Tyrone's Rebellion Flashcards
Why was Elizabeth reluctant to raise taxes to fund the war in Ireland?
Required calling Parliament and facing criticisms from the Puritan choir
How much was maintenance of troops in Ireland by 1597?
£300,000 - the single largest expense for the English government
How many troops were sent to Ireland between 1594-1602?
30,000
What did the taxes called to fund the war coincide with?
The economic crisis of the 1590s
What main 3 reasons meant Tyrone’s rebellion took 9 years to suppress?
- cost
- military
- Spanish support
What was the fault with English troops in Ireland?
Untrained and disloyal
What did the Kentish cavalry do in 1600?
Mutinied after being ordered to fight in Ireland
How did Spanish support elongate Tyrone’s rebellion?
Gave the Irish a source of hope and a source of concern for the English
How was Tyrone’s military threatening?
Tyrone’s troops were far more disciplined and experienced in the landscape than the English
How was Tyrone’s leadership threatening?
Skilful and successfully used religious propaganda
How was the English leadership limited in Tyrone’s?
Essex was a poor military commander and English leadership was overly ambitious and divided
How was support for Tyrone’s rebellion threatening?
Spread throughout Ireland and across clans and well as Spain
How was Tyrone’s military not threatening?
Less capable in conventional battle, never challenged the Pale
How was English leadership strong in Tyrone’s?
Mountjoy was an experienced general
How was Tyrone’s support limited?
Spanish support was insignificant and Tyrone was distrusted by many in Ireland
How did Spain view Ireland?
As a crucial launchpad to destabilise England, a Catholic crusade
How many troops did Spain promise to Ireland and how many were actually delivered?
- 6,000
- 3,400
What did Tyrone offer to the leader of the Spanish Netherlands in exchange for troops and resources?
The crown of Ireland
Why were Irish chiefs united?
English as a common enemy
How many cavalry, musketmen and pikemen were in Tyrone’s army?
- 1,000
- 4,000
- 1,000
When was the Siege of Dunboy?
1602
Who held Dunboy Castle and where was it?
- Donnell O’Sullivan (in the name of the Spanish King)
- South West
In the Siege of Dunboy, what did the rebels give up to besieging forces?
Information on landing places, allowing English to build offences
Who lead the besieging forces at Dunboy?
Carew
How did the Siege of Dunboy end?
Defenders surrendered
How many defenders of Dunboy were executed by Carew?
58
How many men out of the 143 Dunboy defenders survived?
None
When did Tyrone surrender?
1603
Why did Tyrone surrender?
He was pursued by Mountjoy up to Ulster with scorched earth policy
What happened to Tyrone following the rebellion?
Negotiated with the English, was pardoned and recognised as Chief Lord of Ulster
Why was Tyrone let off on such generous terms?
Elizabeth had dies and Mountjoy needed to return to England to cement his position in the new court
When was the Battle of Kinsale?
1601
What occurred before the Battle of Kinsale?
Spanish troops arrived but the invasion was mistimed, so were cut off from Munster rebellion and Ulster, occupied Kinsale
Where is Kinsale?
Coastal settlement in Munster
How many English gathered under Mountjoy to besiege Kinsale?
7,000
How many men did Tyrone and O’Donnell gather at Kinsale?
6,500
Why were the Irish weakened at Kinsale?
Ambushed by English and not joined by Spanish troops
What was the effect of the Spanish in the Battle of Kinsale?
Hindered more than helped the Irish
What was the outcome of the Battle of Kinsale?
Spanish surrendered
When and where was the Battle of Curlew Pass?
- 1599
- Connaught
Who was the English leader at Curlew Pass?
Devereux, Earl of Essex
What did Devereux do following the Battle of Curlew Pass?
Opted to negotiate with Tyrone against orders
What were the consequences of Devereux’s disobedience of orders?
Dismissed and reprimanded, later accused of treason and executed
When and where was the Battle of Yellowford?
- 1598
- Ulster
Why were defences at Blackwater left weak in Ulster, 1598?
English leaders went South in anticipation of Spanish invasion
What happened to Baganel’s forces at Yellowford?
Ambushed, 800 killed
What were the consequences of the Battle of Yellowford in Ireland?
Munster plantations overthrown and rebellion spreads
What was the English response to the Battle of Yellowford?
Sent 8,000 troops to defend the Pale and appoints Devereux as Lord Deputy
What were the 5 battles in Tyrone’s rebellion?
- Clontibret
- Yellowford
- Curlew Pass
- Kinsale
- Dunboy
When and where was the Battle of Clontibret?
Ulster, 1595
What happened twice to Baganel’s troops during the Battle of Clontibret?
Ambushed by the Irish
What was the main consequence of Clontibret?
Irish gained consequence and made a truce with the English
What did Tyrone agree to following Clontibret? (3)
- Pay damages and arrest future rebels
- Accept English sovereignty
- Stop demanding religious freedom
What did Elizabeth agree to following Clontibret? (3)
- Remove English garrisons
- Allow Tyrone power in Ulster
- Pardon rebels
What did Tyrone give James Fitzthomas showing his disobedience and authority?
Title of Earl of Desmond
What did the McCarthy family display?
The failure of English foreign policy, as they switched loyalty from English to Tyrone
Who were the McCarthy family?
Dominant clan in Munster, could raise a force of 5,000
Why was Florence McCarthy’s role limited?
Rivalries with other Irish leaders, never committed troops to fight
Who was Henry Baganel?
English gentry and Ulster landowner keen to expand his estates
What did Baganel present to Elizabeth to convince her to establish an English council in Ulster?
‘The Description and Present State of Ulster’
What did Baganel exemplify?
Tensions between English settlers and Irish nobility
What was the role of the Earl of Essex?
Made Lord Deputy in 1599 and put in charge of largest army deployed by Elizabeth in Ireland
How big was the largest army deployed by Elizabeth in Ireland?
17,000
What was the flaw of the Earl of Essex?
Poor leader and made bad decisions
What was the role of Lord Mountjoy?
Made Marshall of English Army in 1600, backed by George Carew
How many men was Mountjoy in charge of?
13,200
What did Carew do in Munster?
Destroyed rebellion with 3,000
When did O’Neill become Earl of Tyrone?
1585
What causes of the rebellion occurred in 1590? (2)
- Baganel appointed
- Tyrone is refused marriage to Baganel’s sister
What did O’Donnell and Maguire do in 1591?
Marry Tyrone’s daughters
Why did Tyrone release Maguire after attacking an English garrison in 1593?
Resentment as his loyalty to the English was not recognised
What does O’Donnell first do in 1593?
Contact Phillip II
What did O’Donnell and Maguire do in 1594?
Besiege Enniskellen castle
What did Tyrone offer to Lord Deputy Sir William Russel in 1594 that was refused?
Restore peace in Ulster in exchange for total rule
When was Tyrone’s rebellion?
1594-1603
What were the 4 causes of Tyrone’s rebellion?
- Long term religious grievance
- Elizabeth’s Ulster policies
- Earl of Tyrone
- Henry Baganel
What was plantation?
Introduction of English settlers and colonisation in Ireland
What did plantation strengthen?
Polarity between Protestants and Catholics
What did Elizabeth’s Ulster policies change?
Forced English laws in Ireland
What was particular about Ulster?
Most Gaelic part of Ireland
What were composition methods?
Payment of taxes to only English authorities
Which families lived in Ulster?
O’Neills and O’Donnells
How did the English respond to unrest in Ulster?
Massacred 200 O’Neills and 500 O’Donnells
How was the Earl of Tyrone a cause of rebellion?
Ambitious and pragmatic obstacle to English control, refusing to punish rebels and allying himself with other clans
How was Baganel a cause of rebellion?
Aggressively Anglicised and created personal grudges with Tyrone
How was Irish culture viewed in England?
Primitive and savage
What was tanistry?
The idea that the heir to an estate was based on ability and power rather than primogeniture
What did tanistry cause?
Blood feuds and inter-clan violence
When was the Munster rebellion?
1579-83
Who landed in Munster to support the Irish during the Munster rebellion?
Papal troops
What did the English-led massacre of the garrison at Smerwick lead to?
Women and children beheaded and bodies thrown into the seas
What fraction of the population of Munster died through war, plague and famine following the 1579-83 rebellion?
1/3
