The Irish Parliament in the Early 18th Century - Essay Example

Client The 18th Century Irish Parliament The history of Ireland is one of war, internal struggle, and oppression from external forces. However, in the 18th century one of the struggles for freedom was in attempting to free Ireland‘s parliament from English rule. The Irish parliament began to see more autonomy. To understand how this came to pass, it is important to understand the history and origins of the law making body. As well, it is important to understand something of the struggle between the Protestants and the Catholics who have provided a long history of war and violence within the country as they each fight for supremacy. Advances toward independence and autonomy are exampled in the struggles that led toward freedoms within the Irish parliament. The first Irish parliament was held in 1297 when Ireland was under the sovereignty of Edward I. Edward I was a strong ruler who did not fear the strength of his people. Therefore, he left the rule of Ireland up to those who could best take care of it and allowed the strength of their power to grow as it needed to grow. The two families who vied for the seat of power in Ireland were the De Burghs and the Geraldines. In 1264, Walter De Burgh was named the Earl of Ulster, the seat of power in Ireland. This did not make the Geraldines happy and while peace was brokered between the two families, war eventually broke out with De Burgh taking possession of all the Fitzgerald castles and plundering all the people who dwelled in those feudal states (Gwynn 117). Client Last Name 2 A year after the initial conflict had ended, Walter died leaving his son, Richard, to rule in his stead. Richard, called the Red Earl, reigned for 40 years. However, at a time when Richard was caught and held prisoner by FitzThomas, Edward the I named Sir John Wogan as Justiciar, who held this position for seventeen years ruling over all of Ireland. It was during his time in power that the Irish saw the initial advances toward the beginnings of what would become their nation. A direct act of the crown provided for Wogan to instigate and form the first parliament and its first session as it took place in 1297. The laws that were enacted were primarily designed to instill peace I the nation, but also to put forth a stronger set of laws that would support the English rule. One of these laws specifically stated that the English could not adopt the native modes of dress and hair styles. This was because the English in occupation were beginning to assimilate into the native culture. However, another of these laws also prohibited an Irishman from being attacked if he was at peace (Gwynn 121). The structure of the parliament was primarily filled with Englishmen who represented the differing counties. The only Irishmen who were part of the first session were the Bishops from the various wards across the country (Gwynn 122). The intent of the parliament was to establish an English form of law so that the varying clans and their chieftains would no longer have the power that they had been asserting. The secondary reason for its formation was to end the war that was causing concern for the British monarchy. The parliament was successful in its goals and became a stationary form of legislature in Ireland. Ireland in the 18th century was primarily undeveloped. The English desired to keep the nation out of competition with its own commerce, so therefore suppressed the country in attempts to create developing forms of industry and financial gains (Gwynn 365). According to Client Last Name 3 historian Kevin Kenny, the culture was “pre-industrial, dominated by structures of patronage and clientship rather than class, ruled by a landed elite and a confessional state - resembling continental Europe’s ancient regimes more than it does the colonial societies” (227). In the struggle against domination, the economics of the country were not up to the modern standards of the 18th century. As well, the struggle between the Protestants and the Catholics was an ongoing war of belief that affected the political landscape. While neither set of believers were given a voice in the government, the English supported the Protestants and denounced the Catholics. Gwynn says that the one area in which the Irish were given anything was in education, but that in order to take advantage of this opportunity the Catholic citizen had to denounce his beliefs (366). During the late 1600’s the establishment of the Church of Ireland meant that the Catholics had no standing left with the country and no rights. For instance, it was not allowed for a Catholic to purchase a piece of land from a Protestant, they could not send their children abroad for an education, nor could a single inheritor be designated for the land of a man who died, but his land divided between his children, thus dividing the power of his holdings (Thernstrom 525). . Nothing in regard to Ireland was done with the Irish in mind. The parliament was still mostly controlled by the English, but had no control over the finances of the country. As finances are the primary source of power for a legislative body, this meant that the power that was given to the parliament was severely restricted (Gwynn 366). However, the parliament found a way to find some control over the revenue. During the early 18th century the taxes provided an excess over and above the expenditures. While the king laid claim to these revenues, the parliament was able to there after determine expenditures that would absorb this surplus, thus giving them a Client Last Name 4 certain amount of control over their government spending (Gwynn 368). Dissidence literature had already become available in support of an Irish Parliament that was free of hindrance from the English government. In 1698 Samuel Molyneux published a book called The Case of Ireland in which he stated clearly that the English government was obligated by their own laws to give the power of authority to the Irish parliament (Gwynn 368). While the book was destroyed, his thoughts were disseminated and the Irish people began to think that perhaps there was a lawful way in which to find autonomy for their nation. Jonathan Swift, a pamphleteer wrote extensively about a plan that had been put into place to mint coins in Ireland. While the plan itself was not harmful, the support for a more autonomous government and more authority to be given to the parliament in regard to the Irish was at stake. The plan was thwarted through Irish governmental action as a result of the inferred will of the people (Swift and Ross 670). Swift wrote “All government without the consent of the governed is slavery” (Gwynn 369). This contention was the basis for the American colonies for which they were soon to seek liberty. In his battle against the minting of coins in Ireland, he had set a standard for which the Irish would form their methods of resistance. He told them to take no action, but to refuse accept the coin as having any value or worth (Swift and Ross 682). In other words, he promoted peaceful dissent. From this single almost insignificant battle, came the reasoning from which the freedom of Ireland could form a path on which to travel. The struggle of the American colonies was having an affect on the Irish as many of them migrated in order to avoid the oppression under which they were suffering. According to Gwynn, the Irish made up a great portion of the military forces that would fight in the war for Client Last Name 5 independence in the American colonies. However, the war in the Americas caused a great deal of hardship on the Irish. The taxes on the Irish to support the English war efforts put a drain on the country without providing for the methods of bolstering the economy through the manufacture of goods that most often accompanies the economics of a war (377). This, and the many other aspects of economic demoralization that was taking place throughout the country allowed for a singular concept to support the nation in unification and in finding autonomy. The citizens needed to survive on a daily basis and needed to act against their oppressors to find a way to do so. The problems between the Catholics and the Protestants would now be found to be an issue of national importance to the people. According to Henry Gratten, member of the Irish Parliament “the Irish Protestant would never be free until the Irish Catholic had ceased to be a slave” (Gwynn 377). As a result, the Irish Parliament amended their most oppressive law and allowed the Catholics to inherit land according to their own desires and to buy and sell mortgages. This power gave them the rights to stand as businessmen and gain more control over their place within the country (Gwynn 377). It was economics that would further the cause of a free parliament in Ireland. Because of the various military campaigns that were being fought all over the world, including in the Americas, England had withdrawn its troops from Ireland. When the coast of Belfast was threatened, volunteers were called for and the people answered the call. The assemblage of these troops allowed for the issue of economic despair to find leadership and the Dublin Volunteers began a campaign to promote free trade in Ireland. Parliament supported this and when they refused to grant new taxes, the English prime minister had to respond. Lord North Client Last Name 6 wiped out the trade restrictions that had been placed on Ireland so that an economic structure could develop to support the country. In 1782, Gratten proposed a series of demands that he would present to the English government in order to finally grant freedom to the Irish parliament. Ingenious maneuvering of English law in regard to the military had opened the door to allow for such demands to be not only taken seriously, but to be given into by the government. The loyalty that Ireland had shown to England was part of Gratten’s claim to this independence (Gwynn 380). With the war with America over, the sting of that loss allowed for agreement by the English to support this movement. However, the inequality between the representation of the Catholics and the Protestants, the fact that many of the seats, as many as 212 of the 300 seats were purchased, and that many of the counties were not represented made the parliament week and not yet fully affective in its efforts to unify Ireland. The freedoms that were within the grasp of the Irish parliament would not remain there for very long. The economic advantages that had been won that could support the nation’s people were the threat that would force the English government to take action. Having lost the war against the colonies, England was not interested in stimulating the Irish into their own war for independence. Through a series of bribes, the emancipation of the Catholics, and the push of the powerful over the voices of the righteous, the parliaments of Ireland and England in the year 1800 were unified, creating one solitary legislative body (Kenny 227). After more than a century of existence, and with the presence of the unified countrymen given voice through the actions of loyal Irishmen, the parliament was taken down by its own individualized greed of its member. The peaceful independence that had been won was lost to corruption. Client Last Name 7 Works Cited Gwynn, Stephen. The History of Ireland. London: Read Country Books, 2007. Kenny, Kevin. Ireland and the British Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Swift, Jonathan, and Angus Ross. Major Works: [Including A Tale of a Tub and The Battle of the Books]. Oxford worlds classics. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2003. Thernstrom, Stephan. Harvard Encyclopedia of American ethnic groups. 1981. Read More