Sir Anthony St Leger and the outbreak of the Midland Rebellion, 1547-8

Abstract

Abstract:Henry VIII's death in 1547 did not affect politics in Ireland as dramatically as once thought. Sir Anthony St Leger remained lord deputy for the first fourteen months of Edward VI's reign, even if preoccupied with the Midland Rebellion. This originated in southern Leinster in April 1547, and escalated under the Gaelic Irish chieftains Brian O'Connor of Offaly and Patrick O'More of Leix. It was a serious uprising and St Leger's failure to quell it swiftly, combined with local (as opposed to court) faction, led to his dismissal in 1548. Angry with what he saw as appeasement of the Gaelic Irish, Vice-Treasurer Sir William Brabazon turned on the lord deputy and advocated the appointment of Sir Edward Bellingham as his successor. The English government backed Bellingham, regarding him as less partisan and more capable of defeating the rebels, which he did in autumn 1548.