British rule in Ireland

British rule in Ireland built upon the 12th century Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland on behalf of the English king and eventually spanned several centuries that involved British control of parts, or entirety, of the island of Ireland. Most of Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom following the Anglo-Irish War in the early 20th century. Initially formed as a Dominion called the Irish Free State in 1922, the Republic of Ireland became a fully independent nation state following the passage of the Republic of Ireland Act in 1949. Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom as a constituent country.[1]

Lordship of Ireland claimed by the English in pink in around 1300; Areas outside of that remained independent kingdoms

Middle Ages

Map of areas of influence in Ireland c. 1450

From the late 12th century, the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland resulted in Anglo-Norman claims over much of Ireland, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty.[2][3] By the late Late Middle Ages, Anglo-Norman control was limited to an area around Dublin known as the Pale.[4]

Enacted in 1494, Poynings law ensured that the Irish parliament could not meet without the approval of England's monarch and Privy Council.[4] In 1541, English king Henry VIII changed Ireland's status from a lordship to a kingdom, and he proclaimed himself as King of Ireland.[4] Whether or not these claims of lordship by the English monarchy were legitimate to begin with is up for debate because of the breaking of the treaty of Windsor[5]

Plantation and rebellion

A number of plantations took place from the 1550s to the 1620s, the biggest of which was the plantation of Ulster which involved the settling of English and Scottish Protestants in Ulster.[3]

These plantations led to the founding of several towns, significant demographic, cultural and economic changes, changes in land ownership and the landscape, and also to centuries of ethnic and sectarian conflict. They took place before and during the earliest English colonisation of the Americas, and a group known as the West Country Men were involved in both Irish and American colonisation.[6]

Map highlighting the areas subjected to British plantations in Ireland. Although the plantations in Munster did not cover the entire shaded area, it has been simplified for the purposes of this map.

In the 1540s, the Tudor conquest of Ireland began, with the first plantations occurring in the 1550s in counties Laois ('Queen's County') and Offaly ('King's County'). These plantations were based around existing frontier forts.

In the 1570s, a privately-funded plantation of east Ulster was attempted, but it sparked conflict with the local Irish lord and ended in failure.

The Munster plantation of the 1580s followed the Desmond Rebellions. Businessmen were encouraged to invest in the scheme and English colonists were settled on land confiscated from the defeated rebel lords. However, the settlements were scattered and attracted far fewer settlers than was hoped for.

Coinciding largely with the Eleven Years' War, the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland was led by Oliver Cromwell between 1649 and 1651, resulting in the confiscation of land from many native landowners and regranting to Parliamentarian supporters.

Introduced in the 17th century, the Penal Laws outlawed the Catholic clergy and precluded Catholics in Ireland from owning or leasing land above a certain value, accessing higher education and certain professions, and gave primacy to the established church and the Church of Ireland.[4] While these laws were later eased, including by the Treaty of Limerick which followed the Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691), by 1778 Catholics still held only around 5% of land in Ireland.[4]

18th and 19th centuries

Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the United Irishmen

The United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798 (which sought to end British rule in Ireland) failed, and the 1800 Act of Union merged the Kingdom of Ireland into a combined United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.[4]

In the mid-19th century, the Great Famine (1845–1851) resulted in the death or emigration of over two million people. At the time, trade agreements were controlled by the British government and whilst hundreds of thousands were suffering from hunger, Irish dairy products and wheat harvests were exported to Britain and other overseas territories.[4]

Independence and partition

A Home Rule Bill was passed in 1912 but not brought into law due to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The Easter Rising of 1916 resulted in the execution of the rebellion's leaders. In the 1918 Irish general election, the nationalist Sinn Féin party won a majority of Irish seats, and in 1919 these elected MPs declared the independence of the Irish Republic. The Irish War of Independence followed from 1919 to 1921. The Government of Ireland Act of 1920 and the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 resulted in the formation of the Irish Free State, while Northern Ireland's MPs opted out to form Northern Ireland.[4] Many foreign powers recognized the Republic of Ireland's independence, like the United States in 1924. And Ireland was globally recognized as legitimate member of the world community by the time the United Nations was formed in the 1940s.

References

Stamp, Gavin (8 April 2014). "Britain and Ireland: A brief history". Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.; "A republic in name but constitutional conundrums remain". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
Canny, Nicholas (1998). The Origins of Empire, The Oxford History of the British Empire Volume I. Oxford University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-19-924676-2. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
Kenny, Kevin (2006). Ireland and the British Empire. Oxford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-19-925184-1. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
"Culture & Society – A Brief History of Ireland". livinginireland.ie. Crosscare Information and Advocacy Services. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
https://www.theirishstory.com/2021/12/06/treaties-that-shaped-the-course-of-irish-history/#.ZFl5c3bMKUl
Taylor, Alan (2001). American Colonies, The Settling of North America. Penguin. pp. 119, 123. ISBN 0-14-200210-0.

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[1] Stamp, Gavin (8 April 2014). "Britain and Ireland: A brief history". Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.; "A republic in name but constitutional conundrums remain". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2020.

[2] Canny, Nicholas (1998). The Origins of Empire, The Oxford History of the British Empire Volume I. Oxford University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-19-924676-2. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2009.

[:0-3] Kenny, Kevin (2006). Ireland and the British Empire. Oxford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-19-925184-1. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2009.

[:1-4] "Culture & Society – A Brief History of Ireland". livinginireland.ie. Crosscare Information and Advocacy Services. Retrieved 16 November 2022.

[5] ttps://www.theirishstory.com/2021/12/06/treaties-that-shaped-the-course-of-irish-history/#.ZFl5c3bMKUl

[6] Taylor, Alan (2001). American Colonies, The Settling of North America. Penguin. pp. 119, 123. ISBN 0-14-200210-0.