The reign of Elizabeth I will always be remembered for the Armada. But it was the Irish, not the Spanish, who came closest to destroying the security of the Elizabethan state. Between 1560 and 1602, only superior military force -- allied with ruthless subjugation -- preserved England's throne against a succession of rebellions and uprisings throughout Ireland. This classic work by renowned military historian Cyril Falls is the crucial account of the half century that changed the course of Anglo-Irish history. The Elizabethan wars in Ireland involved the collision of two civilizations. Falls's critical work gives a vital perspective to the broad sweep of Anglo-Irish relations.

When Elizabeth I succeeded to the thorne in 1558 her government was already involved in wars of conquest and containment in different parts of Ireland. Before her death in 1603 there would be many more. This book gathers together 19 journals of the Elizabethan campaigns, recording military operations by crown forces in all four provinces on land and at sea. The journals cover every aspect of fighting, from preparation to the often bloody aftermath, and offers unique insights into the Tudor conquest and how it was experienced by those who took part. Though they are key historical sources, the journals have been largely neglected by modern scholarship. This represents the first publication in their entirety of many of these sources, including those previously noted in the calendars of State Papers. The journals gathered here demonstrate the importance of record-keeping for Elizabeth's commanders, and the central role of soldering in their sense of themselves and their place in history. -- Publisher description