Irish Rebellion of 1798: Encyclopedia II - Irish Rebellion of 1798 - Background

Irish Rebellion of 1798 - Background

Since 1691 and the end of the Williamite war, Ireland had been controlled by a Protestant Ascendancy on behalf of the British Crown, governing the majority Catholic population via a form of institutionalised sectarianism known as the Penal Laws. As the century progressed, progressive elements among the ruling class were inspired by the example of the American Revolution and sought to form common cause with the Catholic populace to achieve reform and greater autonomy from Britain.

When France joined the American colonists in the war, London responded to the threat of invasion by calling for volunteers to join militias to protect the interests of the British Crown and defend the country from invasion. Many thousands joined the Irish Volunteers who used their new powerful position to force the Crown to grant the landed Ascendancy self rule and a more independent parliament.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Background", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki