1798 Rebellion

3 key figures

Wolfe Tone, Thomas Russell, William Drennan

Protestant Ascendancy

the wealthy land-owning Church of Ireland minority

Aim of the United Irishmen

Unite all Irishmen, pursue fairer and equal Ireland

Dissenters

Irish Presbyterians, who 'dissented' from the official Protestant Church of Ireland

Half-hangings

Hanged until nearly dead

Pitch-capping

pouring hot tar on a person's head before setting it on fire

Causes (6)

Protestant ascendancy power, catholic-Presbyterian discontent, influence from French/American Revolution, countryside poverty, Wolfe tone and the United Irishmen

Argument on behalf of the Catholics of Ireland

Written by Wolfe Tone in 1791

sectarianism

Conflict and hatred based on a religious divide

Yeomanry

Senior light cavalry regiment in the British Army Reserve

Why it failed (5)

Badly organised/trained rebels, few decent weapons, no useful French help, British spies, faced much stronger government forces

Consequences (3)

Intensified divide between Catholics and Protestants, act of union 1801, tone inspiration

The power of the Protestant ascendancy

Irish parliament in dublin with limited powers over Irish affairs. Controlled by Protestant ascendancy class.

Who could vote and become parliament members?

Anglicans

Anglicans

Members of the Church of England

Penal laws (5)

Catholics could not vote/sit in parliament. Catholic priests were banned. Catholics could not open/attend schools. Catholic-owned land had to be divided equally between all sons upon a father's death. They had to pay tithes to Church of England.

Orange Order

Created to encourage unity between Anglicans and Presbyterians in opposition to Catholics

Main planner of Dublin rebellion

Lord Edward Fitzgerald

What happened in May 1798?

Lord Edward fitzgerald was captured. Remaining leadership decided to go ahead with a rebellion a week later, one May 23rd, 1798.

How did the rebels plan the rebellion would be signalled?

The disruption of the mail coaches from dublin

What happened at Carlow Town and the Hill of Tara?

Rebels were easily defeated by the british

Who led the rebels in Wexford?

Catholic Priest, Father John Murphy

What happened at vinegar hill, and when did it happen?

Main force of the rebels and the main leaders were defeated by General Lake. 21st of June.

Growth of sectarianism

The events of 1798 intensified sectarian divisions in Ireland between Catholics and Protestants

The Act of Union

The government in London decided to bring Ireland back under its direct control. 1801.

Irish Republicanism

Tone's dreams of an independent Irish republic based on equality between Catholics and Protestants inspired many who came after him.

What percent of the Irish population was catholic or Presbyterian?

80%

Who was king of England at the time?

George III

Where were all decisions about Ireland made?

Westminster

What did Wolfe Tone believe?

England used religion to keep Ireland weak and divided

What happened in December 1796?

Tone convinced French to send 14k soldiers to Ireland.

How many Protestants were killed by the rebels?

293

What happened to Tone after the rebellion?

He was sentenced to death but committed suicide