O'Neill, James The Nine Years War. Volume 2: The turning point at Kinsale 1598-1603

Volume 35 of the series "From Retinue to Regiment 1453-1618". The Nine Years' War (1593-1603), also known as Tyrone's Rebellion, was one of the most devastating and brutal conflicts ever to ravage the island of Ireland. Never before had the English Crown been so close to losing its rule over Ireland. The war erupted from an explosive mix of English mismanagement, Irish ambition, and the fortunate course of political alliances with Spain. An alliance of Irish lords, led by the charismatic and exceptionally gifted Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, raced from victory to victory. Volume 2 of this series examines how the English recovered from the threat of defeat. Hugh O'Neill's victory over the English at the Battle of Yellow Ford ignited a conflagration that devastated the English colonies in Munster and significantly weakened the Crown's position in Ireland. Queen Elizabeth's favorite, the Earl of Essex, was dispatched to restore control, but his clumsy leadership brought the Crown's authority on the island to the brink of collapse. However, the arrival of Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy, at the beginning of the 17th century changed the course of English history. After seven years of almost continuous setbacks, Mountjoy turned the tide against the Tyrone Confederacy. Unlike his predecessors, Mountjoy did not underestimate his enemies. He devised an island-wide strategy aimed at dismantling Tyrone's network of alliances and restored order and confidence in the Crown army by adopting many of the Irish military reforms. Aided by capable commanders such as Sir George Carew, Mountjoy struck back the Irish gains and carried the war into Tyrone's Ulster heartland. His strategy cost many English lives, but its success was undeniable, as relentless campaigns steadily eroded Tyrone's territorial gains. The fate of all sides converged with the Spanish landing of 4,000 soldiers at Kinsale, which led to a bitter winter siege and the decisive Battle of Kinsale. Mountjoy's victory on Christmas Eve 1601 shattered Tyrone's military power, but the war was far from over. Its bloodiest phase was yet to come, as the English armies employed a scorched-earth policy, perpetrating massacres on an unprecedented scale. Only after Ulster had been ravaged and Ireland ravaged by famine did Tyrone finally capitulate in 1603, thus ending the war and completing the Tudor conquest of Ireland.