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{{Short description|Period of Irish Catholic self-government
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{More footnotes|date=April 2009}}
{{Infobox former country
|native_name =
|conventional_long_name = Irish Catholic Confederation
|common_name = Ireland
|iso3166code = omit
|era = [[Irish Confederate Wars]]
|government_type = [[
|event_start = <!-- Default: "Established" -->
|year_start = 1642
|event_end = [[Cromwellian conquest of Ireland|Cromwellian conquest]]
|year_end = 1652
|event_pre = [[Irish Rebellion of 1641]]<!-- Optional: A crucial event that took place before "event_start" -->
|date_pre = 1641
|event_post = <!-- Optional: A crucial event that took place after "event_end" -->
|date_post =
|p1 = Kingdom of Ireland
|flag_p1 = Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg
|s1 = Commonwealth of England
|flag_s1 = Flag of
|image_flag = Green harp flag of Ireland.svg
|image_coat = Colorized Confederate Ireland Seal.png
|coa_size = 150px
|symbol_type = Great Seal
|image_map =
|image_map_caption =
|capital = [[Kilkenny]]
|national_motto =
|common_languages = [[Irish language|Irish]], [[English language|English]]
|religion = [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]
|title_leader = [[List of Irish monarchs|King]]
|leader1 = [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]
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|leader2 = [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]
|year_leader2 = 1649–1653
|legislature = [[General Assembly]]▼
▲|legislature = General Assembly
}}
[[File:Confederate Ireland flag, Kilkenny.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|right|Replica of a Confederation flag found in [[Rothe House]], Kilkenny; it depicts the [[Coronation of the Virgin|Coronation of Mary]] as [[Queen of Heaven]] by
'''Confederate Ireland''' was the period of Irish [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] self-government between 1642 and 1649, during the [[Irish Confederate Wars|Eleven Years' War]]. During this time, two-thirds of Ireland was governed by the '''Irish Catholic Confederation''' or '''Confederacy''', also known as the '''Confederation of Kilkenny''' because it was based in [[Kilkenny]]. It was formed by Catholic nobles, [[landed gentry]], clergy and military leaders after the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641]], and it included Catholics of [[Gaels|Gaelic]] and [[Normans in Ireland|Anglo-Norman descent]]. They wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination within the [[Kingdom of Ireland]], greater Irish self-governance, and to roll back the [[plantations of Ireland]]. They also wanted to prevent an invasion by anti-Catholic [[Roundhead|English Parliamentarians]] and [[Covenanter|Scottish Covenanters]], who were defying the king, [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. Most Confederates professed loyalty to Charles I and believed they could reach a lasting settlement with the king once his opponents in the [[English Civil War]] had been defeated.<ref name="bcw">[http://bcw-project.org/church-and-state/confederate-ireland/the-confederate-assembly The Confederate Assembly of Kilkenny] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028204331/https://bcw-project.org/church-and-state/confederate-ireland/the-confederate-assembly |date=28 October 2020 }}. British Civil Wars Project.</ref> The Confederacy had what were effectively a parliament (called the General Assembly), an executive (called the Supreme Council), and a military. It minted coins, levied taxes and set up a printing press.<ref name="bcw"/> Confederate ambassadors were appointed and recognised in [[Kingdom of France|France]], [[Habsburg Spain|Spain]] and the [[Papal States]],<ref name="bcw"/> who supplied the Confederates with money and weapons.▼
'''Confederate Ireland''', also referred to as the '''Irish Catholic Confederation''', was a period of Irish [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] self-government between 1642 and 1652, during the [[Irish Confederate Wars|Eleven Years' War]]. Formed by Catholic aristocrats, [[landed gentry]], clergy and military leaders after the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641]], the Confederates controlled up to two-thirds of Ireland from their base in [[Kilkenny]]; hence it is sometimes called the "Confederation of Kilkenny".
▲
At various times, Confederate armies fought [[Cavalier|Royalists]], [[Roundhead|Parliamentarians]], [[Laggan Army|Ulster Protestant militia]] and Scots [[Covenanter]]s; these controlled [[the Pale]], parts of eastern and northern [[Ulster]], and the region around [[Cork (city)|Cork]]. Charles authorised secret negotiations which in September 1643 resulted in a Confederate–Royalist ceasefire and led to further talks, most of which proved unsuccessful. In 1644, a [[Irish expedition to Scotland|Confederate military expedition]] landed in Scotland to help Royalists there. The Confederates continued to fight the Parliamentarians in Ireland, and decisively defeated the Covenanter army in the [[Battle of Benburb]].
In 1647, the Confederates suffered a string of defeats at [[Battle of Dungan's Hill|Dungan's Hill]], [[Sack of Cashel|Cashel]] and [[Battle of Knocknanuss|Knocknanuss]]. This prompted them to make an agreement with the Royalists, leading to internal divisions which hampered their ability to resist a Parliamentarian invasion. In August 1649, a large [[New Model Army|English Parliamentarian army]], led by [[Oliver Cromwell]], [[Cromwellian conquest of Ireland|invaded Ireland]]. By May 1652 it had defeated the Confederate–Royalist alliance, although Confederate soldiers continued a [[guerrilla warfare]] campaign for a further year.
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 1650s]]
==Formation==
The Irish Catholic Confederation was formed in the aftermath of the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641|1641 rebellion]], both to control the popular uprising and to organise an Irish Catholic war effort against the remaining English and Scottish armies in Ireland. It was hoped that by doing this, the Irish Catholics could hold off an English or Scottish re-conquest of the country.
The initiative for the Confederation came from a Catholic bishop, [[Nicholas French]], and a lawyer named [[Nicholas Plunkett]]. They put forth their proposals for a government to Irish Catholic nobles such as [[Viscount Gormanston]], [[Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount Mountgarret|Viscount Mountgarret]], [[Donagh MacCarthy, Viscount Muskerry|Viscount Muskerry]] and the [[Baron of Navan]]. These men would commit their own armed forces to the Confederation and persuaded other rebels to join it. The declared aims of the Confederates were similar to those of Sir [[Phelim O'Neill]], the leader of the early stages of the rebellion in Ulster, who issued the [[Proclamation of Dungannon]] in October 1641.
On 17 March 1642, these nobles signed the "Catholic Remonstrance" issued at [[Trim, County Meath]] that was addressed to King Charles I. On 22 March, at a synod in nearby [[Kells, County Meath|Kells]] chaired by [[Hugh O'Reilly (Archbishop of Armagh)|Hugh O'Reilly, Archbishop of Armagh]], a majority of the Catholic bishops proclaimed that the rebellion was a [[Just war theory|just war]].{{sfn|Austin|1913|p=[https://archive.org/details/catholicencyclo07herbgoog/page/n326/ 294]|ps=: "He convened a provincial synod at Kells early in February 1642 in which the bishops declared the war undertaken by the Irish people for their king, religion, and country to be just and lawful."}}
[[File:Cattedrale di san canizio kilkenny.jpg|right|thumb|[[St Canice's Cathedral|Cathedral of St Canice]], where members of the Assembly heard mass.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n194/ 176]|ps=
On 10 May 1642, Ireland's Catholic clergy held a [[synod]] at [[Kilkenny]]. Present were the [[Archbishop]]s of [[Archbishop of Armagh|Armagh]], [[Archbishop of Cashel|Cashel]] and [[Archbishop of Tuam|Tuam]], eleven bishops or their representatives, and other dignitaries.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n38/ 20]|ps=: "... the synod met at Kilkenny on the 10th May 1642. The Archbishops of Armagh, Cashel and Tuam, with 6 other bishops and the proxys of five more ..."}} They drafted the [[Confederate Oath of Association]] and called on all Catholics in Ireland to take the oath. Those who took the oath swore allegiance to [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and vowed to obey all orders and decrees made by the "Supreme Council of the Confederate Catholics". The rebels henceforth became known as Confederates. The synod re-affirmed that the rebellion was a "just war".{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n41/ 23]|ps=: "... declare that war, openly Catholic, to be lawful and just;"}} It called for the creation of a council (made up of clergy and nobility) for each [[Provinces of Ireland|province]], which would be overseen by a national council for the whole island. It vowed to punish misdeeds by Confederate soldiers and to excommunicate any Catholic who
===The first Confederate Assembly===
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A National Treasury, a mint for making coins, and a press for printing proclamations were set up in Kilkenny.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n65/ 47, line 30]|ps=: "Under same seal an order was issued to establish a mint in Kilkenny ..."}}{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n66/ 48, line 30]|ps=: "Along with the mint the supreme council caused printing presses to be set up in Waterford and Kilkenny ..."}} This first General Assembly sat until 9 January 1643.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n72/ 54]|ps=: "The Assembly broke up on the 9th of January [1643], and fixed their next meeting for the following May."}}
[[File:King Charles I after original by van Dyck.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.85|[[Charles I of England|Charles I]] King of England, Scotland and Ireland, to whom the Confederates pledged allegiance, but could not agree to a formal alliance with in the civil wars.]]▼
===Policies===
▲[[File:King Charles I after original by van Dyck.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.
The last piece of legislation agreed by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and [[Parliament of England|Parliament]] was the 1642 [[Adventurers' Act]], which provided funds to suppress the 1641 Rebellion by confiscating "rebel" lands. In order to keep their estates, in the context of the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]] the Confederates claimed to be [[Cavalier|Royalists]] loyal to the king, which made reaching an agreement with him a matter of primary importance.{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|p=2}} As a result, the Confederacy never claimed to be an independent government and since only Charles could legally call [[Parliament of Ireland|Parliament]], their General Assembly never claimed to be one, although this did not prevent it enacting legislation.
Confederate political demands included Irish self-government, secure tenure of their lands, amnesty for any acts committed during the Rebellion, an equal share in government positions and that these concessions be ratified by a post-war Parliament. In terms of religion, they insisted on toleration of Catholicism and in June 1645 added the stipulation that the Catholic clergy should retain all properties taken from the Church of Ireland since 1641.{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|p=2}} In reality, these were almost impossible to achieve, since they were asking Charles to make concessions he had refused to make to Parliament, while the vast majority of his advisors opposed them on the grounds that doing so would fatally undermine the Royalist cause in England and Scotland.{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|pp=2-3}}
The Confederate position was further weakened by divisions between the Old English, mostly descendants of those who arrived during the [[Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland]] in 1172, and the native [[Gaels|Gaelic]] Irish. While many historians dispute the extent of the differences between the two groups, there are significant variations in terms of political, religious and economic objectives. In general, the Old English wanted to regain the power and influence they had lost under the Tudors and although they were sincere Catholics, did not support establishing the church as the [[state religion]].{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|pp=5-6}} Gaelic Irish leaders such as [[Owen Roe O'Neill]] wanted to reverse the [[Plantations of Ireland]], since this was the only way to retrieve their ancestral lands; however, they were far less united in their demands than the Old English and it has been argued they formed a pressure group, rather than a distinct political philosophy.{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|pp=5-6}}
==The 1643 Cessation==
[[File:Confederate Ireland battle flag.svg|right|thumb|upright=0.8|Battle flags of the Confederates included the words ''Vivat Rex Carolus'' 'Long live King Charles']]
In September 1643, the Confederates negotiated a "
▲In September 1643, the Confederates negotiated a "cessation of arms" (or [[ceasefire]]), with [[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde]], the senior general of the royalist army in Ireland. It was signed at Jigginstown, near [[Naas]]. This meant that hostilities ceased between the Confederates and Ormonde's royalist army based in [[Dublin]]. However, the English garrison in [[Cork (city)|Cork]] (which was commanded by [[Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin]], a rare Gaelic Irish [[Protestant]]) objected to the ceasefire and mutinied, and he declared their allegiance to the English [[Long Parliament]]. The Scottish [[Covenanters]] had also landed an army in Ulster in 1642, which remained hostile to the Confederates and to the king – as did the [[Laggan Army]] of the Scottish settlers living in Ulster.
The [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] historian [[Thomas Carte]] mentioned the financial terms of the Cessation, whereby the Confederates undertook to pay Ormonde £30,000 in stages up to May 1644, half in cash and half in live cattle.{{sfn|Carte|1851|p=[https://archive.org/details/lifeofjamesdukeo03cart/page/263/ 263]|ps=: "... the thirty thousand pounds which by the articles of the cessation was to be paid, half in money and the rest in beeves and ammunition."}}
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In return for the concessions that were made Irish troops would be sent to England to fight for the royalists in the [[English Civil War]]. However, the terms agreed were not acceptable to either the Catholic clergy, the Irish military commanders – notably [[Owen Roe O'Neill]] and [[Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara|Thomas Preston]] – or the majority of the General Assembly. Nor was the papal nuncio Rinuccini party to the treaty, which left untouched the objects of his mission; he had induced nine of the Irish bishops to sign a protest against any arrangement with [[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde|Ormonde]] or the king that would not guarantee the maintenance of the Catholic religion.
Many believed the Supreme Council were unreliable
==Military defeat and a new Ormonde peace==
{{Further|Second Ormonde Peace}}
After the Confederates rejected the peace deal, Ormonde handed Dublin over to a parliamentarian army under [[Michael Jones (soldier)|Michael Jones]]. The Confederates now tried to eliminate the remaining parliamentarian outposts in [[Dublin]] and [[Cork (city)|Cork]], but in 1647 suffered a series of military disasters. First, Thomas Preston's [[Leinster]] army was destroyed by Jones's parliamentarians at the [[Battle of Dungan's Hill]] in [[County Meath]]. Then, less than three months later, the Confederates' Munster army met a similar fate at the hands of Inchiquin's parliamentarian forces at the [[battle of Knocknanauss]].
These setbacks made most Confederates much more eager to come to reach an agreement with the royalists and negotiations were re-opened. The Supreme Council received generous terms from Charles I and Ormonde, including toleration of the Catholic religion, a commitment to repealing Poyning's Law (and therefore to Irish self-government), recognition of lands taken by Irish Catholics during the war, and a commitment to a partial reversal of the [[Plantation of Ulster]]. In addition, there was to be an Act of Oblivion, or amnesty for all acts committed during the 1641 rebellion and [[Irish Confederate Wars|Confederate wars]] – in particular the killings of British Protestant settlers in 1641 – combined with no disbanding of the Confederate armies.
However, Charles granted these terms only out of desperation and later repudiated them. Under the terms of the agreement, the Confederation was to dissolve itself, place its troops under royalist commanders and accept English royalist troops. Inchiquin also defected from the Parliament and rejoined the royalists in Ireland.
==Civil War within the Confederation==
[[File:Owen Roe O'Neill.JPG|right|thumb|Engraving copy of portrait of Owen Roe O'Neill]]
However, many of the Irish Catholics continued to reject a deal with the royalists. [[Owen Roe O'Neill]] refused to join the new royalist alliance and fought a brief internal civil war with the royalists and Confederates in the summer of 1648. So alienated was O'Neill by what he considered to be a betrayal of Catholic war aims that he tried to make a separate peace with the English Parliament and was for a short time effectively an ally of the English parliamentary armies in Ireland. This was disastrous for the wider aims of the Confederacy, as it coincided with the outbreak of the [[English Civil War#
It is often argued that this split within the Confederate ranks represented a split between Gaelic Irish and [[Old English (Ireland)|Old English]]. It is suggested that a particular reason for this was that Gaelic Irish had lost much land and power since the English conquest of Ireland and hence had become radical in their demands.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} However, there were members of both ethnicities on each side. For example, [[Felim O'Neill of Kinard|Phelim O'Neill]], the Gaelic Irish instigator of the Rebellion of 1641, sided with the moderates, whereas the predominantly Old English south Wexford area rejected the peace. The Catholic clergy were also split over the issue.
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==Cromwell's invasion==
[[File:Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper.jpg|thumb|[[Oliver Cromwell]], who conquered Ireland on behalf of the [[English Parliament]]]]
[[Oliver Cromwell]] invaded Ireland in 1649 to crush the new alliance of Irish Confederates and royalists. The [[Cromwellian conquest of Ireland]] was the bloodiest warfare that had ever occurred in the country and was accompanied by [[pandemic|plague]] and [[famine]]. Kilkenny [[Siege of Kilkenny|fell after a short siege]] in 1650.
==Significance==
Confederate Ireland's style of parliament was similar to the landed oligarchy [[Parliament of Ireland]] established by the Normans in 1297, but it was not based on a democratic vote. Given their large notional power base, the Confederates ultimately failed to manage and reorganise Ireland so as to defend the interests of Irish Catholics. The [[Irish Confederate Wars]] and the ensuing Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–53) caused massive loss of life and ended with the confiscation of almost all Irish Catholic
==See also==
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{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==
*{{citation|last=Austin |first=Sister M. Stanislaus |editor-last=Herbermann |editor-first=Charles George |editor-link=Charles George Herbermann |date=1913 |title=
*{{citation|last=Carte |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Carte |date=1851 |title=The Life of James Duke of Ormond |edition=new |volume=3 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |publication-place=Oxford |url=https://archive.org/details/lifeofjamesdukeo03cart/}} – 1643 to 1660
* {{citation|last=Cusack |first=Mary Francis |date=1871 |title=A Compendium of Irish History |publisher=Patrick Donahoe |publication-place=Boston |url=https://archive.org/details/compendiumofiris00cusa/}}
* {{cite journal|last=Lowe|first=Lowe|title=Charles I and the Confederation of Kilkenny, 1643–9|journal=Irish Historical Studies|volume=14|issue=53|year=1964|pages=1–19|doi=10.1017/S002112140002006X |jstor=30006355|s2cid=164190317 }}
* {{citation|last=Meehan |first=Rev. Charles Patrick |date=1882 |title=The Confederation of Kilkenny |edition=New revised and enlarged |publisher=James Duffy |publication-place=Dublin |url=https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/}}
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