Introduction to Ireland 1685–1714
Welcome to your study notes for CCEA A2 Unit 2: Historical Investigations and Interpretations (Option 2: Ireland 1685–1714)! This era was one of the most turbulent, transformative, and dramatic periods in Irish history. Across just three decades, Ireland experienced intense military conflicts, massive religious shifts, land ownership upheavals, and constitutional battles that shaped Anglo-Irish relations for centuries.
Don't worry if all the names, dates, and treaties feel overwhelming at first. We will break this period down into four manageable, logical sections:
1. The Reign of James II and the Jacobite Administration (1685–1688)
2. The Williamite–Jacobite War (1689–1691)
3. The Protestant Ascendancy and the Penal Laws (1691–1714)
4. Anglo-Irish Constitutional and Economic Relations (1689–1714)
Section 1: The Reign of James II and the Jacobite Administration (1685–1688)
When the Catholic king James II ascended the throne in 1685, he aimed to restore civil and religious rights to Roman Catholics across his realms. In Ireland, where Catholics made up the vast majority of the population, this created an immediate political earthquake.
Key Figures: Clarendon vs. Tyrconnell
* Lord Clarendon (Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon): Initially appointed as Lord Lieutenant. Clarendon was a moderate Protestant royalist. He favored cautious reform to avoid alarming Protestant landowners.
* Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnell: A staunch Catholic aristocrat nicknamed "Fighting Dick Talbot." Appointed first as Commander-in-Chief of the army and later as Lord Deputy in 1687, replacing Clarendon.
The "Catholicisation" Policy
Under Tyrconnell's aggressive leadership, Ireland underwent rapid transformation:
* The Irish Army: Protestant officers and soldiers were purged and replaced with Roman Catholics, creating an almost entirely Catholic military force.
* The Judiciary and Administration: Catholic judges and magistrates were appointed to key benches and government offices.
* Municipal Corporations: Town charters were remodeled so that Catholics gained control over town councils, municipal boroughs, and the parliamentary electorate.
The Restoration Land Settlement and the Chester Meeting
The central grievance of Catholic elites was the loss of their estates during the Cromwellian confiscations. The 1662 Act of Settlement (the Restoration Land Settlement) had confirmed much of this land in Protestant hands.
Tyrconnell campaigned intensely to repeal the 1662 Act of Settlement and return confiscated land to Catholic proprietors. This caused widespread panic and capital flight (Protestant merchants and landowners moving their money and property out of Ireland).
At the Chester Meeting (1687), James II met directly with Tyrconnell, confirming royal backing for Tyrconnell's radical policies in Ireland, which set the stage for direct conflict.
Memory Aid: Think of Tyrconnell's policy as the 3 As: Army, Administration, and Assignment of Land.
Key Takeaway for Section 1: Tyrconnell sidelined moderate Protestants like Clarendon to rapidly Catholicise the military, legal, and political machinery of Ireland, provoking deep insecurity among Protestant settlers over land and political power.
---Section 2: The Williamite–Jacobite War in Ireland (1689–1691)
When James II was ousted in England during the Glorious Revolution of 1688, he landed in Ireland with French support to reclaim his crown, sparking a major international war against the new Protestant monarch, William III (William of Orange).
The Patriot Parliament (1689)
James II convened a parliament in Dublin composed almost entirely of Catholic members, known as the Patriot Parliament. It passed major legislation:
* Declaratory Act: Asserted that the English Parliament had no right to pass laws binding Ireland, establishing Irish legislative independence.
* Repeal of the Acts of Settlement and Explanation: Demanded the immediate restoration of confiscated lands to Catholic owners.
* Act of Attainder: Declared over 2,000 Protestants guilty of treason unless they surrendered.
* Declaration of Religious Liberty: Granted freedom of worship to both Catholics and Protestants.
Key Military Engagements
The war in Ireland was bloody and decisive:
* The Siege of Derry / Londonderry (1689): Protestant forces held out behind the city walls for 105 days against Jacobite troops until relieved by sea. Alongside the defense of Enniskillen, this preserved Williamite resistance in Ulster.
* The Battle of the Boyne (1 July 1690 / 11 July New Style): William III personally led his multi-national army against James II. William's victory forced the Jacobite army to retreat to the west, and James II fled to France.
* The Sieges of Limerick (1690 and 1691): Commanded on the Jacobite side by Patrick Sarsfield, Limerick held out heroically in 1690 before finally falling in late 1691.
* The Battle of Aughrim (1691): The bloodiest battle fought on Irish soil. The Jacobite army, commanded by the French General St Ruth, suffered a crushing and fatal defeat.
The Treaty of Limerick (October 1691)
The war ended with the surrender of Limerick, negotiated by Patrick Sarsfield:
* Military Articles: Allowed Jacobite soldiers (nicknamed the "Wild Geese") safe passage to France to serve in the French army.
* Civil Articles: Promised that Catholics in arms who took an oath of allegiance would retain their property, pursue their professions, and enjoy the religious freedoms they had held under Charles II.
Examiner Note: The civil articles were deeply controversial. The Protestant-dominated Irish Parliament subsequently refused to ratify them fully, curtailing their promised protections.
Key Takeaway for Section 2: Williamite victories at Derry, the Boyne, and Aughrim secured William III's throne, crushed Jacobite resistance, and led to the Treaty of Limerick, whose generous civil terms were soon eroded.
---Section 3: The Protestant Ascendancy and the Penal Laws (1691–1714)
Following William III's victory, the Church of Ireland (Anglican) landed elite established an unshakeable grip on power known as the Protestant Ascendancy.
Who Held Power? (Avoiding Monolith Traps)
A frequent exam pitfall is treating all "Protestants" as one unified group. In reality, power was held exclusively by the Church of Ireland (Anglican) elite. Protestant Dissenters (Presbyterians), particularly concentrated in Ulster, were also excluded from political power alongside Roman Catholics.
The Penal Legislation
Between 1695 and the end of Queen Anne's reign (1714), the Irish Parliament passed a series of restrictive statutes known as the Penal Laws:
* Disarming Acts and Banishment Acts (1695, 1697): Disarmed Catholics, confiscated their warhorses, and banished Catholic bishops and regular clergy to prevent the ordination of new priests.
* Popery Acts (1704 Act to Prevent the Further Growth of Popery, amended 1709):
* Gavelkind Rule: Land owned by a Catholic had to be divided equally among all surviving sons upon death, breaking up large Catholic estates. If the eldest son converted to the Church of Ireland, he inherited the entire estate.
* Property Bans: Catholics could not purchase land or take out leases longer than 31 years.
* Civil Disenfranchisement: Catholics were banned from voting, sitting in Parliament, practicing law, holding civil or military office, and establishing Catholic schools.
* The Sacramental Test Act (1704): Required anyone holding public office to take Holy Communion in the established Church of Ireland. This excluded Roman Catholics and heavily penalized Ulster Presbyterians / Dissenters, removing them from town corporations and magistracies.
Quick Review: Aims of the Penal Laws
Historians debate whether the laws were designed to convert Catholics or simply to reduce their wealth and political influence so they could never again mount a rebellion.
Key Takeaway for Section 3: The Penal Laws successfully disempowered the Catholic majority and consolidated wealth and political dominance in the hands of the Anglican Ascendancy, while also marginalizing Presbyterian Dissenters through the Sacramental Test.
---Section 4: Anglo-Irish Constitutional and Economic Relations (1689–1714)
Even though the Irish Parliament was thoroughly Protestant and loyal to the Crown, tensions frequently flared between Dublin and London over trade and legislative supremacy.
Constitutional Controls
* Poynings' Law (1494): An ancient mechanism stipulating that the Irish Parliament could only meet and pass bills that had been pre-approved by the English Privy Council. The Dublin Parliament increasingly sought greater control over initiating its own legislation.
Economic Clashes and Colonial Status
* The Woollen Act (1699): Passed by the English Parliament at Westminster to protect domestic English cloth producers. It strictly prohibited Ireland from exporting woollen goods to any foreign ports, deeply hurting the Irish textile trade and outraging Protestant merchants in Ireland.
William Molyneux’s Challenge
* In 1698, William Molyneux, an Irish Protestant MP and intellectual, published The Case of Ireland’s Being Bound by Acts of Parliament in England, Stated.
* Molyneux argued that Ireland was a separate kingdom with its own parliament, not a conquered colony. Therefore, the Westminster Parliament in London had no legal authority to pass laws binding Ireland without Irish consent.
Analogy: Imagine being part of a team project where a partner who is not doing your local work makes rules for your section without consulting you. Molyneux argued that Ireland and England shared the same monarch, but not the same parliament.
Key Takeaway for Section 4: Despite shared Protestant identity, the Irish Parliament clashed with England over economic restrictions like the Woollen Act and constitutional subordinations like Poynings' Law, inspired by thinkers like William Molyneux.
---Section 5: Mastering the A2 2 Exam (AHY21)
To score top marks in Assessment Unit A2 2, you must demonstrate strong disciplinary historical skills across the different question types:
Question 1: Primary / Contemporary Sources
* Do not just paraphrase the text. Interrogate the source's provenance (Who wrote it? When? Why?).
* Evaluate Tone and Purpose: Is the author a panicked Protestant landowner in 1687 or a triumphant Williamite officer in 1690? How does their perspective color their account?
* Cross-Reference with Context: Place the source directly into its precise historical moment.
Question 2: Evaluating Historical Interpretations
* Engage with Historiography: Compare and contrast secondary extracts written by modern historians (such as S. J. Connolly).
* Do not simply summarize Extract 1 and then Extract 2. Compare how they differ in their emphasis (e.g., Was the 1704 Popery Act driven by religious zeal or economic opportunism? Was Tyrconnell driven by personal ambition or genuine Catholic restoration?).
* Reach a Supported Judgment: Explain which interpretation is more convincing based on your own factual knowledge.
Question 3: Knowledge Essay
* Avoid Monolithic Language: Distinguish clearly between Anglicans and Presbyterians.
* Keep the Focus on Ireland: While English events matter, ensure your essay centers on developments in Dublin, Ulster, and across the Irish counties rather than just Westminster politics.
* Maintain a Clear Argument: Provide balanced analysis supporting a coherent thesis throughout your answer.