Tyrone's Rebellion: The Outbreak of the Nine Years War in Tudor Ireland [Hardcover]

Hiram Morgan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rhs Studies in History | Publication Date: April 1, 1999

As a study of both Tudor Anglo-Irish relations and the sixteenth-century, Morgan's work is first rate, thoughtful, well-researched and subtle. ARCHIVES Fascinating piece of detective work... No serious student of late Tudor Ireland can afford to ignore this rigorous and painstaking analysis. HISTORY Between 1594-1603 Elizabeth I faced her most dangerous challenge - the insurrection in Ireland known to British historians as the rebellion of the earl of Tyrone, and to their Irish counterparts in the Nine Years War. This study examines the causes of the conflict in the developing policy of the Crown, which climaxed in the Monaghan settlement of 1591, and the continuing resilience of the Gaelic system which brought to power Hugh Roe O'Donnell and Hugh O'Neill. The role of Hugh O'Neill, the earl of Tyrone, was pivotal in the conspiracies leading up to the war and in the leadership of the Irish cause thereafter. O'Neill's acceptance of an alliance with Spain rather than a fragile compromise with England is the terminal point of the study. By exploiting all the available source material, Dr Morgan has not only provided a critical reassessment of the early career of Hugh O'Neill but also made an original and lasting contribution to both Irish and Tudor historiography. HIRAM MORGAN is lecturer in history, University College, Cork.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851156835
• ISBN-13: 978-0851156835
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,189,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most comprehensive history on The Earl of Tyrone to date, September 7, 2001

By 

Daniel Hendrix (The United States of America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tyrone's Rebellion: The Outbreak of the Nine Years War in Tudor Ireland (Royal Historical Society Studies in History. New Series) (Hardcover)

A study on the influencing factors of key decisions made by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and events leading up to the 'Nine Years War" with England. Unlike many other works, there are references to key players in these events including the Earl's brothers Cormac and Airt as well as Hugh Maguire, Red Hugh O'Donnell, and others.
Hugh O'Neill, an Irishman who was taken into custody as a child and trained in the English manner, returns to Ireland. His eldest brother Brian dies leaving him taniste to the title of 'The O'Neill'. Political intrigue ensues when a rival family member claims the title for himself. Meanwhile, the English crown seeks to plant more settlers in Ireland. O'Neill takes the sword for England and earns his title 'Earl of Tyrone'
The temperament and willpower of a man largely ignored by the Crown comes into question as he is dogged by enemies and harrassed by the state. Further problems arise when English troops establish fortifications on his land.
The book becomes a study of the events and circumstances surrounding O'Neills decision to seek aid from the Catholic King Phillip of Spain and turn his back on the tyrannical and genocidal Tudor advance.
The tactics used by O'Neill while negotiating and fighting are the roots of 'guerilla warfare'. The successes at Clontibret, Enniskillen, and the Yellow Ford are mirrored by the Irish failure to win the disasterous battle of Kinsale.
As evidence for the author's conclusions, he includes a letter written by Cormac O'Neill, the Earl's brother, requesting aid from King Phillip II of Spain.
As the author is a historian, all references are cited.
2001 marks the 400th Anniversary of the Battle of Kinsale. This work is a must have for any serious student of Irish history.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Nine Years War, April 6, 2000

By 

Daniel Hendrix (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tyrone's Rebellion: The Outbreak of the Nine Years War in Tudor Ireland (Hardcover)

A 'must read' for any serious student of Irish history. To fully understand why Ireland is in the political conundrum it is you must first understand where the divisions between religion and politics began. The Geraldine and Butler leagues implemented by Sir Henry Sidney are merely the start, the ineptitude of Tudor officials the catalyst, and the rising power of Hugh O'Neill and his confederacy of Irish Lords and Cheiftans who had been wronged by English policy the vehicle. This book paints the most vivid picture of the people and the events responsible for the conflict. A look at a rare letter written by Cormac Mac Baron to King Phillip II of Spain is used to re-enforce the arguments propounded within the text. The authour, a historian, has clearly done more in-depth research on the subject than any other author to date and accurately describes (for the first time ever) the true story of The O'Neill.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars O'Neil's Rebellion and the Decline of Gaelic Ireland, March 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tyrone's Rebellion: The Outbreak of the Nine Years War in Tudor Ireland (Royal Historical Society Studies in History. New Series) (Hardcover)

Hiram Morgan's monograph is an excellent study for any reader interested in early modern British or Irish history. One cannot understand the contemporary Protestant versus Roman Catholic distrust, animosity, and cultural divide in Northern Ireland without understanding the English Tudor's racist Irish policy of colonization. One of Morgan's major contributions is to put the causes of Tyrone's Rebellion into the even broader context of late 16th century Europe where the Protestant-Catholic religious divide shaped national and international politics. The author is no polemicist. He has grounded his study in manuscript sources and Spanish archives (Catholic Spain supported the Irish rebellion).

Tyrone's Rebellion was led by the controversial Hugh O'Neil, the earl of Tyrone. This outbreak was the culmination of growing Irish animosity towards intrusive Tudor policy. Despite the Tudor's usually successful strategy of divide-and-conquer, the ignorance and heavy-handed tactics of Elizabeth I's English administrators managed to unite the Gaelic chieftans with the Anglo-Irish (English or Norman expatriates who had become "more Irish than the Irish themselves") in opposition to English plantation and pacification under the leadership of O'Neil. The rebellion was fomented in 1593-94, broke out in 1598 (Battle of Yellow Ford), and lasted until 1607 (after Elizabeth I had died, and been succeeded by James I).

Tyrone, the "arch rebel," ultimately came to terms days after Elizabeth's death, and went into exile (the famous "flight of the earls"). Robert Devereaux, the earl of Essex, and one of the queen's favorites, was not so fortunate. His personal ambition, military incompetence, and defiance of his majesty's orders cost him his life. While the fate of such elite persons (along with the great apologist of English policy - poet Edmund Spenser) is well known, one of Morgan's minor oversights, which is common in most books about this era, is a lack of attention to the appalling fate of the masses of English and Irish who were slaughtered on both sides of this early version of total war. Half of Ireland was destroyed. The result was famine, disease, and anarchy. The war cost the stingy Tudors a fortune in expenditures and debts. But England prevailed and secured Ireland from being a threatening base of operations for Spain or France. The "flight of the earls" - the "wild geese" - scattered throughout continental Europe, signaling the decline - but not the end - of Gaelic Ireland.