History of Ireland
A parliamentary republic in Northwestern Europe made up of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland.. 4 eras, 1171 to today.
Lordship of Ireland, 1171–1542 Draft, not yet reviewed
The Lordship of Ireland was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords from 1177 to 1542. King Henry II of England arrived in Ireland with a large army in 1171. The Anglo-Norman lords, several Irish kings, and the Irish church leadership submitted to him. The rest of Ireland remained under the control of various Gaelic Irish kingdoms or chiefdoms, who were often at war with the Anglo-Normans.
Seat of power: Dublin
Rulers
- Henry II of England, Lord of Ireland, 1171–1189
- John, King of England, Lord of Ireland, 1199–1216
- Henry III of England, Lord of Ireland, 1216–1272
- Edward I of England, Lord of Ireland, 1272–1307
- Edward II of England, Lord of Ireland, 1307–1327
- Edward III of England, Lord of Ireland, 1327–1377
- Richard II of England, Lord of Ireland, 1377–1399
- Henry IV of England, Lord of Ireland, 1399–1413
- Henry V of England, Lord of Ireland, 1413–1422
- Henry VI of England, Lord of Ireland, 1422–1461
- Edward IV of England, Lord of Ireland, 1461–1483
- Henry VI of England, Lord of Ireland, 1470–1471
- Richard III of England, Lord of Ireland, 1483–1485
- Henry VII of England, Lord of Ireland, 1485–1509
- Henry VIII of England, Lord of Ireland, 1509–1542
Kingdom of Ireland, 1542–1801 Draft, not yet reviewed
The Kingdom of Ireland was a dependency of England from 1542 to 1707, and then of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800. The conquest of the island was completed early in the 17th century. It involved the confiscation of land from the native Irish Catholics and its colonisation by Protestant settlers from Britain. Following the failed republican Irish Rebellion of 1798, the parliament of Ireland and parliament of Great Britain passed the Acts of Union 1800.
Seat of power: Dublin
Rulers
- Henry VIII of England, King of Ireland, 1542–1547
- Edward VI of England, King of Ireland, 1547–1553
- Mary I, King of Ireland, 1553–1558
- Philip II of Spain, King of Ireland (Iure uxoris), 1554–1558
- Elizabeth I of England, King of Ireland, 1558–1603
- James VI and I, King of Ireland, 1603–1625
- Charles I of England, King of Ireland, 1625–1649
- Charles II of England, King of Ireland, 1660–1685
- James II of England, King of Ireland, 1685–1688
- William III of England, King of Ireland, 1688–1702
- Mary II of England, King of Ireland, 1689–1695
- Anne of Great Britain, King of Ireland, 1702–1714
- George I of Great Britain, King of Ireland, 1714–1727
- George II of Great Britain, King of Ireland, 1727–1760
- George III of Great Britain, King of Ireland, 1760–1801
Irish Free State, 1922–1937 Draft, not yet reviewed
The Irish Free State was the Irish state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921, initially as a Dominion. It comprised 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland. Northern Ireland, which was made up of the remaining six counties, exercised its right under the Treaty to opt out of the new state. The Free State came to an end with the coming into force of the new constitution on 29 December 1937, when the state took the name "Ireland".
Seat of power: Dublin
Rulers
- Timothy Michael Healy, Governor-General of the Irish Free State, 1922–1928
- James McNeill, Governor-General of the Irish Free State, 1928–1932
- Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Governor-General of the Irish Free State, 1932–1936
Ireland, 1937 to today Draft, not yet reviewed
In 1937, a new constitution was adopted, in which the state was named "Ireland" and effectively became a republic, with an elected non-executive president. It was officially declared a republic in 1949, following The Republic of Ireland Act 1948. It joined the European Communities, the predecessor of the European Union, in 1973. The state had no formal relations with Northern Ireland for most of the 20th century, but the 1980s and 1990s saw the British and Irish governments working with Northern Irish parties to resolve the conflict that had become known as the Troubles.
Seat of power: Dublin
Rulers
- Éamon de Valera, Taoiseach, 1937–1948
- Douglas Hyde, president of Ireland, 1938–1945
- Seán T. O'Kelly, president of Ireland, 1945–1959
- Éamon de Valera, president of Ireland, 1959–1973
- Erskine Hamilton Childers, president of Ireland, 1973–1974
- Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, president of Ireland, 1974–1976
- Patrick Hillery, president of Ireland, 1976–1990
- Mary Robinson, president of Ireland, 1990–1997
- Mary McAleese, president of Ireland, 1997–2011
- Michael D. Higgins, president of Ireland, 2011–2025
- Catherine Connolly, president of Ireland, 2025 to today
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.