Life in the UK Test
Sign in
Back to A Long and Illustrious History

Ireland under the Tudors and Stuarts: plantations

Study note

Throughout the Tudor and Stuart period, Ireland remained an almost completely Catholic country. This created lasting tension as English monarchs, who were now Protestant, tried to extend their control there.

The Tudor kings pushed English power well beyond the small area around Dublin known as the Pale. Both Henry VII and Henry VIII enlarged English control, and Henry VIII went so far as to take the title King of Ireland for himself.

Under Elizabeth I and James I, many Irish people opposed being ruled by Protestants, and there were rebellions against English authority. In response, the English government encouraged Scottish and English Protestants to move to Ireland and settle in the northern province of Ulster, taking land away from the Catholic landholders who lived there. These new Protestant settlements were called plantations. For the test, remember that Henry VIII took the title King of Ireland, and that the Protestant settlements in Ulster were known as plantations.

Memory tip: Henry VIII = King of Ireland; Protestant plantations settled in Ulster.

Practise this topic

Question 1 of 3

Which king took the title King of Ireland?

Score so far: 0 / 0
Show all questions and answers for Ireland under the Tudors and Stuarts: plantations(3 questions with explanations)

Ireland under the Tudors and Stuarts: plantations: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. Which king took the title King of Ireland?

    • Charles I
    • Henry VIII
    • James I
    • Henry VII

    Correct answer: Henry VIII

    Henry VIII took the title King of Ireland.

  2. 2. What were the settlements of Protestants in Ulster known as?

    • Estates
    • Plantations
    • The Pale
    • Boroughs

    Correct answer: Plantations

    Protestant settlements in Ulster were known as plantations.

  3. 3. Under the Tudors and Stuarts, Ireland was an almost completely Catholic country.

    • True
    • False

    Correct answer: True

    True. Ireland was an almost completely Catholic country during this period.

Back to A Long and Illustrious History, or try a mock test or timed exam.