The Story of Ireland, Part 2

• Invasion in middle of 12th century -- one of the longest conflicts in human history
• on the verge of the Age of Conquest
• kings fought, and the ground trembled, five provencial kings
• high king of ireland had limited power
• Diarmait Mac Murchada - preferred to be feared rather than loved
• provencial kings united against him, fled to save his life
• fugitive king sailed to western Europe's mightiest kingdom -- sold out his kingdom to England (some would argue)
• Norman empire extended from Mediterranean to Britain
• capable of large scale military operations
• Henry was king of England
• Henry contemplated attacking Ireland before Diarmait Mac Murchada
• Diarmait will give Henry land if Henry gives him an army
• Henry asked Pope for blessing in invading Ireland
• Pope Adrian IV had own interests, to keep Irish Christianity less independent
• Henry promised Strongbow land and his daughter's hand in marriage
• Irish ran naked into battle against the English
• ferocity with a message -- submit or be annilated
• "beginning of 800 years of English oppression"
• forced marriage between England and Ireland
• Diarmait died and was succeeded as king of Linster by Strongbow
• In 1171, Henry brough army and received Strongbow's concession
• Irish kings saw Henry as stabilizing force, the better of two options
• roast crane - the culinary symbol of Irish submission
• Anglo-Normans established power structures in large population centers
• parlaimentary system and system of laws and language comes from England
• English viewed conquered races as barbarians
• Gerald of Wales - drawing of woman and goat - imperialism
• 200 years into the conquest, irish retreat into mountains, gaelic chiefs launch diplomatic mission, appealing to the pope
• 1317 - Remonstrance of the Princes - irish are savaged, on the abyss of slavery - sent to the Pope
• Irish complaints were of little matter in Rome - did nothing
• English influence around Dublin - "The Pale"
• 1348 - Port of Howth - Black Plague arrives
• English lords fled back to England
• Gaelic lords exploit English weakness, cultural awakening
• poem could travel the entire gaelic world
• Ireland is not a strategic priority until end of 15th century, two pretenders attack England supported by Irish lords
• Henry VIII viewed Irish lords as threat
• wanted united Ireland under English king
• promises did not impress Fitzgeralds, who saw power slipping away, rebelled, crushed by Henry
• Henry declared himself king of Ireland
• Henry faced fateful entanglement home
• failed to obtain male heir, divorced against pope's wishs, joined Protestistant Reformation
• imposed new church on reluctant english clergy, but unable to impose it on Ireland, so it remained Catholic
• politic and religious loyalty were equal, diversity of religion was a challenge to monarch
• jesuits enforced new, militant catholicism
• reformation overthrown as catholic Mary assumed power
• Elizabeth queen in 1588 bringing back protestentism
• Ireland - heavy wooded landscape - viewed as wooded people - a menace - enemy of order
• feared Irish lords linking up with English enemies
• Elizabeth launched policy of scorched earth
• age of total war in ireland
• Gilbert ordered decapitation of entire villages, relatives made to walk upon a path of spiked heads
• head money, bags of heads sent to Dublin
• some Irish lords helped the crown to protect their own power
• Irish loyalty important to Elizabeth
• terror of counter reformation: catholic death squads butcher protestants in Europe
• celebrated in Rome
• alarm in protestant England, French refugees flood London, question: would English be next?
• massacre, starvation, new tactics of war
• Elizabeth wants more durable solution to Irish problem
• English and Spanish empires are forming
• Sir Walter Raleigh and Edmund Spencer given estates in Ireland
• Spencer was apologist for Elizabethan policy in Ireland
• rationalized with belief that they were on civilizing mission
• 30,000 irish lost lives, many to famine
• Hugh O'Neill - ruthless killer, wiley charmer, protects power of his family, rewarded with earldom of Tyrone
• Hugh turns against Elizabeth, allies with Red Hugh O'Donnell
• O'Neill pushes English out of Ulster (Northern Ireland)
• sparks rebellion elsewhere in Ireland
• Spencer flees Ireland
• O'Neill rallies Old English and Gaelic Lords to his banner, turned to Catholic religion, a battle for faith and fatherland
• O'Neill created connection between religion and irish identity
• asked Spanish for help, but Philipe was a cautious ally
• 1601, spanish fleet appears at coast of cork, the wrong part of ireland
• O'Neill made epic march through winter to join Spanish
• Battle of Kinsale alters balance of power in Ireland forever
• O'Neill becomes lost and fails to make rendezvous
• English cavarly charge downhill against O'Neill
• English had stirrups, while Irish could not charge like English, 800 men killed, Irish headed back to Ulster, Spanish sailed home
• Spanish would never interfere in Ireland again
• Kinsale broke Irish lords power forever
• O'Neill surrendered
• 1607 O'Neill, O'Donnell left Ulster for Europe, peasants in Ireland left with new masters, O'Neill died in Rome
• new age of conflict incoming...