The Irish rebellion of 1641 and the Ulster massacre

The Irish rebellion of 1641 and the Ulster massacre

The Irish rebellion of 1641 was an uprising by Irish Catholics, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, achieve greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantations of Ireland. They also wanted to prevent a possible invasion or takeover by anti-Catholic English and Scottish parliamentarians. 

It began as an attempted coup by Catholic gentry and military officers, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland. However, it developed into a widespread rebellion and ethic conflict with English and Scottish settlers, leading to Scottish military intervention. 

The ethnic tension resulted in ever increasing violence on both sides, peaking during the Ulster massacre and it's subsequent reprisals. 

The number of Protestant settlers killed in the early months of the uprising is debated. Early English pamphlets claimed that over 200,000 Protestants had lost their lives. Recent research suggests the number is in the region of 4,000 or so killed, though thousands more were expelled from their homes. It is estimated that up to 12,000 Protestants may have lost their lives in total, most dying of cold or disease after being expelled from their homes in the depths of winter. 

Reprisals against Catholics occured between 1642–43 when a Scottish army landed in Ulster. William Lecky the 19th-century historian of the rebellion, concluded that "it is far from clear on which side the balance of cruelty rests"