Editing Confederate Ireland (section)

==Formation==
{{For|a military history of the period|Irish Confederate Wars}}
The Irish Catholic Confederation was formed in the aftermath of the [[Irish Rebellion of 1641|1641 rebellion]], both to control the popular uprising and to organise an Irish Catholic war effort against the remaining English and Scottish armies in Ireland. It was hoped that by doing this, the Irish Catholics could hold off an English or Scottish re-conquest of the country.

The initiative for the Confederation came from a Catholic bishop, [[Nicholas French]], and a lawyer named [[Nicholas Plunkett]]. They put forth their proposals for a government to Irish Catholic nobles such as [[Viscount Gormanston]], [[Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount Mountgarret|Viscount Mountgarret]],  [[Donagh MacCarthy, Viscount Muskerry|Viscount Muskerry]] and the [[Baron of Navan]]. These men would commit their own armed forces to the Confederation and persuaded other rebels to join it. The declared aims of the Confederates were similar to those of Sir [[Phelim O'Neill]], the leader of the early stages of the rebellion in Ulster, who issued the [[Proclamation of Dungannon]] in October 1641.

On 17 March 1642, these nobles signed the "Catholic Remonstrance" issued at [[Trim, County Meath]] that was addressed to King Charles I. On 22 March, at a synod in nearby [[Kells, County Meath|Kells]] chaired by [[Hugh O'Reilly (Archbishop of Armagh)|Hugh O'Reilly, Archbishop of Armagh]], a majority of the Catholic bishops proclaimed that the rebellion was a [[Just war theory|just war]].{{sfn|Austin|1913|p=[https://archive.org/details/catholicencyclo07herbgoog/page/n326/ 294]|ps=: "He convened a provincial synod at Kells early in February 1642 in which the bishops declared the war undertaken by the Irish people for their king, religion, and country to be just and lawful."}}

[[File:Cattedrale di san canizio kilkenny.jpg|right|thumb|[[St Canice's Cathedral|Cathedral of St Canice]], where members of the Assembly heard mass.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n194/ 176]|ps=}}]]

On 10 May 1642, Ireland's Catholic clergy held a [[synod]] at [[Kilkenny]]. Present were the [[Archbishop]]s of [[Archbishop of Armagh|Armagh]], [[Archbishop of Cashel|Cashel]] and [[Archbishop of Tuam|Tuam]], eleven bishops or their representatives, and other dignitaries.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n38/ 20]|ps=: "... the synod met at Kilkenny on the 10th May 1642. The Archbishops of Armagh, Cashel and Tuam, with 6 other bishops and the proxys of five more&nbsp;..."}} They drafted the [[Confederate Oath of Association]] and called on all Catholics in Ireland to take the oath. Those who took the oath swore allegiance to [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and vowed to obey all orders and decrees made by the "Supreme Council of the Confederate Catholics". The rebels henceforth became known as Confederates. The synod re-affirmed that the rebellion was a "just war".{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n41/ 23]|ps=: "... declare that war, openly Catholic, to be lawful and just;"}} It called for the creation of a council (made up of clergy and nobility) for each [[Provinces of Ireland|province]], which would be overseen by a national council for the whole island. It vowed to punish misdeeds by Confederate soldiers and to excommunicate any Catholic who fought against the Confederation. The synod sent agents to France, Spain and Italy to gain support, gather funds and weapons, and recruit Irishmen serving in foreign armies.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n48/https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n43/ 25, line 11]|ps=: "Agents from the synod crossed over into France, Spain and Italy, to solicit support&nbsp;..."}} Lord Mountgarret was appointed president of the Confederate Supreme Council, and a General Assembly was fixed for October that year.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n48/https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n43/ 25, line 27]|ps=: "Lord Mountgarret was appointed President of the Council, and the October following was fixed for a general assembly for the whole kingdom."}}

===The first Confederate Assembly===
The first Confederate General Assembly was held in Kilkenny on 24 October 1642, where it set up a [[provisional government]].{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n61/ 43]|ps=: "The assembly, therefore, had all the appearances of a parliament&nbsp;..."}} The Assembly was a parliament in all but name. Present at the first Assembly were 14 [[Lords Temporal]] and 11 [[Lords Spiritual]] from the [[Parliament of Ireland]], along with 226 commoners.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n60/ 42]|ps=: "On the 24th of October [1642] therefore twenty-five peers,—eleven spiritual, fourteen temporal,—and two hundred and twenty-six commoners had met within the walls of Kilkenny&nbsp;..."}} The Confederate's constitution was written by a [[Galway]] lawyer named [[Patrick D'Arcy]]. The Assembly resolved that each county should have a council, overseen by a provincial council made up of two representatives from each county council. The Assembly agreed orders "to be observed as the model of their government".<ref>[[Edmund Curtis]] and [[R. B. McDowell]] (eds), ''Irish Historical Documents 1172–1922''. London and New York: Barnes & Noble (1943; reprinted 1968)</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/E640001-001/index.html |title=Text of the Orders of 24 October 1642 |publisher=Ucc.ie |access-date=14 February 2012 |archive-date=14 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214160821/http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/E640001-001/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Assembly elected an executive known as the Supreme Council. The first Supreme Council was elected on or about 14 November. It consisted of 24 members, 12 of whom were to abide always in Kilkenny or wherever else they deemed fitting.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n62/ 44]|ps=: "From these there lay a further request to the supreme council of twenty-four persons who were to be elected by the general assembly of which twelve were to be constantly resident in Kilkenny."}}

The members of the first Supreme Council were as follows:{{sfn|Cusack|1871|p=[https://archive.org/details/compendiumofiris00cusa/page/312/mode/2up 312]}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Leinster
! Ulster
! Connacht
! Munster
|-
| [[Thomas Fleming (archbishop)|Thomas Fleming]], Archbishop of Dublin
| [[Hugh O'Reilly (Archbishop of Armagh)|Hugh O'Reilly, Archbishop of Armagh]]
| [[Malachias O'Queely]], Archbishop of Tuam
| [[Maurice Roche, 8th Viscount Fermoy]]
|-
| [[Viscount Gormanston]]
| [[Heber MacMahon]], Bishop of Down
| [[Miles Bourke, 2nd Viscount Mayo]]
| [[Daniel O'Brien, 1st Viscount Clare]]
|-
| [[Richard Butler, 3rd Viscount Mountgarret|Viscount Mountgarret]]
| [[Philip O'Reilly (Cavan County MP)|Philip O'Reilly]]
| [[John de Burgh, Bishop of Clonfert]]
| [[Edmund FitzMaurice]]
|-
| [[Nicholas Plunkett]]
| [[Col. Brian MacMahon]]
| Sir Lucas Dillon
| Dr Fennel
|-
| [[Richard Bellings]]
| [[Heber Magennis]]
| [[Geoffrey Browne (MP)|Geoffrey Browne]]
| Robert Lambert
|-
| James Cusack
| Turlogh O'Neill
| [[Patrick D'Arcy]]
| [[George Comyn]]
|}

[[James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven]], representing the Crown, was the final member of the Supreme Council.

The Supreme Council would have power over all military generals, military officers and civil magistrates.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n63/ 45]|ps=: "It was also enacted that the council should be vested with power over all generals, military officer, and civil magistrates&nbsp;..."}} Its first act was to name the generals who were to command Confederate forces: [[Owen Roe O'Neill]] was to command the Ulster forces, [[Thomas Preston, 1st Viscount Tara|Thomas Preston]] the Leinster forces, [[Garret Barry (soldier)|Garret Barry]] the Munster forces and John Burke the Connacht forces. [[Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde]] was named head general, as they thought he would sooner or later join the Confederates.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n64/ 46]|ps=: "Their first act was to name the generals who were to command under their authority." etc.}} The Supreme Council issued an order to raise £30,000 and a levy of 31,700 men in Leinster who were to be trained at once.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n65/ 47, line 14]|ps=: "One of the earliest documents signed with this great seal was an order to raise thirty thousand pounds sterling in Leinster, and at the same time, in the same province, thirty-one thousand seven  hundred men who were to be drilled and disciplined&nbsp;..."}}

The Supreme Council also made its own seal, described as follows: {{"'}}Twas circular, and in its centre was a large cross, the base of which rested on a flaming heart, while its apex was overlapped by the wings of a dove. On the left of the cross was the harp, and on the right the crown." The motto on the seal was {{lang|la|Pro Deo, Rege, et Patria, Hiberni Unanimes}} (''For God, King and Fatherland, Ireland is United'').{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n65/ 47, line 4]|ps=: "But as no act or instrument emanating from the supreme council could be genuine and of force, unless sealed with their own seal, they caused one to be made&nbsp;..." etc.}}

A National Treasury, a mint for making coins, and a press for printing proclamations were set up in Kilkenny.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n65/ 47, line 30]|ps=: "Under same seal an order was issued to establish a mint in Kilkenny&nbsp;..."}}{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n66/ 48, line 30]|ps=: "Along with the mint the supreme council caused printing presses to be set up in Waterford and Kilkenny&nbsp;..."}} This first General Assembly sat until 9 January 1643.{{sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n72/ 54]|ps=: "The Assembly broke up on the 9th of January [1643], and fixed their next meeting for the following May."}}

===Policies===
[[File:King Charles I after original by van Dyck.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Charles I of England|Charles I]]; the Confederates pledged him allegiance, but the two sides struggled to agree terms]]

The last piece of legislation agreed by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and [[Parliament of England|Parliament]] was the 1642 [[Adventurers' Act]], which provided funds to suppress the 1641 Rebellion by confiscating "rebel" lands. In order to keep their estates, in the context of the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]] the Confederates claimed to be [[Cavalier|Royalists]] loyal to the king, which made reaching an agreement with him a matter of primary importance.{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|p=2}} As a result, the Confederacy never claimed to be an independent government and since only Charles could legally call [[Parliament of Ireland|Parliament]], their General Assembly never claimed to be one, although this did not prevent it enacting legislation. 

Confederate political demands included Irish self-government, secure tenure of their lands, amnesty for any acts committed during the Rebellion, an equal share in government positions and that these concessions be ratified by a post-war Parliament. In terms of religion, they insisted on toleration of Catholicism and in June 1645 added the stipulation that the Catholic clergy should retain all properties taken from the Church of Ireland since 1641.{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|p=2}} In reality, these were almost impossible to achieve, since they were asking Charles to make concessions he had refused to make to Parliament, while the vast majority of his advisors opposed them on the grounds that doing so would fatally undermine the Royalist cause in England and Scotland.{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|pp=2-3}}     

The Confederate position was further weakened by divisions between the Old English, mostly descendants of those who arrived during the [[Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland]] in 1172, and the native [[Gaels|Gaelic]] Irish. While many historians dispute the extent of the differences between the two groups, there are significant variations in terms of political, religious and economic objectives. In general, the Old English wanted to regain the power and influence they had lost under the Tudors and although they were sincere Catholics, did not support establishing the church as the [[state religion]].{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|pp=5-6}} Gaelic Irish leaders such as [[Owen Roe O'Neill]] wanted to reverse the [[Plantations of Ireland]], since this was the only way to retrieve their ancestral lands; however, they were far less united in their demands than the Old English and it has been argued they formed a pressure group, rather than a distinct political philosophy.{{Sfn|Lowe|1964|pp=5-6}}