Colm Lennon's Sixteenth-Century Ireland, the second instalment in the New Gill History of Ireland series, looks at how the Tudor conquest of Ireland by Henry VIII and the country's colonisation by Protestant settlers led to the incomplete conquest of Ireland, laying the foundations for the sectarian conflict that persists to this day. In 1500, most of Ireland lay outside the ambit of English royal power. Only a small area around Dublin, The Pale, was directly administered by the crown. The...

Through a series of innovative perspectives, this book examines how early modern Irish townspeople experienced the urban world through a range of family and associational ties. Migrants inducted through town citizenship and marriage bonded more closely as sisters or brothers of confraternities and guilds, consolidating parish membership. Civic religion saw the integration of religion with town politics and councils, and monastic charity of the friars’ hospitals preceded the era of modern m...

From Norman invaders, religious wars—and the struggle for independence—the fascinating, turbulent history of a tortured nation and its gifted peopleWhen Shakespeare referred to England as a "jewel set in a silver sea," he could just as well have been speaking of Ireland. Not only has its luminous green landscape been the backdrop for bloody Catholic/Protestant conflict and a devastating famine, Ireland's great voices—like Joyce and Yeats—are now indelibly part of w...

This book provides in succinct, accessible form, a thematic rather than strictly chronological account of Irish history. It begins with a comprehensive historical portrait which presents the whole fabric of three thousand years of Irish life. For subsequent chapters the author has selected for development the significant threads of the historical web, the themes of invasion, rebellion, the Black North, and aspects of the culture, especially literary, that make the whole of Ireland the cult...

The background history of Ireland is vital to an understanding of its people and culture. <I>A Travellers History of Ireland</I> offers a chronological outline of the country up to the present day as well as an invaluable introduction to a land of poets, saints, illustrious soldiers and inspiring and persistent rebels. The book includes a comprehensive description of modern Ireland, both North and South, and of its two separate Catholic Nationalist and Protestant U...

A brilliant appraisal of the Civil War and its long-term consequences, by an acclaimed historian.The political upheaval of the mid-seventeenth century has no parallel in English history. Other events have changed the occupancy and the powers of the throne, but the conflict of 1640-60 was more dramatic: the monarchy and the House of Lords were abolished, to be replaced by a republic and military rule.In this wonderfully readable account, Blair Worden explore...

In this ground-breaking study, Professor Christine Kinealy incorporates recent scholarship in Irish studies to explore the key developments and -personalities that have shaped Ireland over 1500 years. In particular, she explores the role of successive waves of settlers, who came as traders, invaders, colonisers, religious refugees and, latterly, economic migrants. From the arrival of St Patrick in the fifth century, to the Good Friday Agreement in the twentieth century and...

An authoritative and accessible history of the kings and queens of England from the warrior kings of the Dark Ages to King Charles III.The lives of the kings and queens of England include some of the most dramatic episodes in the history of Great Britain.Whether it's William the Conqueror's slaying of Harold Godwinson, Henry VIII's readiness to behead his unfortunate wives, Elizabeth I's chastity, or the glamour of the young Elizabeth II, these monarchs hol...

Change is constant in human affairs and Ireland has seen its fair share over the centuries. If we are to understand Ireland's current challenges then we must grasp the complexity of its past. This concise and even-handed account describes the history of Ireland from early times. Based upon up-to-date research, the narrative covers all political, social and cultural issues of importance, right up to the autumn of 1995 with the visit of President Clinton and the end of the first year of peac...

The dramatic and shocking events of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 are to be the backdrop to Juliet Barker's latest book: a snapshot of what everyday life was like for ordinary people living in the middle ages. The same highly successful techniques she deployed inAgincourt and Conquest will this time be brought to bear on civilian society, from the humblest serf forced to provide slave-labour for his master in the fields, to the prosperous country goodwife brewing, cooking ...

From the early settlers after the last Ice Age, and the myth and ritual that surrounds that prehistoric period, Fiona Watson charts the evolution of the Scottish people - as Scots, Picts and Angles - and their interaction with the world abroad, from invasions by the Romans and Vikings and the medieval wars of independence with England right through to Devolution.

Understand Scottish History: Teach Yourself is a comprehensive guide to the exciting story of this nation, from pre-history right through to the present day. With the question of Scottish independence once again on the agenda, this book will allow you to trace the events, both peaceful and bloody, that have brought the country to this point. Tracing events from the pre-history of the land and the coming of the Scots to the rise of the Scottish National Party, it provides an informative and...