#53. In an essay, discuss the causes of discontent between Catholic and Protestants in Ireland and the significant events in this drama. Be sure to include dates throughout your essay in order to create a timeline of the events.
my answer:
Ireland’s history has been shaped by invasions and wars. Until the 1500s, the Roman Catholic Church had directed religious affairs in most of Western Europe. Groups in Europe tried to change some of the Church’s practices in the early 1500s, and started a reform movement also known as the Reformation. Soon there was a split between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants, which was the name given to the Christians who protested the policies of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1534, Henry VIII of England excluded himself from the Roman Catholic Church and founded a new church, the Church of England. Having made himself the head of the church, he moved to strengthen his power. Later he changed his title from Lord of Ireland to King of Ireland.
Henry did not try to force the Irish to give up their religion, the Roman Catholic religion, however, some of his descendents did. Still, most of the Irish remained true to their religion and fought bitterly against the English. Nevertheless, the English eventually won and imposed harsh laws on the Irish, giving away large parcels of Irish land to Protestant settlers from Great Britain. Soon the divisions in Ireland became economic as well as religious, with the Protestant minority controlling much of the wealth, and the defeated Irish Catholics falling into poverty. In 1798, the French supported a rebellion in Ireland, and the United Kingdom responded in 1801 by annexing Ireland, in other words formally adding it to its territory.
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8 answers
Throughout their movement for Independence, many Irish continued to press for freedom during the nineteenth century. The Rebellions between years 1916 and 1921 led officials in the United Kingdom and Ireland to divide the island into two parts. The six northeastern countries remained part of the United Kingdom, but the rest of Ireland became a free state under British supervision. In 1949, this free state of Ireland declared its complete independence as the Republic of Ireland. Roughly two thirds of the population of Northern Ireland today are Protestant, and most of the rest are Catholic. Both Protestant and Catholic extremists have used violence to try to win control of Northern Ireland. In the late 1960s, tensions rose when British troops were sent to Northern Ireland. Only in 1994 did steps toward peace talks begin and hopes increased that problems that began in the 1500s might finally be resolved. Both sides worked to build trust between groups with different goals.
8 answers