Richard II. twice visited Ireland during his reign. The object of his first visit was to reduce the Irish chieftains, and, as they were disunited, nearly all of them were ob liged, or deemed it prudent, to suhnnt. But no sooner had he quitted Ireland, than they revolted, attacked the English, defeated them, and slew M.,rtimer, Richard's cousin, who had been appointed chief governor. These dissensions induced Richard to come over to Ireland again in 1399 ; but, though he was at the head of an army of 30,000 men, he was unable to reduce one Irish chieftain, who, with only 3000 troops, eluded him among the bogs i and woods, and when he retreated, harassed him nces santly, and with dreadful effect. At length Richard was obliged to return to England, in consequence of the at tempts made upon his throne by Henry Duke of Lan caster.
Henry IV. was so busily occupied in laying the founda tion of his newly acquired government, that he paid little 1.• attention to the affairs of eland; and the conquest of France drew off the mind of his son from the same object. The English settlements, which were always in a feeble state, even when nurtured by attention and supplies from England, sunk into still greater weakness during the reigns of these monarchs: the Irish chieftains harassed them in cessantly, and the English lords, constantly jealous of one another, and engaged in quarrels, were neither able nor dis posed to repel the attacks of the Irish. Under these cir cumstances, the English settlements must have been utter ly destroyed, if the Irish lords had acted in concert, or been faithful to one another ; but each followed their individual and separate interests, and on receiving revenues from the colonists, protected them from their own country men.
In the civil wars of the houses of York and Lancaster, the English in Ireland took a decided part. The most powerful families were the Geraldines of Desmond and Kildare, and the Butlers, or house of Ormond. The for mer adhered to the house of York, and the latter to the house of Lancaster. Soon after the accession of Edward IV. the power, influence, and property of the Butlers were greatly reduced by the Irish parliament, while the Geral dine faction increased in influence. In the year 1463, Tho mas, who was the head of this faction, was appointed lord deputy ; but he was rash and ill advised enough to march into Meath against the Irish chieftains, where his army was defeated, and himself made prisoner; but afterwards libe rated, through the affection and gratitude of an Irish chief tain. This reverse, however, had rendered him unpopu lar at the English court, by which he was deprived of his government, and afterwards beheaded, on the plea that he had contravened the statute of Kilkenny against forming connections with the Irish. The Earl of Kildare was cused at the same time of the same crime, but escaping into England, he not only obtained his pardon from the King, but also the appointment of lord deputy.
In the midst of these events, the EngliSh settlements were still feeble and ill protected ; and at last, in 1474, a fraternity of arms was instituted by act of parliament. This fraternity was composed of thirteen of the most powerful and well disposed persons in that district, which was more immediately and completely under the dominion of the English, viz. the counties of Dublin, Meath, Louth, and Kildare. By these persons was to be elected annually a captain, under whose command were placed 120 archers on horseback, and 40 other horsemen, beside one person to attend on each. Thus a force of 213 men (for the fra
ternity were themselves to act as soldiers) was raised ; but it is evident, that this small force was inadequate to the de fence of the extensive borders of the English settlements, and even to the preservation of tranquillity within their set tlements. In fact, the security of the English in their pos sessions was regularly purchased by a tribute to the Irish chieftains. ? The pay assigned to each archer raised by the fraternity was sixpence per day, and five pence to each other horseman with his attendant. The sum necessary for this purpose was supplied by taxes, and, though to a trifling amount, they were levied with great difficulty. The family of the Butlers, though greatly reduced in numbers and in power, was not annihilated ; and the chief surviving member, by his address, obtained from the King the rever sion of the act of attainder, and the removal of the Earl of Kildare from the office of lord deputy. For some years there was a struggle between the Geraldines and the But lers for the King's favour. At last, in 1478, Gerald Earl of Kildare was appointed deputy. Scarcely, however, had he obtained this office, when he was superseded by Lord Grey. Against this appointment he remonstrated with such effect, that he was reinstated in his office, the duties of which he performed with great prudence and address, till some years after Henry VII. ascended the throne of England. His being continued deputy by this monarch, who must have been prejudiced against him, as an adhe rent of the house of York, may partly be ascribed to Hen ry's apprehension of disturbances while he was yet unset tled on his throne ; but it probably also arose, in part, from his sense of the good conduct of Kildare. This nobleman, however, soon afterwards swerved from the line of con duct he had hitherto pursued, and Henry's suspicions were excited against him, and his Irish subjects in general, among whom the cause of the house of York had always been popular. Their attachment to this cause they open ly manifested, by the encouragement they gave to Lam bert Simnel. This impostor was sent, by those who sup ported him, to Ireland, where lie was proclaimed by the lord deputy and the council by the title of Edward VI. Having thus committed themselves, they prepared to up hold the cause which they had espoused ; and the Yorkists in England gladly co-operated with them ; besides English troops, 2000 Germans were sent by the Duchess of Bur gundy, sister to Edward IV. into Ireland, in the hopes that they would draw Henry into that country, and thus leave England open to the operations of the Yorkists. But not succeeding in this, the army was sent over to England. Be fore their arrival, however, the imposture of Simnel had been detected, and the people received them every where rather as foes than as allies or friends. They still, how ever, pushed on, and as Henry was also advancing against them from London, the hostile armies met at Stoke, in Not tinghamshire, on the 6th of June, 1487. The battle was long and obstinate, but at length terminated in the com plete victory olthe king. Henry, with his usual prudence, which always with him was superior to mere feeling, par doned, with scarcely one exception, the supporters of Sim nel.