Topic 3.7 Flashcards
the pale
the area that surrounded Dublin. Traditionally, English rule did not extend ‘beyond the Pale’. Lands beyond the Pale were known as the Irishry
summary of the 9 years war
In 1595, rebellion against English rule in Ireland broke out. The reasons for the revolt was a mixture of long-term and short-term problems. The English monarchy had long attempted to extend its control in Ireland; the need to do this was increased as a result of the break with Rome in the 1530s, which created additional religious tensions. Meanwhile, the Anglo-Irish lords, who traditionally ruled most of Ireland, felt increasingly alienated and threatened by English policy. The result was a rebellion that the English authorities struggled to contain, which was made worse by the wider context of England’s going to war with Spain and the threat of Spanish intervention in Ireland.
tanistry
-inheritance of lands and titles did not necessarily move from father to eldest son, as it did in england, the tanist (heir) could be a nephew, a cousin or a more distant relative from the same family.
why was ireland becoming threatening to england?
-because after the reformation Ireland remained Roman Catholic - this was threatening because if there was to be a Catholic crusade against England then Ireland would be supportive of it.
long-term causes of the rebellion
- in 1541, irish chieftains agreed to recognise Henry’s right to be king of ireland; the english gov also encouraged the anglo-irish nobility to surrender lands to the crown. these lands were then re-granted to the anglo-irish; the irish nobility were to be tenants-in-chief of the english crown and they were given english titles
- anglo-irish nobility continued however to remain semi-independent. in response, mary appointed an english lord deputy, earl of sussex. Sussex started a new trend in the english response to the problem in ireland. he fortified the pale and then encouraged english settlers to move into territory just outside the pale. the idea was to ‘civilse’ the irish by introducing english customs and practices; aka plantation
-the english aimed to convert the irish - they believed it was their duty
-the english viewed the irish as inferiors - they believed they were backward and superstitious
-English were protestants
what did QE do in order to avoid another rebellion which consisted of religion?
- she replaced the irish laws and traditions with those of England:
^ for example the English gov tried to establish councils to govern the regions of Connaught and Munster -> these councils modelled on the council of the north and wales and were led by a president
^ in a further attempt to anglicise the Irish gov, the traditional irish regions were subdivided into English-style counties, which were run under traditional english methods - using officials such as sheriffs
how was the rebellion in Munster in 1579-83 supressed?
-brutally - rebels were hunted down and executed and they had their lands taken -> used to encourage plantations by english settlers
^ as a result of that rebellion being supressed so brutally and the lands being taken away from the rebels - how many english settlers were then in munster in 1592?
775 - the settlers were in fact outnumbered by the indigenous irish in the region, nevertheless their presence caused resentment
how did the irish resentment grow and how were the two clans united against a common enemy?
- the irish resentment grew as a result of two english courtiers earl of essex and sir thomas smith aiming for plantation in the Ulster region - which had remained gaelic (limited of any english control)
^ the plantation failed -> plantations had been resisted by both clans O’Neills and O’Donnells - uniting them against a common enemy - since previous to this they were rivals as a result of the ruling of Ulster
^the english responded with violence - in 1574 200 members of the O’Neill clan were massacred at a feast to which they had been invited by the english -> in 1575 500 members of the O’Donnells were killed in a surprise raid
^ as a consequence QE called off the plantations. - but the damage had already been done
why was there resentment Among O’Neill and other ulster lords?
-because there were new attempts by the English to settle in ulster
- O’Donnell was kidnapped and imprisoned by the English to make his father obey English rule
^ he began to plot against the ENGS after escaping
- O’Donnell was kidnapped and imprisoned by the English to make his father obey English rule
-Maguire was also resentful about English intrusions to Fermanagh - where he previously controlled
^^ both Maguire and O’donell had links to earl of tyrone - they were his sons’ in law -> this exacerbated O’Neill stance against the ENGS
why was O’Neill willing to cooperate with the English at first? (hint: his title earl of tyrone)
-O’Neill wanted to assert his right to be Turlough L O’Neill’s heir -> so he accepted his title as he needed English support that would assist him
why did O’Neill’s cooperation with the Engs stop?
-the English were sought to assert their power more directly in Ulster.
what created personal enmity between tyrone and Henry bagenal?
tyrone’s elopement with Bagenal’s sister
English mismanagement of anglo-irish chieftains
-in 1593 Maguire launched an attack on English officials in Sligo -> Tyrone was ordered to arrest Maguire, as the leading lord of the region, but he refused
-Maguire then attacked English garrison -> Tyrone was forced to cooperate with sir Henry bagenal - and helped capture Maguire
^ tyrone was not happy by the fact that he wasn’t acknowledged by Bagenal and retired to his estates
^ he felt under threat from engs
what did tyrone really want in order to adopt the English style gov, such as sheriffs and Eng court laws?
overall charge of Ulster
tyrone was not the only one who felt overlooked in favour of Englishmen with connections to Elizabeth’s court…
Appointments to office in Ireland were dominated by minor English officials
^ this situation increased the resentment of the Anglo-Irish
what pushed tyrone to rebel?
-in 1593 O’Donnell had been in touch with Philip II of Spain to ask for support (it was denied due to Spain dealing with trouble in the Netherlands)
-in 1594 O’Donnell and Maguire besieged English held Enniskillen Castle -> ambushed an English relief force heading for Enniskillen, killing 56 English soldiers
-in 1594 Tyrone presented himself to the new Lord deputy, Russell, and promised to restore peace in Ulster and cooperate with the ENG gov in return for complete control of ulster
-Russell was prepared to believe tyrone, as he was inexperienced, and did not arrest him - he was even allowed to keep his private army
^ QE’s gov was not prepared to give tyrone control as they distrusted his intentions
^ this led him to ultimately rebel.
why was tyrone so successful in his rebellion?
-his rebel army was large and well-organised
- he used english and spanish captains to train his men and imported weapons and ammunition
- he led an army of 1000 cavalry, 4000 musketmen and 1000 pikemen (total 6000)
- had the support of ulster chieftains (his sons in law)
- traditional feuds were forgotten and they were all united to a common enemy.
- they used modern equipment: muskets and pikes (the ENGS used spears and axes)
- his force was supplemented by deserters from the ENG army - they were irishmen recruited by the ENGS, however they remained loyal to their irish roots and joined tyrone
- his cavalry was better-trained than the ENG horsemen
where did the rebellion first spread to?
Connaught , Leinster and Munster
who were key supporters of Tyrone’s?
-MacCarthy and Fitzthomas
