IRISH NATIONALISM : FROM AGITATION TO CIVIL WAR Flashcards
(106 cards)
Protestant Ascendancy
Domination of the Anglo-Irish Protestant minority in Ireland, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries
Penal Laws
Laws that restricted the lives of Irish Catholics
When were the Penal Laws introduced?
1691
Lord Lieutenant
Chief representative of the British monarch in Ireland
Why did some agree with Britain’s policies?
Protestant landowners benefitted from the favourable economic environment
Why did the American revolution influence some of the Irish?
Irish had a shared experience with the Americans and watched the revolution closely and educated themselves on Republicanism
Why did the French revolution place Ireland in a vulnerable position?
French and Spanish rivals might use the opportunity to invade the country and exploit it as a staging port for an attack on Britain
Who were the Irish Volunteers?
Loyal-spirited Protestants who undertook military drills and paraded ready for an invasion against them
Act of 1720
Declaring the right of Britain to legislate for Ireland
Why was Britain’s power reduced by 1780?
The influence of the American revolution and the creation of a well-organised and armed militia to support any new demands
Who was the principal advocate for greater legislative independence in the 1700’s?
Henry Grattan
Patronage
Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support
Constitution of 1782
Repealed the 1720 act and reduced Britain’s control over legislation to a simple right of veto
Mutiny Act
Gave Irish parliament the authority to punish soldiers who refused orders
Why was the Constitution of 1782 not a reality?
Government was still under control of the lord lieutenant
What did younger men believe would help them achieve their goal of greater political autonomy?
A union between Protestants and Catholics to challenge dominant conservatism
What were the United Irishmen’s demands?
- Ireland would be divided into 300 parliamentary constituencies equal in population.
- Every man should have a vote.
The 1798 Uprising
- Organised by Theobald Wolfe Tone
- May 1798
- 15,000 fighting men
- Poorly co-ordinated
- Confined to countryside
- Failure of immediate French support
- Even when French arrived no reignition
- Transformed future of Ireland
Tithes
A tax of 10% on produce or earning that was given to the church
Reformation
Split within Christianity - Protestantism and Catholicism
Why did Tithes anger Catholics?
They had to pay for the new Protestant church
Tithe Composition Act
Made the tax a general land-based monetary charge that consequently became payable twice-yearly by larger numbers of Irish farmers
What resentment did the Tithe Composition Act create?
- Resentment towards paying the tithe
- Example of British oppression
When did the Tithe Wars begin?
October 1830