The Tudors and Ireland – the 16th Century
1. Henry VII (1485 – 1509)
When Henry VII was king, Gearóid Mór Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, served as his Lord
Deputy. Henry distrusted Gearóid Mór, who had supported his Yorkist enemies in the Wars
of the Roses. However, the power of the Fitzgeralds was such that except for a very brief
period when he was replaced by Sir Edward Poynings, Henry was obliged to let Gearóid Mór
run Ireland as he saw fit. Poynings, as Lord Deputy, passed a law called Poynings’ Law
which stated that all laws passed by the Irish parliament had to be passed by the English
parliament to become law. This later became a major issue in Irish politics.
2. Henry VIII (1509-1547)
Henry VIII allowed Gearóid Mór’s son, Gearóid Óg, to rule Ireland as his deputy. However,
he was determined to break the power of the Fitzgeralds and had Gearóid Óg imprisoned in
the Tower of London. Gearóid’s son, Thomas, Lord Offaly (Silken Thomas) rebelled against
Henry. His rebellion was a disaster, and after the murder of Archbishop Allen of Dublin, even
the Church turned against him. The great Fitzgerald castle at Maynooth was destroyed by
cannon-fire, and Henry’s commander, Sir William Skeffington, massacred the garrison after
surrender (the Pardon of Maynooth). Henry introduced the policy of “Surrender and
Regrant”, offering the Irish lords a royal deed to their lands and an English title if they would
submit to him. This policy worked well, e.g. O’Neill became Earl of Tyrone, and O’Brien
became Lord Inchiquin.
3. Edward VI (1547-1553)
Because Edward’s reign was so short, and because most of his energy was taken up with the
Reformation in England, he didn’t have much impact on Irish affairs. He did, however, create
a majority Protestant community in England, which would have far-reaching implications for
the future of Irish history.
4. Mary (1553-1558)
Mary introduced the first Plantations into Ireland. The O’Moores and O’Connors of Laois
and Offaly were constantly attacking the English enclave of the Pale. Acting under the rules
of Surrender and Regrant, Mary confiscated their lands and offered them to English settlers
(planters). There were not enough English settlers, and the O’Moores and O’Connors
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constantly harassed them, stealing their livestock, burning their farms and murdering the
settlers. Most of the settlers returned to England.
5. Elizabeth I (1558-1603)
Elizabeth had a huge impact on Irish history. After the rebellion of the Earl of Desmond
(another Fitzgerald) she confiscated his huge estates and awarded them to her favourites,
including Sir Walter Raleigh and the poet Edmund Spenser. This plantation was not a great
success, as the estates given were too large (e.g. 10,000 – 20,000 acres) and led to a bloody 8
year rebellion. Her determination to exert royal control over Ireland led to the Nine Years’
War, a rebellion led by the Northern lords Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Red Hugh
O’Donnell of Donegal. This was a serious threat to English rule and the Irish won many
victories: The Ford of the Biscuits, the Battle of Tyrellspass and the Battle of the Yellow
Ford. Spanish help arrived, but the Spaniards landed at Kinsale, and O’Neill and O’Donnell
had to march 200 miles south to join them. They were utterly defeated by the English at the
Battle of Kinsale. O’Neill surrendered to Elizabeth’s deputy Lord Mountjoy. Elizabeth was
dying, and Mountjoy gave O’Neill very favourable terms at the Treaty of Mellifont.
However, the new English king, James I, made it clear that he was not going to show any
favour to O’Neill, and in 1607, O’Neill, Rory O’Donnell (Red Hugh’s brother) and Maguire,
Lord of Fermanagh, escaped from Ireland. This was called “The Flight of the Earls” and was
the end of independent Irish resistance to the Tudor conquest. Ireland was now controlled by
the English crown.
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