Irish Confederate Wars

This article is concerned with the military history of Ireland from 1641-53. For the political context of this conflict, see Confederate Ireland. The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years War (derived from the Irish language name Cogadh na hAon-deag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms – a series of civil wars in the kingdoms of Ireland, England and Scotla... more

This article is concerned with the military history of Ireland from 1641-53. For the political context of this conflict, see Confederate Ireland. The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years War (derived from the Irish language name Cogadh na hAon-deag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms – a series of civil wars in the kingdoms of Ireland, England and Scotland (all ruled by Charles I). The conflict in Ireland essentially pitted the native Irish Catholics against the British Protestant colonists and their supporters in Britain. It was both a religious and ethnic conflict – fought over who would govern Ireland, whether it would be governed from England, which ethnic and religious group would own most of the land and which religion would predominate in the country. The war in Ireland began with the rebellion of the Irish of Ulster in October 1641, during which thousands of Scots and English... less