Tyrone's rebellion essay plans
‘Why did the Nine Year rebellion break out?’ 1594 - 1603
Causes were long term and short term reasons against English rule
The monarchy had tried to increase its control over Ireland especially since the Reformation which had increased religious tensions
The anglo-Irish Lords felt alienated and threatened by English policy
P - One cause for the rebellion was the Tudour’s limited control of Ireland and their attempts to anglicise
E - Most of Ireland was controlled by Anglo-Irish nobels such as the O’Neils who maintained their private armies and had great influence in areas that they controlled
E - The Irish governed very different to the English as they practised tanistry - which lead to lawless infighting - paired with the primitive nature of Ireland - very poor
Such as the O’Neil clan with the Earl of Tyrone wanted the be leader but this was met with discontent
L - Therefore, this made a few in Ireland as well as the English believe the way to strengthen Ireland was to enforce English rule and anglicise its laws and customs
P - There was also great religious tensions between the Irish and English as after the Reformation Ireland remained Catholic
E - This was a problem for the Tudors as they feared a Catholic uprising against the English
E - Henry made a compromise in the 1540’s withe the Irish - they recognised his right to be king and land was granted to Anglo-Irish nobels and Irish nobels got titles
This was formally known as plantation - where land was taken from Irish to give to English settlers which eventually formed a protestant ruling class in Ireland
This was predominantly tried in Ulster - a very Gaelic party of Ireland with very minimal control
L - Therefore, ever brewing religious tensions between the two nations as well as the enforcement of plantation resulted in increasing tensions which ultimately added to causes of the rebellion
P - Elizabeth’s rule in Ireland in 1559-94 was also a long term cause of tensions
E - This is because, after the Revolt of the Northern Earls she undertook a more hardline policy against Ireland as a precaution
Councils were established in Munster and Connaught
Irish govt. were split into English style counties
These policies led to unsuccessful uprisings in 1569 and 1579-83 and put down by settlers
E - The settlers also caused disruption and this was due to the fact they were radical Protestants and saw it as their duty to convert the Irish
From 1585 the settlers also used composition to try and increase their hold over Ireland
Composition was a tax payed by landowners in Ireland that they had to pay to both Irish landlords and the English - to cover the costs of troops in their town
L - This caused increasing tensions as anyone who didn’t follow English laws were subject to treason ! Not only was she Protestant but the way she tried to change their customs and beliefs caused great tensions
P - Another cause was the English plantation attempt in Ulster
E - Ulster was one of the most Gaelic parts of Ireland and with most limited control as it was controlled by the O’Neills
E - So, in 1570 the English attacked and this lead to violence as the plantations were resisted by the O’Neill Clan and the O’Donnells
So, the English responded by massacring 200 O’Neill and 500 O’Donnell
L - Despite Elizabeth calling off plantation in 1576 it had lead to great damage of Anglo-Irish relations
P - Another cause was the resentment of the Earl of Tyrone and the other Ulster lords
E - At first, Tyrone was selfishly willing to accept English help - this is because he was in a feud with the overall head of the O’Neill clan over his right to be the next cheiftan
The English were willing to give him this title so in return he was willing to work with them
E - However, English attitudes began to change and Tyrone was becoming an obstacle for the English govt.
Tyrone then enloped with Bagenals sister in attempt to suppress the threat - this made it so much worse !
Other Ulster cheiftans were coming under threat such as O’Donnell who was thrown in prison
Maguire also hated the English
L - This brought the Ulster Lords and Tyrone together to rebel against a common enemy - the English !
P - Tyrones decision to rebel due to Irish loyalty and religious greivances
E - Tyrone’es resentment and links to Maguire and O’Donnell that caused increasing English govt. concern
1593 - O’Donnell was in contact with Phillip Spain - forethcoming due Netherlands trouble and Armada
1594 - Maguire and O’Donnell attacked the English at Enniskillen castle
1594 ( later ) - Tyrone promised to restore order to ulster and cooperate with English govt. as long as he got Ulster in return
L - The English govt. was unwilling to give Tyrone what he wanted and his Irish loyalty and discontent with English intervention out weighed his selfish ambitions to keep peace with the English and he called the rebellion
P - Another cause for the rebellion may have been domestic support and Elizabeths miscalculation
E - His army was large and well organised - 1000 cavalry, 4000 musketmen and 1000 pikemen with modern day weapons
Irish deserters
Ulster cheifs united against a common enemy
Cavalry much better than the English
The rebellion spread to Connaught 1595, Munster 1598
Outnumbered the English army - 6000 soldiers and 1200 cavalry compared to English 5700 soldiers and 600 horsemen
E - This convinced Elizabeth to send the largest army of her reign
How accurate is it to say that Tyrone’s rebellion lasted so long due to English weakness
P - England was militarily weak in comparison to the Irish and the English continuously underestimated this and came unprepared
E - This can be seen with the initial battle of Clontibret 1595 which resulted in them having to surrender due to the extent they were outnumbered
E - The Irish came prepared with over 5000 men - including pikemen and musketmen - with up to date weaponry compared to the English
The Irish were also supplemented by deserters and the same happened at Curlew Pass
By the end of the war the English government. Between 1594 and 1602, over 30,000 troops were sent to Ireland. The majority were untrained new recruits. Elizabeth’s government were so desperate to find more troops to send to Ireland that it started to send members of the trained bands.
L - Therefore, the quality of the Irish army in comparison to the English was definitely a reason as to why the rebellion lasted so long - England couldn’t put a stop to the Irish by force - needed negotiations
P - It could also be argued that the rebellion lasted so long due to Englands financial weaknesses
E - Elizabeth’s annual income of £300,000 was not enough to deal with the financial demands of war.
The cost of providing for the armies fell on the English counties. For example in Kent, the county sent 56 cavalry and 600 footmen to Ireland between 1595 and 1602. The county taxpayers had to pay over £3,000.
By 1597, Elizabeth spent £300,000 on campaigns in Ulster.
Central govt. was also raising taxes as well and this was causing great social discontent on top of poor harvests and illness - increases in social discontent
E - Therefore, England was just simply not financially stable enough to have a large,powerful war against the Irish - lead to them consistently losing - longevity of the war
P - Another reason for the longevity of the war may be due to the tactics undertaken by Tyrone’s army compared to the English
E - Tyrone used their knowledge to wage guerrilla warfare on the English troops. They could ambush the English and launch sieges rather than fight battles where they knew they would be at a disadvantage.
E - This is best illustrated at the Seige of Dundboy and the Battle of Curlew Pass - unexpected and the English didn’t know the terrain as well as
However, this seige was eventually unsuccessful for the Irish
The English used their cannon to fire on the castle, trapping the defenders in the vaults. The defenders surrendered. 3000 soldiers followed Tyrone
However, the tactics of Mountjoy were also pretty successful Mountjoy used scorched earth tactics. He aimed to destroy the Irish countryside to deny the rebels food. It was effective and severely weakened the Irish.
L - Therefore, despite the unsuccessful nature of the Seige of Dunboy - usually the surprise tactic of the Irish greatly benefited the English and made them victorious
P - Another reason as to why the war went on so long was that the English consistently suffered with logistical problems whilst the Irish were always prepared
E - The battles took place in Ireland mostly - so not only did they not know the terrain - greatly affected them in Curlew pass - but it took them time to transport horses and men in order to fight the English
E - Because of this, communications were slow and it took time to get reinforcements to when and where they needed them meaning the Irish had far more time to prepare and gain the upperhand
L - This coincided with financial problems meant that the English army was never able to put up a strong fight as they lacked the resources to AND allowed the Irish more time to prepare
P - However eventually the war was coming to an end due to the Spanish’s late intervention in the Battle of Kinsale in 1601
E - Spanish troops were meant to assist the rebels at Munster but they were too late and Mountjoy approached with brutal warfare
Later the Spanish launched as attack which allowed for Tyrone to escape and following the Spanish
BUT finally Mountjoy launches a suprise attack on the Irish which caught them off guard and the Spanish did not interven as they were waiting for the Irish at the meeting point but they evidently never arrived
L - Tyrone was forced to surrender and it was the last engagement of the rebellion in 1601