Taking Sides?: Colonial and Confessional Mentalities in Early Modern Ireland

This volume in honour of Professor Karl Bottigheimer examines the impact of the dramatic shifts in culture, society and politics on people in Ireland in the early modern period. Underpinning much of this change was the process whereby Ireland was finally militarily conquered and extensive lands were colonized by newcomers. Karl Bottigheimer, writing in 1978, conceptualized the broader significance of these changes by focusing on the transformation of Ireland’s de facto status from that of a kingdom after 1541 to a colony by the 17th century. He explained this hybrid status as arising from its dual perception as both a kingdom of the British monarchs and yet also a land of opportunity where direct rule and colonization projects compromised its status as a kingdom. Equally significant were the ideological and religious changes that accompanied the conquest, issues that have also constituted a research interest of Professor Bottigheimer’s. This book explores the various ways in which people on the island of Ireland made sense of their world in an era of political and social upheaval. It draws on an international team of contributors united in their desire to celebrate both Karl Bottigheimer’s contribution to Irish studies and also to expand our knowledge of early modern Ireland.