Characters - The English

Queen Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603

Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, became Queen of England upon the death of her half sister Mary in 1558. Elizabeth inherited an almost bankrupt kingdom from her sister and one that had been divided in two by the Protestant Reformation. Among Elizabeth's first tasks were the increase of the country's wealth and the bridging of the divide caused by religious differences. Much of Elizabeth's reign was spent in efforts to avoid a war with either Spain or France (who were enemies at the time). The Spanish Armada in 1588, although a disaster for the Spanish, left Elizabeth fearful of an invasion from Spain.

The wars in Ireland occupied much of the later years of Elizabeth's reign and managed again to bankrupt her treasury. Elizabeth had trusted O'Neill as her loyal subject in the north and was outraged by the treasonous revolt of Tyrone and the Lords of Ulster. She made efforts to secure peace with the clans between 1595 and 1598, fearing the arrival of Spanish aid and a war she could not afford. She was however unwilling to recognise the sovereignty of the ancient family lordships. News of her death was kept from O'Neill until after the signing of the Treaty of Mellifont, as Mountjoy feared that the death of his enemy would strengthen O'Neill's will to continue.

William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520 - 1598), Lord Treasurer of England, (1572 - 1598)

William Cecil was a member of Elizabeth's council but was also her long time friend and advisor. He held the position of Secretary of State and Lord Treasurer and operated an extensive network of spies and intelligence in order to retain his privileged position of power at the Queen's side. His son, Robert Cecil, carried on the position upon his death, becoming an advisor to Elizabeth and then later to James I. He was created the Earl of Salisbury in 1605.

Sir Henry Bagenal, Queens Marshall (1590 - 1598)

Henry Bagenal was the son of Sir Nicholas Bagenal, who had settled in Newry, County Down. He became a member of the Irish Privy Council and marshal of the army in 1590. He hoped to increase his land holdings by the break up of the O'Neill estate and consistently made accusations against O'Neill's loyalty, forcing him to defend his position and his right to authority in Ulster. The feud between the two men intensified when in August 1591 O'Neill, in an effort to form an alliance by marriage, eloped with and married Bagenal's young sister Mabel. In 1593 however the two men fought side by side when O'Neill was ordered to assist Bagenal in quashing Maguire's revolt. O'Neill's subsequent defection to the other side supported Bagenal's accusations that he had long supported the rebels.
In August 1598 Bagenal received command of a large force, compiled to bring aid to the fort on the Blackwater, County Armagh, which was under siege. The ensuing battle, at Yellow Ford on the 14th of August, was a disaster for the English and Bagenal himself was shot dead.

Sir Henry Docwra (1564 - 1631), British Commander at Derry

Henry Docwra, a soldier in the English army, came to Ulster in 1600, landing with an army at Lough Foyle with the task of crushing the rebellion. He formed alliances with Niall Garbh O'Donnell, a cousin of Red Hugh. He participated in the attack on the O'Donnell strongholds in Lifford and Ballyshannon while also taking Inishowen in a bloody rampage across the peninsula. Opportunities in Ireland saw Docwra's rise from Army Captain to Knighted landowner. He was granted 2,000 acres of land near Lifford in the Ulster Plantation, was appointed Treasurer of War in Ireland in 1616 and made a member of the Privy Council. He became Baron Docwra in 1621.

Charles Blount, Baron Mountjoy, (1563 - 1606) Lord Deputy of Ireland, Lord Lieutenant

Charles Blount served as both Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1600 - 1603 and as Lord Lieutenant from 1603. Mountjoy was an extremely capable strategist, arguably the best the English forces had to offer. He first faced O'Neill in battle at Moyry Pass in October 1600 where he suffered a defeat at the hands of the Irish. The Irish victory however was short lived, as both armies would meet again a year later at the Battle of Kinsale. After his victory at Kinsale he returned to England a hero. He was appointed Master of the Ordnance by James I and later became the Earl of Devon.

Sir William Fitzwilliam, Lord Deputy of Ireland (1571 - 1575), (1588 -1594)

Lord Deputy Fitzwilliam served as Lord deputy for two periods in the late 16th century in Ireland. His efforts to bring Ulster under English administration alienated the Ulster Irish. He successfully conquered the Monaghan lordship of the McMahons in 1590 but his efforts to do the same in Fermanagh and Donegal led to the infractions that would eventually initiate the Nine Years War.

Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1566 - 1601), Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1599-1600)

Robert Devereux was a long time favourite of Queen Elizabeth. An ambitious man he was appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1599 at his own request and sent with an army to quell the rebellion. He arrived in Ireland with a large force of 17,000 men but instead of going to Ulster to fight O'Neill he decided to quash the rebellion in the Southeast. By the time Essex made his way to Ulster he had lost a large number of his force. His failure to crush O'Neill and his subsequent unauthorised ceasefire, agreed between the two men, led to him being stripped of his position. Unwilling to accept his new role he led a rebellion against the Queen, supported by a small band of his own followers, for which he was executed in 1601.

Sir George Carew (1555 - 1629)

Sir George Carew came to Ireland in 1574 in the service of his cousin, Sir Peter Carew. In 1576 he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of the County of Carlow. He held various posts mostly in Ireland, and was appointed as treasurer of War in 1598. The following year he became President of Munster. He retired in 1603, but returned in 1610 to report on the condition of the country, with a view to a resettlement of Ulster; and in 1611 as Commissioner to reform the army and revenue of Ireland.

Sir John Davies (1569 - 1626) Attorney general

Sir John Davies was appointed as Solicitor General of Ireland in November 1603 at the end of the Nine Years War, later becoming Attorney General in 1606. He sent accounts of the Flight of the Earls to the Privy Council and was involved in the plantation of Ulster during which he himself was granted some of the seized lands. He retired from office in 1619.

Sir Authur Chichester (1563 - 1625)

Arthur Chichester was a career soldier involved in numerous successful adventures in the New World and Spain before he arrived in Ireland with the Earl of Essex in 1599. His brother had been the Governor of Carrickfergus and Chichester reputedly came to Ireland to avenge his brother's death at the hands of the Irish rebels. Chichester was appointed Lord Deputy in 1605. He was not happy with the terms which O'Neill and O'Donnell received under the Treaty of Mellifont and felt cheated by their return to their estates. He began a campaign to destroy O'Neill, questioning his every move and his hereditary right to the title of the Earl of Tyrone. After the Flight of the Earls, Chichester was instrumental in the drawing up of the plans for the plantation. He himself was awarded a generous, plot of land in the settlement, with a substantial plot around Dungannon and an estate in Inishowen.

James I (James VI of Scotland) (1566 - 1625)

James I became King of England upon the death of his cousin Elizabeth in 1603. He was the only child of Mary I, Queen of Scots, whom Elizabeth had executed in 1587. His coronation united the two Kingdoms of Scotland and England. He declared the Earls traitors to the crown upon hearing of their flight and seized their lands and property. James had been raised a staunch Protestant, and printed the first version of the bible in English in 1611. He saw the Ulster Plantation as an opportunity to convert the native Irish to Protestantism. Despite the success of the Plantation James remained fearful of further uprisings and of Catholic conspiracies against him. He used this fear to justify introducing further restrictions against Catholics and suppression of the region increasing disagreement with his parliament was a feature of James's reign. This bad feeling sowed the seed of the English Civil War of the 1640's, which led to James's son, King Charles I, eventually being executed by his own parliament.

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