Campaign Journals of the Elizabethan Irish Wars

When Elizabeth I succeeded as the last of the Tudor monarchs 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 nineteen 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 the fighting, from preparation to the often bloody aftermath, and offer unique insights of the Tudor conquest and how it was experienced by those who took part. These journals are key historical sources and they are reproduced in full here for the first time. They demonstrate the importance of record-keeping for Elizabeth's commanders, and the central role of soldiering in their sense of themselves and their place in history.