|
Rebellions and plantations: 1500-1690 /
Tudor expeditions
1541 Henry VIII changed his title from "Lord" to "King of Ireland" and told the Irish chieftains that they must all obey his orders. His children, Edward VI and Elizabeth I, began introducing Protestant bishops, bibles and prayer books. In Elizabeth's reign, the provinces of Ulster and Munster rose in rebellion. 1595 Hugh O'Neill, The Earl of Tyrone, led the people of Ulster in a war against English rule. But the English forces got the upper hand and O'Neill and his Spanish allies were defeated at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601.
The Protestant plantations
The English rulers decided that military force alone was not enough to gain control in Ireland. Land was still the main source of power. So the English decided to "plant" colonies of loyal Protestants and give land to them.
Some of the settlers were supporters of the Church of England, known as Anglicans. Others were Scottish Protestants, sometimes known as Presbyterians or Dissenters.
Catholic Rebellion
In 1641 Catholics took part in a great rebellion against the new settlers. Large numbers of Protestants were killed and the rebellion continued until the arrival of the English leader, Oliver Cromwell, in 1649. Cromwell slaughtered the Catholic inhabitants of two towns, Drogheda and Wexford. Afterwards he confiscated the lands of the Catholic rebels and handed it out to his followers.
The Ulster Plantation: a turning point
Unlike earlier invaders, these new settlers and their descendants kept apart from the Gaelic people. They retained their Protestant religion and their English language.
After the Plantation there were two separate hostile "communities" in Ulster: the descendants of the Protestant British settlers and the native Irish Catholics. From the beginning, their differences were not just about religion but also about political and economic power. As Protestant settlers increased their hold on land and power, so the Gaelic Catholics lost it.
The Protestant takeover 1690-1770
When Catholic James II became king in 1685, the Protestants began to fear that their land - and their power - would be given back to the Catholics. Even when James was overthrown by Protestants in 1688, their position was not safe. James II planned to use Ireland as a base to invade England to regain his throne.
The Battle of the Boyne: a turning point
On 12 July 1690 the new Protestant king, William of Orange, followed James to Ireland and defeated him at the Battle of the Boyne. Ulster Protestants still celebrate the Battle of the Boyne today with an "Orange march" and William of Orange remains one of their heroes.
The Penal Laws
Between 1697 and 1727 the Irish Parliament passed special laws known as the Penal Laws. These remained in force until the end of 18th century. Because of the Penal Laws the Dissenters were prevented from holding public offices or sitting on town councils unless they agreed to worship in an Anglican church.
Throughout the 18th century the Anglican ruling class controlled everything that mattered in Ireland.
|
