Elizabeth I- Tyrone's rebellion

Question 1

socio-economic causes- English settlements and plantation policies

Answer 1

• English settlers seized Irish land, displacing native Irish
• plantation system granted land to English Protestants
• seen as an attack on Irish identity, culture and traditions
• English attempted to replace Irish customs with English law and practices

Question 2

socio-economic causes- loss of power for Irish nobility

Answer 2

• Irish cheiftains lost land and political influence to English officials
• English imposed minor English officials into Irish administration
• traditional Gaelic leadership threatened

Question 3

political causes- crown policies and power struggles

Answer 3

• Elizabeth I took land and regranted it to English settlers
• Tyrone’s authority undermined by English government interventions
• O’Donnell clan also resented English rule after Hugh Roe O’Donnells imprisonment in Dublin Castle
• lack of Irish representation in English-controlled government

Question 4

religious causes- Catholic vs Protestant divide

Answer 4

• Ireland remained Catholic after Henry VIII’s break from Rome
• English tried to impose Protestantism and the Church of England
• re-granting of land to English Protestants weakened Catholic Gaelic lords
• Tyrone identifies with Catholicism and Irish heritage

Question 5

preconditions

Answer 5

• longstanding tensions over land, religion, and government control
• growing English influence over Irish political and religious life
• displacement of Irish nobility ad customs

Question 6

catalysts

Answer 6

• Tyrone’s increasing frustration with English refusal to grant him full authority over Ulster
• failure of peaceful negotiations with Elizabeth’s government
• Spanish willingness to support Catholic Irish rebels

Question 7

triggers

Answer 7

• 1593: O’Donnell sought Spanish support, Maguire attacked English garrison
• 1594: full rebellion began in Ulster, led by Tyrone and O’Donnell
• Tyrone’s open rebellion after failed compromise with English authorities

Question 8

aims/legitimacy

Answer 8

• defend Irish land, customs, and Catholic faith
• remove English control and Protestant rule
• legitimate grievances over loss of power, land, and religion

Question 9

leadership- Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone

Answer 9

• skilled military leader and diplomat
• used guerrilla tactics and knowledge of Irish terrain
• led major victories at Clontibret (1595), Yellow Ford (1598), and Curlew Pass (1599)
• ultimately forced to surrender after defeat at Kindle (1601) and Treaty of Mellifont (1603)

Question 10

leadership

Answer 10

• Hugh Roe O’Donnell- allied with Tyrone, shared hatred of English rule
• Sir Henry Bagenal- English commander, defeated and killed at Yellow Ford
• Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex- ineffective English leader, failed 1599 campaign
• Lord Mountjoy- successfully defeated Tyrone at Kindle, used scorched earth tactics

Question 11

level of support

Answer 11

• widespread support from Irish chieftains
• support from catholic Spain (Phillip II and III)
• limited wider European support beyond Spain
• strongest in Ulster but spread across Ireland

Question 12

military capability

Answer 12

• Tyrone’s army: 1,000 cavalry, 4,000 musketeers, 1,000 pikemen
• trained by Spanish and English captains
• well-funded (£80,000 income per year)
• major early victories but ultimately defeated by larger, better-equipped English forces