Religion, Rebellion and Violence in Ireland, c. 1603-1649

While religion has always seemed to be a constant force in Irish history, this study exposes how the period between 1603 and 1649 cemented sectarian division and conflict, with long-lasting legacies for both Ireland and Britain. This is the first in-depth investigation of the role of religious violence in seventeenth-century Ireland, focusing particularly on the cataclysmic 1641 Rebellion. Joan Redmond traces the growing importance of religious division in Irish society, especially through the impact of British colonial projects, such as the Ulster plantation, and religion's role in early modern imperialism more widely. Redmond explores how religion increasingly became the dominant force in unrest, examining how symbols such as Bibles, churches and the clergy became targets before and during the 1641 Rebellion. Throughout, Ireland is considered in relation to both Europe and the British Atlantic, highlighting its position between two worlds in the seventeenth century.

• Provides a systematic exploration of religious violence in Ireland in the first half of the seventeenth century
• Reconsiders the 1641 Irish Rebellion in light of broader changes in Irish society in the seventeenth century, especially the increasing importance of religious identities
• Situates seventeenth-century Ireland into a wider picture, including the European Wars of Religion and the burgeoning British Empire