| Geraldine League | |
|---|---|
Coat of arms
| |
| Demonym(s) | Geraldine |
| Membership |
|
| Government | Military alliance |
| • Founders | Manus O'Donnell, Conn O'Neill |
| Establishment | 1539 |
| Today part of | Ireland |
The Geraldine League was a short-lived Irish alliance established in 1539 by Manus O'Donnell and Conn O'Neill.
History
The league was founded with the goal of restoring Gerald FitzGerald to the earldom of Kildare. The movement ultimately grew to encompass the goal of expelling the English from Ireland, and in the fall of 1539 the League invaded and looted The Pale. After sacking the towns of Ardee and Navan, the League withdrew from Pale and were caught by surprise by the forces of Lord Deputy Leonard Gray, who ultimately routed them at the Battle of Belahoe. The League gradually dissolved over the course of the next few years with the arrival of a new Lord Deputy, Anthony St. Leger, who was able to restore order to English-controlled Ireland.
References
- Perceval-Maxwell, M.; Lennon, Colm (1996). "Sixteenth-Century Ireland: The Incomplete Conquest". Sixteenth Century Journal. 27 (1): 220. doi:10.2307/2544316. ISSN 0361-0160. JSTOR 2544316.
- Bradshaw, Brendan. (1979). The Irish constitutional revolution of the sixteenth century. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521222060. OCLC 905669712.