Editing Irish Confederate Wars (section)

{{short description|Ethno-religious conflict within Ireland between 1641 and 1653}}
{{about|the military history of Ireland in 1641–1653|the political context of this conflict|Confederate Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Irish Confederate Wars ''or''<br />Eleven Years' War
| image             = Wenceslaus Hollar – supposed Irish atrocities during the Rebellion of 1641.jpg
| caption           = [[Wenceslaus Hollar|Václav Hollar]]'s engraving of supposed atrocities committed by Irish Catholics in the rebellion of 1641
| partof            = the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]]
| date              = October 1641 – April 1653<br />(11 years and 6 months)
| place             = [[Ireland]]
| casus             =
| result            = English Parliamentarian victory
| territory = English conquest of Ireland
| combatant1        = '''Phase I: October 1641 – September 1643'''{{Plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg}} [[Kingdom of Ireland]]
* [[Laggan Army]]
Supported by:
* {{Flag|Kingdom of England}}
* {{flagicon image|Scottish Covenanter Flag.svg}} [[Scottish Covenanters]]
}}
| combatant1a       = '''Phase II: September 1643 – June 1649'''{{Plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Flag of England.svg}} [[English Parliamentarians]]
* {{flagicon image|Scottish Covenanter Flag.svg}} [[Scottish Covenanters]]
}}
| combatant1c       = '''Phase III: June 1649 – April 1653'''{{Plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Commonwealth (1649-1651).svg|size=20px}} [[English Commonwealth|England]]
}}
| combatant2        = '''Phase I: October 1641 – September 1643'''{{Plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Confederate Ireland|Irish Catholic Confederates]]
}}
| combatant2a       = '''Phase II: September 1643 – June 1649'''{{Plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Confederate Ireland|Irish Catholic Confederates]]
}}
| combatant2c       = '''Phase III: June 1649 –  April 1653'''{{Plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Confederate Ireland|Irish Catholic Confederates]]
* {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg}} [[Kingdom of Ireland|Royalists]]
Supported by:
* {{flagicon image|Scottish Covenanter Flag.svg}} [[Scottish Covenanters]]
}}
| commander1        =  '''Phase I:'''{{plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg}}  [[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond|Marquess of Ormond]]
* {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg}} [[Charles Moore, 2nd Viscount Moore of Drogheda|Viscount Moore of Drogheda]]{{KIA}}
* {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg}} [[Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin|Baron Inchiquin]]
* {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg}} [[Robert Stewart (soldier)|Robert Stewart]]
* {{flagicon image|Scottish Covenanter Flag.svg}} [[George Munro, 1st of Newmore|George Munro]]
}}
| commander1a        =  '''Phase II:'''{{plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Flag of England.svg|size=22px}} [[Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin|Baron Inchiquin]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of England.svg|size=22px}} [[Michael Jones (soldier)|Michael Jones]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of England.svg|size=22px}} [[Laurence Esmonde, 1st Baron Esmonde|Laurence Esmonde]]
* {{flagicon image|Scottish Covenanter Flag.svg}} [[George Munro, 1st of Newmore|George Munro]]
}}
| commander1b        =  '''Phase III:'''{{plainlist|
* {{flagicon|Commonwealth of England}} [[Oliver Cromwell]]
* {{flagicon|Commonwealth of England}} [[Henry Ireton]]
* {{flagicon|Commonwealth of England}} [[Edmund Ludlow]]
* {{flagicon|Commonwealth of England}} [[Charles Fleetwood]]
* {{flagicon|Commonwealth of England}} [[Michael Jones (soldier)|Michael Jones]]
* {{flagicon|Commonwealth of England}} [[Robert Venables]]
* {{flagicon|Commonwealth of England}} [[Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mountrath|Charles Coote]]
* {{flagicon|Commonwealth of England}} [[Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery|Roger Boyle]]}}
| commander2        = '''Phase I:'''{{plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Owen Roe O'Neill]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara|Thomas Preston]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Garret Barry (soldier)|Garret Barry]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Felim O'Neill of Kinard|Phelim Roe O'Neill]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount Mountgarret|Viscount Mountgarret]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Rory O'Moore (Irish noble)|Rory O'More]]
}}
| commander2a        =  '''Phase II:'''{{plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Owen Roe O'Neill]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara|Thomas Preston]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Alasdair Mac Colla|Alexander MacDonald]]{{KIA}}
}}
| commander2b        =  '''Phase III:'''{{plainlist|
* {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg}} [[James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond|Marquess of Ormond]]
* {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg}} [[Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde|Marquess of Clanricarde]]
* {{flagicon image|Royal Standard of Ireland (1542–1801).svg}} [[Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin|Baron Inchiquin]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford|Viscount Taaffe]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara|Thomas Preston]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven|Earl of Castlehaven]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty|Viscount Muskerry]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Richard O'Farrell (Irish Confederate)|Richard O'Farrell]]
* {{flagicon image|Green harp flag of Ireland 17th century.svg}} [[Hugh Dubh O'Neill]]
* {{flagicon image|Scottish Covenanter Flag.svg}} [[George Munro, 1st of Newmore|George Munro]]
}}
| strength1         = {{plainlist|
* 10,000 soldiers<br><small>(before 1649)</small>,
* 30,000 soldiers <small>(after 1649)</small>}}
| strength2         = {{plainlist|
* 60,000<br><small>(incl. guerrillas)</small>,
* 20,000 at any one time}}
| casualties1       = {{plainlist|
* 8,000+ English soldiers killed,
* 7,000+ locally raised soldiers killed,
* Thousands of Scottish Covenanters killed (before switching to Royalist side)}}
| casualties2       = {{plainlist|
* 25,000+ battlefield casualties,
* 200,000+ civilians<br><small>(from war-related famine or disease)</small>,
* 12,000 transported to West Indies<br><small>(by 1660)<ref>Mícheál Ó Siochrú/RTÉ ONE, Cromwell in Ireland Part 2. Broadcast 16 September 2008.</ref></small>}}
| casualties3       = '''Total:''' 200,000+ dead
| coordinates       =
| campaignbox       ={{Campaignbox Wars of the Three Kingdoms}}
{{Campaignbox Irish Confederate Wars}}
}}

The '''Irish Confederate Wars''', also called the '''Eleven Years' War''' ({{langx|ga|Cogadh na hAon-déag 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 [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Kingdom of England|England]] and [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] – all ruled by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. The conflict had political, religious and ethnic aspects and was fought over governance, land ownership, [[religious freedom]] and [[religious discrimination]]. The main issues were whether [[Irish Catholics]] or [[Protestantism in Ireland|British Protestants]] held most political power and owned most of the land, and whether Ireland would be a self-governing kingdom under Charles I or subordinate to the [[Parliament of England|parliament]] in England. It was the most destructive conflict in Irish history and caused 200,000–600,000 deaths from fighting as well as war-related famine and disease.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theirishstory.com/2014/01/10/the-eleven-years-war-a-brief-overview/|title=The Eleven Years War 1641–52 – A Brief Overview|date=10 January 2014|website=theirishstory.com|access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref>

The war in Ireland began with [[Irish Rebellion of 1641|a rebellion in 1641]] by Irish Catholics, who tried to seize control of the [[Dublin Castle administration|English administration in Ireland]]. They wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, to increase Irish self-governance, and to roll back the [[Plantations of Ireland]]. They also wanted to prevent an invasion by anti-Catholic [[Roundhead|English Parliamentarians]] and [[Covenanter|Scottish Covenanters]], who were defying the king. Rebel leader [[Felim O'Neill of Kinard|Felim O'Neill]] claimed to be [[Proclamation of Dungannon|doing the king's bidding]], but Charles condemned the rebellion after it broke out. The rebellion developed into an [[ethnic conflict]] between Irish Catholics on one side, and English and Scottish Protestant [[Plantation of Ulster|colonists]] on the other. These first few months were marked by [[ethnic cleansing]] and massacres in [[Ulster]].

Catholic leaders formed the [[Confederate Ireland|Irish Catholic Confederation]] in May 1642, which controlled and governed most of Ireland, and comprised both [[Gaels|Gaelic]] and [[Old English (Ireland)|old English]] Catholics. In the following months and years the Confederates fought against Royalists, Parliamentarians, and an army sent by Scottish Covenanters, with all sides using [[scorched earth]] tactics. Disagreements over how to deal with the rebellion helped spark the [[English Civil War]] in mid-1642. The king authorised secret negotiations with the Confederates, resulting in a Confederate–Royalist ceasefire in September 1643 and further negotiations. In 1644, a [[Irish expedition to Scotland|Confederate military expedition]] landed in Scotland to help Royalists there. The Confederates continued to fight the Parliamentarians in Ireland, and decisively defeated the Covenanter army in the [[Battle of Benburb]]. In 1647, the Confederates suffered a string of defeats by the Parliamentarians at [[Battle of Dungan's Hill|Dungan's Hill]], [[Sack of Cashel|Cashel]] and [[Battle of Knocknanuss|Knockanuss]]. This prompted the Confederates to make an agreement with the Royalists. The agreement divided the Confederates, and this infighting hampered their preparations to resist a Parliamentarian invasion.

In August 1649, a large [[New Model Army|English Parliamentarian army]], led by [[Oliver Cromwell]], [[Cromwellian conquest of Ireland|invaded Ireland]]. It besieged and captured many towns from the Confederate–Royalist alliance. Cromwell's army massacred many soldiers and civilians after storming the towns of [[Siege of Drogheda|Drogheda]] and [[Sack of Wexford|Wexford]]. The Confederate capital [[Siege of Kilkenny|Kilkenny was captured]] in March 1650, and the Confederate–Royalist alliance was eventually defeated with the [[Siege of Galway|capture of Galway]] in May 1652. Confederates continued a [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] campaign until April 1653. This saw widespread killing of civilians and destruction of foodstuffs by the English army, who also brought an outbreak of [[bubonic plague]].

After the war, Ireland was occupied and annexed by the [[The Protectorate|English Commonwealth]], a republic which lasted until 1660. Catholicism was repressed, [[Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652|most Catholic-owned land was confiscated]], and tens of thousands of Irish rebels were [[Irish indentured servants|sent to the Caribbean or Virginia as indentured servants]] or joined Catholic armies in Europe.