Kingdom of Ireland

The Kingdom of Ireland

The Kingdom of Ireland was a special country that existed a long time ago, from 1542 until 1800. It began when Henry VIII, the king of England, said he was also the king of Ireland. Even though it was called a kingdom, it was mostly controlled by England and later by Great Britain.

A special leader called a viceroy was chosen by the king to manage the kingdom from Dublin Castle. For most of its time, the kingdom was ruled by a small group of people from England and Ireland who followed the Protestant religion. Many people in Ireland followed the Catholic religion, and they did not have many rights.

In the late 1700s, the Irish parliament started to gain a little more freedom. But soon after, in 1800, Ireland joined with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, ending the separate Kingdom of Ireland.

The Kingdom of Ireland had its own army and a parliament with two parts: a House of Lords and a House of Commons. Most people could not vote or join the parliament for many years. Only people who owned property could vote or be members of parliament.

The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Ireland showed a blue background with a golden harp with silver strings. This design has been used as a symbol of Ireland for a very long time. The harp is also shown on the national flag of Ireland today.