Plantations English rulers looked to the American Empires of Spain and Portugal as models for their future plans to rule Ireland. Thousands of Spanish and Portuguese settlers had emigrated to America and been given land by their governments. In this way they managed to maintain Spanish and Portuguese rule in these distant lands. From around 1540 on rich and powerful men in England believed that their governments should carry out plantations in Ireland. The first plantation took place in Laois and Offaly under the Catholic Queen Mary Tudor in 1556. In the lands of Laois and Offaly the Irish clans - O'Moores (O'More) and O' Connor's had continued to carry out raids at every opportunity. Several English armies were sent to defeat them but the Irish could retreat to the safety of our bogs and woodlands. The scheme of Plantation: Two thirds of the land was taken from the native Irish and was to be 'planted' by English settlers - the remaining one third - the worst land bordering the river Shannon was set aside for the banished Irish, provided they remained loyal to the Queen. The English settlers had to build stone houses and keep armed followers in case of attack by the Irish clans Settlers were forbidden to mix in any way with the native Irish. They were not to marry into Irish families nor to rent land to them, or to hire them as servants. The land taken over or confiscated by the English was shired or divided up into counties, Laois became known as Queen's county after Queen Mary; Offaly was King's county after her husband King Phillip II of Spain. Each county had its main town where the sheriff lived and the courts were located. This plantation was not a success. There weren't enough settlers and the Irish clans didn't give in too easily. The English learned a lot from the first plantation. -------------------------------------------- When Mary Tudor died in 1558 her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth became Queen. She also believed plantations were a good way of ruling Ireland. The main plantation in Elizabeth's time was in Munster. The English Govt carried this out in the 1580's as a result of a rebellion in Munster in 1579. The Earl of Desmond (Fitzgerald family) was one of the most powerful men in Munster during the reign of Elizabeth. He owned much land from Waterford to Kerry. This was a catholic family. The Fitzgerald's rebelled against Queen Elizabeth and the English forces marched through most of Munster laying waste the territory of the Earl of Desmond and other rebels. When Desmond was defeated his lands and those of his followers were taken over by Elizabeth. Over half a million acres of land were taken and in 1586 Queen Elizabeth and her advisers approved a plan worked out for the plantation of Munster. Rules from the 'Scheme of Plantation' 1586 Her Majesty doth assent all lands which came into their hands in the province of Munster be divided into estates of 12,000, 8,000, 6,000, and 4,000 acres. None shall undertake for himself a greater portion than 12,000 acres. None of the English people to be there planted shall make over an estate to 'mere' Irish No 'mere' Irish shall be permitted in any family there For the next seven years, garrisons at the Queen's charge shall defend them. While there was an upper limit to estate size Sir Walter Raleigh received an estate of 42,000 acres near Yoga. These estates were rented out to English landlords known as Undertakers. They got this name because they agreed to bring over English customs and the Protestant religion and above al to remain loyal to the Queen. Many of the undertakers we re the younger sons of lords from the western parts of England. The undertakers were also expected to introduce English methods of farming into Munster and to avoid taking on native Irish as tenants. The English government hoped that Munster would remain loyal to the Queen and be safe from Spanish invasion in the future. This plantation did not work out as the English had hoped. Much of the land had been badly damaged during the war and it wasn't possible to farm it. There was also the constant danger of attack from the Irish who had been driven off their land and as a result many of the English returned to England disappointed and only about 3,000 English settlers chose to remain sand they had to employ Irish natives. Those who remained did enjoy some prosperity. The planters built up plantation towns such as Bandon, Killarney and Tallow - these became centres for trade and the administration of the law. By 1600 however the new plantation was almost in ruin. In 1598 Hugh O'Neill sent an army to Munster under Owney O'More and many of the native Irish and Old English chose to join this army and attack the planters. Those who could not escape to England fled to walled towns such as Youghal, Cork or Limerick. Thos who failed to escape were killed and their castles and crops were burned. The next major plantation took place in Ulster during the reign of Elizabeth 's successor James I (1603-25).