The role of religion and conflict in the history of Ireland is a vital factor and a determiner of the current state of affairs in the country. Between 1460 and 1800, there were several religious backed wars in Ireland that mainly involved struggle against English colonization. Other significant factors that were important in this period included land and ethnicity. In this paper, six significant occurrences in Ireland that show the role of religion and conflict in its history are discussed. These include the persecution of Irish Catholics, the Ulster Plantation, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Jacob-Williamite War, the Penal Laws and the France Ireland relations.
One significant defining moment in Irish history is the persecution of Irish Catholics by King Henry VII. After King Henry VII broke from the papal authority in 1534, the Act of Supremacy was declared. This Act stated that the English Crown was the only supreme head of earth and the church 1 . Allegiance to the pope was considered an act of treason as the position of the pope was not only spiritual but also political. The period of English reformation saw not only change from Catholicism but also territorial advancement. In 1536, the Tudor contest brought Ireland under the control of England, which meant that the anti-Catholicism movement was brought into this territory 2 . With most Irish being Catholics, they were subjected to persecution by King Henry VII. The most critical factor to the maltreatment was the destruction of the Gaelic clan system of land 3 . With land being appropriated either by forcible seizure or native Anglo-Irish aristocrats, many Catholics were disposed of their property which was given to settlers and Anglicans. Land ownership was denied to Irish Catholics with the church of Ireland, part of the church of England, being given political, religious and economic control. The ordination, mass and presence of Catholicism in Ireland were banned. These conditions led to violence that leads to torture and persecution of many Catholics. Among those killed during the persecution included the clergy and ordinary worshipers 4 . Some of the persecuted Irish Catholics such as Margret Ball, Oliver Plunkett and Dermot O’Hurley have been canonized and beatified by the Vatican.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Another major point of conflict in the history of Ireland is the Plantation of Ulster. This was one of the most sources of conflict for the people of Ireland where there was an organization for plantation or colonization of Ulster by Great Britain. Ulster is the province of Ireland that was colonized by the people of Great Britain during King James VI, and I reign 5 . While the colonialized had a variety of cultures and traditions, most of them came from Scotland. The colonizers began to take up small portions of Irish land and converted them to plantations. The land was mainly taken from Gaelic chiefs who had fled Ireland following years of struggle against England. More than five hundred thousand acres of land were forfeited from the Tyrone, Fermanagh, Cavan, Tyrconnell and Derry counties. The plantation as a means of controlling and anglicizing Ulster, which was almost all Gaelic and catholic. As the region most resistant to the control by England, the result was conflict and division among the three most interested parties in the plantation. The civil war between England, Scotland and Ireland emerged from the 1640s. The Irish rebelled against the planters with at least twelve years of blood war following. Rebellions against the imposition of Anglicanism continued even after the English New Model Army re-established protestant control in the region. The war benefits English Protestants such as Sir Charles Coote with major Catholic landowners being eliminated from Ulster.
The most destructive war in the history of Ireland was the Irish confederate wars. With the settlement of people from Great Britain in Ulster, the conflict escalated primarily due to Catholics resentment of protestants from England and Scotland. Also, called the eleven years war, the Irish Confederate Wars involved Ireland, Scotland and England. With Irish Catholics rebellion in 1641, ethnic conflict emerged. The Irish were attempting to stop English control of Ireland and maintain Catholicism in their land. The war was mainly started with the Ulter Rebellion of 1641 that resulted in the death of many scots and English protestants. There was the formation of a union of catholic leaders called the Irish Catholic Confederation aligned to Royalists in 1642 which would fight for the people of Ireland. With the Confederates ruling the most of Ireland, they felt that they were the de facto rulers of the state. The Royalist and Confederates fought both the Scots and the English. Both ethnic and religious factors underlined the war, which would determine who would govern Ireland. One factor that made the Confederate war complex was the mix of royalties among people of the Irish origin. Such people as Inchiquin was seen moving from parliament to confederate in a manner that made him hard to predict. While the rebels registered some victories, the invasion of the Island by the British Parliamentarian army led to the defeat in 1653. At the end of the war, at least 400 thousand people were killed. This army, known as the New Model Army sold Irish land to pay financial supporters of the war.
Another conflict that was religious in the history of Ireland was the Jacob-Williamite war. With King James II being overthrown by his daughter and nephew in the 1688 Glorious revolution, this war showed the division between Protestants who fought for the daughter and Catholics who were on the other side 6 . The result was domination of government, parliament and public service by Irish Protestants. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 was the proximate cause of the war. James, the King of Ireland, was overthrown from his position by his daughter and Nephew. The England and Scottish members of the society supported William because he was a protestant 7 . William and Mary, James’ daughter, would later be installed as the ruling monarchs of Ireland. While James was overcome with relative ease by the English backed Mary and William, he would still maintain control over Ireland. He hoped to use Ireland as a base for regaining all the rest of the kingdoms. He also found support from several English and Scottish Catholics. Together, they established the Church of England and supported the side. The Irish Protestants, on the other hand, fought to establish William's regime 8 . Moreover, the Jacobite Williamite War was part of the wider European conflict known as the Nine Years War. William was motivated by the need to control the English Military. Consequently, he was supported by Great Britain 9 . On the other hand, the potential for diverting military resources from the European War also affected the war.
The Penal Laws of sixteenth and Seventeenth-century are also vital in the history of Ireland. The penal laws were a series of statutes developed and imposed on Ireland in a bid to eliminate Catholicism. Several acts were created by the English government to impose fines on the people who participated in Catholicism 10 . Severe penalties, including death, were imposed on Catholic priests who would practice Catholicism in either Britain or Ireland. Some laws even barred Catholics from voting and holding public office. Land ownership was one of the most brutal measures against Catholicism, where they were not allowed to have land. The penal laws were sporadically enforced in the 18 th century 11 . The application of Penal laws in Ireland was in a way hard because the government need for support from the catholic upper class. The English government wanted to get the help of the upper-class catholic in Ireland to fight the Gaelic Irish rebellion 12 . However, with the 1605 Gunpowder Plot that was planed by the English Catholics made it hard for the implementation. However, from the nineteenth century, the Penal laws were mostly ignored due to their effects on civil rights. Such Acts as the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1791 and the Roman Catholic Charities Act nullified these laws that had for a long time cause civil war in Ireland.
The relations between Ireland and France also was a vital part of Ireland history. With the proximity between France and Ireland, the two nations were involved in many diplomatic relationships that determined the history of Ireland 13 . Immigration between the two countries was experienced, especially during the times of conflict in Ireland. Moreover, France supported Irish Catholics during the struggle against Great Britain since the country is predominantly catholic. The French revolution of 1796 also inspired the society of United Irishmen to start the uprising against the British rule (Connolly & Connolly, 2008) . This was the Irish Rebellion of 1798 which was supported by France. However, despite the support from France, Irish rebels lost to British in the Battle of Ballinamuck ( Bartlett & Jeffery, 1997) . The relationship between France and Ireland would continue to latter while fighting in other wars.
In conclusion, the history of Ireland is marked by religious conflict and fight for ownership of land. The people of Ireland have been involved in a variety of conflict that mainly involved fighting against the imposition of the English Crown in their land. The most notable of these cases include six that are discussed in this paper. The first point of conflict is the persecution of the Irish Catholics after the breaking of England from the role of pope. The imposition of the Church of England by Great Britain caused persecution of Catholics in Ireland. Then there was the Ulster plantation where this province of Ireland was put under British colonization. Then there was the Irish Confederate War that brought about the increase in conflict in the country. The Jacob Williamite war split Ireland into two with support from France and Britain. Then there were penal laws that aimed at exterminating Catholicism in Ireland. Finally, we look at the France-Ireland relations that would result in the development of Ireland. All these factors have contributed to the current understanding of the nation throughout history.
References
Primary Sources
O'Sullivan-Beare, P. (1970). Ireland Under Elizabeth: Chapters Towards a History of Ireland in the Reign of Elizabeth. Translated from the Original Latin by Matthew J. Byrne . Kennikat Press.
Secondary Sources
Bartlett, T., & Jeffery, K. (Eds.). (1997). A military history of Ireland . Cambridge University Press.
Bell, G. (1976). The Protestants of Ulster (p. 13). London: Pluto Press.
Ohlmeyer, J. (Ed.). (2018). The Cambridge History of Ireland: Volume 2, 1550–1730 . Cambridge University Press.
Connolly, S. J., & Connolly, S. J. (2008). Divided Kingdom: Ireland 1630-1800 . Oxford University Press.
Schaffer, P. (2000). Laws in Ireland for the Suppression of Popery." Law Library, University of Minnesota. https://www.law.umn.edu/library/irishlaw (accessed December 4, 2019).
Dorney, J. & Cathal, B. (2014). From Catastrophe to Baby Boom – Population Change in Early Modern Ireland 1641-1741." Irish History. http://www.theirishstory.com/2014/01/22/from-catastrophe-to-baby-boom-population-change-in-early-modern-ireland-1641-1741/#.XaYBoPlKjIU (accessed December 4, 2019).
1 Connolly, S. J., & Connolly, S. J. (2008). Divided Kingdom: Ireland 1630-1800 . Oxford University Press.
2 Dorney, J. & Cathal, B. (2014). From Catastrophe to Baby Boom – Population Change in Early Modern Ireland 1641-1741." Irish History. http://www.theirishstory.com/2014/01/22/from-catastrophe-to-baby-boom-population-change-in-early-modern-ireland-1641-1741/#.XaYBoPlKjIU (accessed December 4, 2019).
3 O'Sullivan-Beare, P. (1970). Ireland Under Elizabeth: Chapters Towards a History of Ireland in the Reign of Elizabeth. Translated from the Original Latin by Matthew J. Byrne . Kennikat Press.
4 Ibid
5 Ibid p. 2
6 Ohlmeyer, J. (Ed.). (2018). The Cambridge History of Ireland: Volume 2, 1550–1730 . Cambridge University Press.
7 Connolly, S. J., & Connolly, S. J. (2008). Divided Kingdom: Ireland 1630-1800 . Oxford University Press.
8 Ibid
9 Ibid p. 4
10 Schaffer, P. (2000). Laws in Ireland for the Suppression of Popery." Law Library, University of Minnesota. https://www.law.umn.edu/library/irishlaw (accessed December 4, 2019).
11 Ibid
12 Ibid
13 Ibid p. 2
