Surrender and Re-grant in Tudor Ireland: fact and myth
Uploaded by Kerrytom on Aug 10, 2013
During the Tudor period of Irish history there was an unprecedented level of warfare and brutality which resulted in the destruction of the old Gaelic political order. However during this period of harsh fighting, there was a more civil policy pursued by Henry VIII historians have titled ‘surrender and regrant’. This policy sought to integrate individual Irish lords, both politically and culturally into the Tudor state. The Tudor government introduced this broad initiative in Ireland in the 1540s in order to try and extend and expand English control over Ireland. Its aim was to “incorporate the Gaelic lordships by consent into a new fully anglicized kingdom of Ireland comprising the whole island. To this end the Gaelic chiefs had to be induced to hold their lands of the King and the king to forgo many of his ancient but unrealizable feudal claims (a concession which he had refused in 1520) in return for full recognition of his sovereignty.”
This policy was a device for lasting social, political and constitutional change and it provided the elements for the merging of the Anglo-Irish and Gaelic population of Ireland into an expanding Tudor state. In 1541 the English crown departed from its medieval relationship with Irish Gaelic leaders by recognizing them as English subjects, following their submission to King Henry VIII. What was also a massive change was the willingness of these independent Gaelic chiefs to be subjects of the crown and to abandon their Irish titles in favour of English ones. Added to this was the satisfaction of the Anglo-Irish population, who saw this as a possible end to the hostility shown towards them by the Gaelic population at the time. In order for the policy to come into effect the Irish “chiefs were to surrender their lands to the crown, and to receive them back again by letters patent, to hold in accordance with English law.” In addition to the surrendering of land the Irish chieftains also had to renounce the Roman Catholic church and convert to Henry’s new Anglican church. “The Irish chiefs, under Grey, agreed to accept the overlordship of a king who demanded the observance of his fashions, the payment of his tributes, and the renunciation of any rivals, particularly the Pope.”
Anthony St. Leger was the new English Governor of Ireland at the time and it was his responsibility to launch the “surrender and regrant”...