The participation of the Anglo-Norman nobility of the Pale in the War of the Roses greatly crip pled the English interest. When he came to the throne, Henry VII. left Gerald, Earl of Kildare, Viceroy of Ireland. although the Earl belonged to the Yorkist party. The assistance rendered by the Earl to the Yorkist pretenders finally com pelled the King, in 1494, to remove him and to send over Edward Poynings to restore order to the Pale. Poynings represented the purely English interest, as distinct from the Anglo-Norman inter est, which up to that time had prevailed in Ireland. He at once summoned the Parliament of Drogheda, which enacted most important legislation. providing for the defense of the Pale, reducing the power of the Anglo-Irish lords, and rendering the Parliament and judiciary of Ire land dependent on the English Crown. Tice no bility was forbidden to oppress the inferior baronage, to make exactions upon the tenantry, or to assemble their armed retainers; their in fluence on the towns was diminished. The Stat ute of Kilkenny, which compelled the English and Irish to live apart, and forbade Irish law and customs in the Pale, was confirmed. All State offices, including the judgeships, were filled by the King, instead of the viceroys, and the entire English law was to hold for the l'ale. Most important of all was the so-called Poyn ings Law, which made the Irish Parliament de pendent upon the King. It provided that all proposed legislation should first be announced to the King and meet with his approval, after which the King should issue the license to hold Parl iament.
Henry VII. reestablished the Earl of Kildare, who was the most powerful of the Irish nobil ity, as Viceroy, and under his rule the I'ale grew and prospered. His family, the famous Geraldines, rebelled and were overthrown during the reign of Henry VIII. In 1531 Henry VIII. assembled a Parliament at Dublin which intro duced the Reformation into Ireland. The King was declared head of the Church, which was separated from Rome, and the dissolution of the monasteries was begun. Somewhat later relics and images were destroyed and the dissolution was completed. The native chieftains were con ciliated by a share of the spoils and received English titles, their lands being regrauted under English tenure. It was Henry's policy thus to conciliate them and to leave the Irish under their own laws. An English commission held courts all over the Island, but Irish right was respected and the country remained peaceful. This result came about under the wise rule of Saint Leger, who was Viceroy during the latter part of the reign. In the Parliament of 1541, attended for the first time by native chieftains as well as the lords of the Pale, Henry's title of Lord of Ireland. which had been conferred by the Pope, was changed into that of King.
The religious changes under Edward VI. and
Mary had little effect upon Ireland. Although Mary was herself a Catholic, she was the first to begin the colonization of Ireland by English settlers. The Irish people of Kings and Queens County were driven out and their lands given to English colonists. Elizabeth at first followed her father's policy of conciliating the Irish chieftains, but the rebellion of Shayne O'Neill, an Ulster chief, caused a radical change in her policy. An act was passed making all Ireland shireland, and the commissioners of justice were invested with military powers. So far from respecting Irish right. they ignored it altogether. The religious wars of Elizabeth were attended by rebellions of the Irish Catholics. The Earl of Desmond, a representative of the great House of Geraldine. which ruled over the greater part of Munster, was defeated after a long struggle. Hugh O'Neill, called by the English the Earl of Tyrone, annihilated an English army on the Iliad:water. and baffled the Earl of Essex. whom Elizabeth had sent against him. A Spanish force coning to his made the mistake of landing in the smith. instead of in the north, as had been promised, led O'Neill to make a march of 200 miles through desolate country in order to join them. Ills forces were too weak to withstand the English in the field, and about the beginning of 1603 he submitted to Lord Mount joy• but was allowed to retain his earldom. During all these wars the greatest cruelty and treachery were practiced on both sides. In order to destroy Irish resistance. the English devas tated the village-, crops, and cattle, pntting to death all the inhabitants they could secure. The greater part of Munster and I was laid deso late, and many more perished from hunger than by the sword.
Under Elizabeth and dames 1. the Anglican State Church was extended over Ireland. not only obtaining all that behinged to the Church of the Pale, but being invested with the establish ment belonging to the Celtic Church as well. There was an ancient feud between these two Irish churches. and they were intensely 111e-tile to each other. The Church of the Pale was effect ed by the Reformation, but the Celtic Church became increasingly ]bang. The entire Celtic population of Ireland. and the majority of the inhabitants of the ]'ale. remained Catholic. The Anglican Chnrch this became a mere instrument in the hands of the English rulers in Dublin Castle.
During the reign of James I the English sys tem was introduced into Ireland on a grand scale. English law was prononneed the sole law of the land. The light of Tyrone and Tyrcon nell gave a pretext for the confiscation of the land in six counties of Ulster. The independence of the Irish Parliament was destroyed by the creation of forty boroughs out of small hamlets. which secured a permanent majority to the (*I-own.