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

Offering the first in-depth study of religious violence in seventeenth-century Ireland, this book explores how religious division became the dominant force in unrest. With particular focus on the cataclysmic 1641 Rebellion, Joan Redmond examines how this period cemented sectarian division with long-lasting legacies for Irish and British history.

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.