in Ireland were to become strangers in their own country, and were to suffer even greater hardships than those who had gone before them.
The English were now determined that the Irish should never again rebel and resorted to ruthless plantation as a means of achieving this. They confiscated the lands of the earls who had fled and gave them to English and Scottish settlers. Part of what was County Derry was given to a company from London, and they renamed the area Londonderry. These new settlers were Protestants, and the Catholic Irish who still remained in Ulster now found themselves as tenants or labourers on their own land. The Protestant settlers did not treat their Catholic tenants or labourers very well, and this led to much resentment.
Though the English succeeded in taking much of the Irish land, their other objective, which was to enforce the Protestant religion on the Irish people, failed: they remained Catholic. Land and power and religion now divided the people who lived in Ireland. On one side were the Irish and Norman Catholic people who had been dispossessed, and on the other side the English and Scottish Protestant settlers who had taken their land. This situation bred bitterness and a desire for revenge, and led to one of the most brutal of all Irish rebellions. Before it took place there was a bloody war in England. Like the Wars of the Roses, it was fought over the question of who should rule. However, it wasn’t fought between rival kings, but between King Charles II and the English Parliament. Charles lost and was beheaded. The man who defeated him was Oliver Cromwell, and he was destined to become the most feared and hated Englishman ever to bring an army to Ireland. What occurred while he was here with his army is still known as ‘the curse of Cromwell’.
17
The Curse of Cromwell
B efore I tell you about ‘the curse of Cromwell’, we must return to the history of England. When Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, she left no heir to the throne. She was the last of the Tudors, a monarchy that began, you remember, with Henry VII, the victor in the War of the Roses. The next in line to succeed Elizabeth was James Stuart, who was then king of Scotland. He was a nephew of Henry VIII, and Elizabeth’s nearest relative.
James was crowned James I in 1603, the first of the Stuart kings of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Now, for the very first time, the English king could claim to rule all four countries. Since the time of Edward I, English monarchs had wanted to rule Scotland. Ironically, under a Scottish king, this had come to pass.
James was a Protestant, and did not treat his Catholic subjects very well. This angered them, and some of them plotted to kill him. The date set for carrying out this plot was 5 November 1603 when the king attended the official opening of parliament in London.
The leader of the plotters was Guy Fawkes. He and his supporters hid barrels of gunpowder in the cellars beneath the Houses of Parliament. Their plan was to blow up the building, killing the king and his followers. However, the king learned of this plot and Guy Fawkes was arrested on 4 November along with most of his supporters. All of them were later executed.
Did you know that the failure of Guy Fawkes to blow up parliament is still celebrated in England with bonfires and fireworks on the 5 November? At almost all the bonfires they also burn an effigy, which is called ‘The Guy’. This effigy is actually an effigy of Guy Fawkes, which is why it’s burned and why it’s called ‘The Guy’.
James I ruled until his death in 1625. He had wanted to have all the power for himself and dismissed parliament for a number of years. During his reign, English and Scottish settlers continued to arrive in Ireland to take over land, or to rent land from English landlords. With the departure of the great chieftains of Ulster, there were few left in Ireland to offer opposition, and any hint of rebellion was ruthlessly put
The English were now determined that the Irish should never again rebel and resorted to ruthless plantation as a means of achieving this. They confiscated the lands of the earls who had fled and gave them to English and Scottish settlers. Part of what was County Derry was given to a company from London, and they renamed the area Londonderry. These new settlers were Protestants, and the Catholic Irish who still remained in Ulster now found themselves as tenants or labourers on their own land. The Protestant settlers did not treat their Catholic tenants or labourers very well, and this led to much resentment.
Though the English succeeded in taking much of the Irish land, their other objective, which was to enforce the Protestant religion on the Irish people, failed: they remained Catholic. Land and power and religion now divided the people who lived in Ireland. On one side were the Irish and Norman Catholic people who had been dispossessed, and on the other side the English and Scottish Protestant settlers who had taken their land. This situation bred bitterness and a desire for revenge, and led to one of the most brutal of all Irish rebellions. Before it took place there was a bloody war in England. Like the Wars of the Roses, it was fought over the question of who should rule. However, it wasn’t fought between rival kings, but between King Charles II and the English Parliament. Charles lost and was beheaded. The man who defeated him was Oliver Cromwell, and he was destined to become the most feared and hated Englishman ever to bring an army to Ireland. What occurred while he was here with his army is still known as ‘the curse of Cromwell’.
17
The Curse of Cromwell
B efore I tell you about ‘the curse of Cromwell’, we must return to the history of England. When Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, she left no heir to the throne. She was the last of the Tudors, a monarchy that began, you remember, with Henry VII, the victor in the War of the Roses. The next in line to succeed Elizabeth was James Stuart, who was then king of Scotland. He was a nephew of Henry VIII, and Elizabeth’s nearest relative.
James was crowned James I in 1603, the first of the Stuart kings of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Now, for the very first time, the English king could claim to rule all four countries. Since the time of Edward I, English monarchs had wanted to rule Scotland. Ironically, under a Scottish king, this had come to pass.
James was a Protestant, and did not treat his Catholic subjects very well. This angered them, and some of them plotted to kill him. The date set for carrying out this plot was 5 November 1603 when the king attended the official opening of parliament in London.
The leader of the plotters was Guy Fawkes. He and his supporters hid barrels of gunpowder in the cellars beneath the Houses of Parliament. Their plan was to blow up the building, killing the king and his followers. However, the king learned of this plot and Guy Fawkes was arrested on 4 November along with most of his supporters. All of them were later executed.
Did you know that the failure of Guy Fawkes to blow up parliament is still celebrated in England with bonfires and fireworks on the 5 November? At almost all the bonfires they also burn an effigy, which is called ‘The Guy’. This effigy is actually an effigy of Guy Fawkes, which is why it’s burned and why it’s called ‘The Guy’.
James I ruled until his death in 1625. He had wanted to have all the power for himself and dismissed parliament for a number of years. During his reign, English and Scottish settlers continued to arrive in Ireland to take over land, or to rent land from English landlords. With the departure of the great chieftains of Ulster, there were few left in Ireland to offer opposition, and any hint of rebellion was ruthlessly put
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