Siege of Kinsale
From Wikipedia
| Siege of Kinsale | |||||||||||||||||
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| Conflict | English conquest of Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | October 2, 1601-January 3, 1602 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place | Kinsale, on Ireland's southern coast | ||||||||||||||||
| Result | English victory | ||||||||||||||||
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The Siege of Kinsale was one of the more decisive battles in England's effort to conquer Ireland. It took place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and during the Nine Years War (Ireland) - a rebellion of Hugh O'Neill and other Irish clan leaders against English rule. In so far as it fought over a landing of Spanish troops to aid the Irish rebels, the battle was also part of the Eighty Years' War, the far larger conflict of Protestant England against Catholic Spain. Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (2001) - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... A true colour image of Ireland, captured by a NASA satellite on January 4, 2003. ... October 2nd is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... For other uses, see number 1601. ... January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Marvel comic, see 1602 (comic). ... Kinsale (Cionn tSáile in Irish) is a town in County Cork, Ireland. ... A true colour image of Ireland, captured by a NASA satellite on January 4, 2003. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (2001) - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (2001) - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... A true colour image of Ireland, captured by a NASA satellite on January 4, 2003. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... Charles Blount, 1st Earl of Devon and 8th Baron Mountjoy (1563 - April 3, 1606) served as Lord Deputy and as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. ... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... The Eighty Years War, or Dutch Revolt from 1568 to 1648 was the secession war in which the proto- Netherlands first became an independent country and in which the region now known as Belgium became established. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (2001) - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... Catholic is a term generally used in relation to the members, beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ...
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Background - The Tudor re-conquest of Ireland
Ireland had been a lordship of England's since the twelth century, but by the 1500s, the area under government control had shrunk to Pale area around Dublin. The rest of th country was controlled by the mini lordships of clan and feudal leaders. King Henry VIII tried to reintegrate the territory of the country by recognising the titles of the Irish nobility and giving them legal charter to their lands in return for submision ot the Crown. He also created the Kingdom of Ireland in 1541, with himself as monarch. However, whenever English officials tried to control the actions of Irish lords, they were invariably met with violence. The English spent the next 50 years trying to exert their control over the Irish population, often by exceptionally brutal means. The first major conflict this caused was the Desmond Rebellions between 1569 and 1583. In the 1590s they experienced the most significant resistance, from forces in Ulster under Hugh O'Neill and Hugh Roe O'Donnell. This war is known as the Nine Years War. After some initial successes, the rebels were pinned down defending their own territory in Ulster. Since 1591, the Irish rebels had been seeking help from Spain, and in 1601, a Spanish landing finally materialised. A true colour image of Ireland, captured by a NASA satellite on January 4, 2003. ... Ireland in the century prior to the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169 is probably best described as a national kingdom lacking a settled monarchy, the kingship being disputed by three regional dynasties. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (2001) - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... The Pale or the English Pale comprised a region in a radius of 20 miles around Dublin which the English in Ireland gradually fortified against incursion from Gaelic Ireland. ... Henry VIII King of England and Ireland by Hans Holbein the Younger His Grace King Henry VIII (28 June 1491–28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Ireland has had nobles or peers for over a millennium. ... National motto: None Capital Dublin head of state King of Ireland Kings representative: variously called Judiciar, Lord Deputy or Lord Lieutenant of Ireland head of government: Chief Secretary for Ireland Parliament: Irish House of Commons and Irish House of Lords The Kingdom of Ireland was the name given to... Events The first official translation of the entire Bible in Swedish February 12 - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. ... Events January 11 - First recorded lottery in England. ... Events August 5 - Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St Johns, Newfoundland. ... For other places and things named Ulster, see Ulster (disambiguation). ... Events June - Capture of Zutphen by the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... For other uses, see number 1601. ...
Spanish landing
King Philip III of Spain, still sore from the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588, offered to help, hoping that fighting the English in Ireland might draw English attention and forces away from the Netherlands, which were ostensibly under Spanish control, but were allied with England due to their Protestantism. He sent Don Juan de Aguila and Don Diego Brochero to Ireland with 6,000 men, and a significant amount of arms and ammunition. One of the ships, carrying the majority of veteran soldiers and gunpowder, failed to make it to Ireland. The remaining 3,400 men disembarked at Kinsale, just south of Cork on October 2, 1601. The Spanish landing site was in the extreme south of Ireland, at the opposite end of the island from the rebel stronghold of Ulster. This geographical factor was to prove critical to the outcome of the siege. Philip III (April 14, 1578 - March 31, 1621) was the king of Spain and Portugal (as Philip II), from 1598 until his death. ... Spanish Armada Conflict Anglo-Spanish War Date June 19, 1588 – August 12, 1588 Place The English Channel off Gravelines, France Result Decisive English victory The Spanish Armada (Old Spanish: la Felicissima Armada, most fortunate fleet; Modern Spanish: la Armada Invencible, the Invincible Fleet) was a fleet sent by King Philip... Events May 12 - Day of the Barricades in Paris. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... Kinsale (Cionn tSáile in Irish) is a town in County Cork, Ireland. ... Cork - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... October 2nd is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... For other uses, see number 1601. ...
Meanwhile, Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy, the assigned Lord Deputy of Ireland, weakened the garrisons around the Pale, taking as many men as he could to Kinsale. Upon hearing that the English had laid siege to the Spanish at Kinsale, Hugh O'Neill and his ally O'Donnell marched south with a total of 5,000 infantry and 700 cavalry. Charles Blount, 1st Earl of Devon and 8th Baron Mountjoy (1563 - April 3, 1606) served as Lord Deputy and as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. ...
The Pale or the English Pale comprised a region in a radius of 20 miles around Dublin which the English in Ireland gradually fortified against incursion from Gaelic Ireland. ...
The Siege
Lord Mountjoy's forces did not fully surround the city of Kinsale, but they did seize some higher ground, and subjected the Spanish forces to regular artillery fire. The English cavalry rode through the surrounding countryside destroying livestock and crops, while both sides called for allegiance from the population. O'Neill & O'Donnell were hesistant about leaving Ulster open to attack by leaving to defend Kinsale, especially given the lack of training and supplies of their troops. Nevertheless, they marched south, and successfully cut English supply lines across the island. By December, the shortage of supplies, and winter weather began to take a toll on the English soldiers. For other places and things named Ulster, see Ulster (disambiguation). ...
Meanwhile, a small group of reinforcements arrived from Spain to aid the Irish. Overall, the degree of coordination between Spanish & Irish forces remains a matter of debate. That said, the Irish and Spanish soldiers together organized the main engagement, on December 24, 1601 (British date: January 3, 1602 for the Catholic army). They formed into three columns, led by Richard Tyrell, Hugh O'Neill, and O'Donnell. They marched toward a night attack, but due to a lack of coordination and possible arguments between the commanders, they failed to reach their destination by dawn. Mountjoy's scouts were made aware of the march and, after leaving a number of regiments behind to guard the camp and cover Kinsale, Mountjoy led his forces to meet the enemy at a ridge northwest of the city. December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ...
For other uses, see number 1601. ...
The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, taking force in 45 BC or 709 ab urbe condita. ...
January 3 is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
For the Marvel comic, see 1602 (comic). ...
The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...
O'Neill controlled the ridge, and intended to fight for it, with support from Aguila, O'Donnell, and Tyrell on multiple sides. When neither of his allies showed signs of movement, he ordered a retreat into the marshes, hoping to mire the English cavalry in the soft land. In the end, the Irish were simply outnumbered and overpowered by the English cavalry, who charged through O'Neill's men, and prevented a flanking maneuver by O'Donnell. Aguila mistook the sounds of battle for an English ruse to draw him out, and only took action when he mistook the approaching English forces for returning Irish. He ordered his men out of the city, intending to return it to the victorious Irish; when he saw the English banners and realized his mistake, it was too late, and so he simply retreated to the ships.
Results
The English resumed their attacks upon the city proper of Kinsale, eventually breaching the defenses, taking the city, and agreeing to a peace settlement with Aguila. This loss put an end to the Spanish alliance with Ireland, and to much of the Irish resistance. The Ulster forces returned to their home province and after two more years of attrition, the last of them surrendered in 1603.
References
- Davis, Paul K. (2001). "Besieged: 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo." Oxford: Oxford University Press.
