers for the new English + Scottish planters
- Conditions under received land were more strict than in previous plantations, this ensured control of planted area remained in hands of planters (loyal to crown)
- Judges + magistrates appointed to enforce English law
- Towns received charters giving citizens authority to impose various regulations on both residents + visitors
- Plantations caused Irish Catholics to deeply resent planters, this continue for centuries with division of people into Unionists + Nationalists
9
Q
Account of the effects of the Ulster Plantation on religion
A
- During 16th century, John Knox had converted much of Scotland to Presbyterianism - these Scots planters made up large portion of planters (tough, couldn’t be driven from land)
- Others were largely Anglican (English) - therefore Protestantism introduced to Ulster
- Religious differences caused tension between native pop + settlers (Presbyterians despised papists, believed it was God’s will they be driven from their lands)
- Settlers build new churches + took over the Catholic Churches
- Land set aside for the building of Royal Schools for Protestant kids
- Present-day sectarianism is a legacy of this, + centuries of tensions, conflict + division of people into Unionists + Nationalists
10
Q
Account of the effects of the Ulster Plantation on culture + customs
A
- English language replaced Irish over much of area planted
- English common law replaced Brehon law as law of Ulster
- Planters brought modern farming methods with them, cattle farming favoured by Irish gave way to tillage farming (crops)
- Some of Scottish settlers skilled in textiles, also discovered flax grew v. well in Ulster, textile industry flourished in Ulster over coming centuries
- New towns built in Ulster, designed along line of English towns (e.g. Omagh, Eniskillen, Virginia, Belfast)
- Towns received charters which allowed them to hold markets + fairs)