when did the rebellion start
1595
what were the causes of the rebellion
anglo irish lords felt alienated by the monarchy
made worse with war with spain
break from rome increase religious tensions
what were the long term causes
- tudor monarchs claimed to have the right to govern ireland
- plantations - land confiscated from rebels in munster were granted to english at a reduced price resulted in landlords increasing rents but lead to more english protestants coming into ireland
- english settlers and landowners seen as a threat to irish traditional system - clans and ruling families
- some argued that elizabeth neglected ireland which caused them to rebel. due to the financial pressures with spain expenditure on ireland was low
- elizabeths deptuty in ireland was old and failed to keep order allowing clan warfare to develop
why was the rebellion serious
the rebellion coincided with a war with spain and further armadas being sent by philip II. it was a concern that ireland would let spain land their troops in ireland(confirmed in 1601 when spainish troops landed in kinsale)
- financial problems, she lacked resources to send to ireland
- tyrone had been able to capture fort on the river blackwater, which was a main entry into ulster
- tyrone defeated english forces at battle of yellow ford in 1598 which allowed him to control munster
what were tyrones stregths
- he was able to raise a large rebel force and gained support across the whole country
- his control of ulster meant that he had access to resources and his forces were well trained
- tyrone himself was a competant leader and well trained in ambush
- knowledge of irish terrain and countryside allowed him to use guerrilla warfare
what were the governments mistakes
- government were stretched because of financial demands from war
- many in ireland felt like they were isolated from england so had little reason to show loyalty
- earl of essex was sent to ireland but he wasted time and money. he only took 4000 men with him
- the speed with what mountjoy defeated tyrone suggests that it was government mistakes that lead to the longevity of the rebellion
how threatening was tyrones rebellion
- rebellions in ireland were seen as more of a threat because they were so far away
- however they were more costly to put down and usually required a bigger force
- threatened by the foreign support - even though they didnt make an impact
what were the changes in ireland
the country was part under english control- the pale was occupied by england under english law
- catholicism continued to grow due to missionaries. this increased the dislike for Protestantism
english influence was evidently limited
why was tyrone such a threat to stability
-feuding was an everyday feature due to clan warfare
-country was only under part english control
- religion only divided the problem further
- the papacy and spain intervened at times which added to the threat and danger
- government policy caused growing resentment over english control made worse by the break from rome
-increasing english intervention since henry VIII
-government wanted to reduce the money spent on ireland but at the same time remain in control
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