The Normans The Normans invaded Ireland from Britain. Originally from Normandy in France, they brought their land system called feudalism, along with castles and stone-walled towns (see Ch. 04). They shaped the landscape of Ireland, particularly in the east and south of the country.
The Reformation The Protestant Reformation began in Germany when Martin Luther criticised the Catholic Church. It spread to Ireland in the 16th
century through the Tudor kings
and queens of England who changed the laws, and who brought Protestant planters to Ireland (see Ch. 07).
Martin Luther
The Nine Years War Prior to the Ulster Plantation, Hugh O’Neill and Hugh O’Donnell rebelled against the efforts of Queen Elizabeth to impose English law and the Protestant religion on their territories in Ulster. They got help from Philip II of Spain, who sent ships to Kinsale. Even though this ended in defeat for the Ulster chiefs and for the Spanish in Kinsale, it set a pattern for future rebellions in Ireland, where help was sought from the enemies of England on the Continent. Soon after their defeat, the Ulster chiefs headed for the Continent in the Flight of the Earls (see p. 134).
