In the late 1500's, an Irish Chieftain named Shane O' Neil led a number of revolts,
which were carried out in Ulster, a large province in Northern Ireland ("Ireland" World
Book 426). Later as the 1600's rolled in, James I tried to stop more revolts by continuing
the Plantation of Ireland. Land was seized in Ulster and given to English and Scottish
protestants ("Ireland" World Book 426).
In 1602 local chieftains who opposed the English left Ulster. King James who
followed Queen Elizabeth then gave the land deserted by the chieftains to English and
Scottish protestants. (this was partly responsible for so many protestants being in
governing power in Ulster) ("Northern" World Book 529). Roman Catholics throughout
Ireland were fearing that they would lose their land. In order to overcome this fear, the
Irish began a revolt against England. The revolt was finally stopped in 1649 by the
Puritan ruler of England Oliver Cromwell. In the mid 1600's, an attempt was made by
the Irish people to re-establish Catholic power in Ulster. James II, a catholic, who was
the King of England from 1685-1688, was defeated by William of Orange, in the Battle
of the Boyne in 1690. William of Orange became King William III, a protestant ruler.
Following the great defeat of James II in the Battle of the Boyne, protestants gained most
of the land in Ireland (Catholics only had 14 percent of the land on the island), and
restricted the rights of catholics as well as presbyterian protestants ("Northern" World
Book 529).