King Seamus I

So this TL is going to be following off of my post proposing a Jacobite victory over William in Ireland. It will be like a lot of the great TL's on this forum in the sense that I will be writing it from the perspective of various books and forums of media. Here we go, and I hope you all enjoy!
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"James' French Military Adviser, Lauzun, was the most vocal advocate of forming the Jacobite defensive line around Newry. The land was dominated by hills and ridges, perfect for screening the movement of the Irish cavalry. Lauzun noted in his journals that the only way to win against William would be to use some sort of geography for their advantage. Newry provided just that. Despite the vocal opposition of Earl Talbot, James agreed with his foreign ally and that night decided to form his defensive line around Newry. In the hilly ground of Ulster his prospects for survival would live or die, sink or swim."
King Seamus of Ireland, by Malachy McCourt (2009)
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"The Jacobite defensive formation was somewhat of a lopsided U. Forming up along a ridge line were his French and Irish infantry. To either side was his limited artillery. However to their left, screened by a particularly high ridge line, were the Irish dragoons. These men came from the Irish nobility and were well equipped with the latest in military technology. They were motivated by dual forces: A Catholic King on the English throne, and a return of their land, power, and money.

William's forces would appear that morning as well. Confident of his numerical superiority, the Dutchman ordered his forces to advance across the open field in front of James' men. As the advanced, William's men were peppered by the musket fire and artillery of the Jacobites. However, William rightfully predicted that the size of his force along with the lack of muskets in the Irish ranks would mean that his forces would reach the Irish lines reasonably intact. The two forces would smash into each other, and there was much fierce fighting to be had.

The turning point of the battle was not in the melee between the two forces, but rather was caused by a particularly aware French gunner. Noticing a patch of well dressed English officers to the rear, the battery commander ordered his guns to fire at them, believing on a hunch that it was in fact King William. He was right. Several rounds of shot smashed into the ground around the King. One of them blew the legs right off of the King's horse, sending him tumbling to the ground with such force that he was knocked unconscious and broke his arm. In the ensuing chaos, many English officers believed that William had been killed and began to remove their men from the battlefield. It was at that moment that the Irish cavalry sprang into action, emerging from behind the ridge to rout the remaining English forces. William's force was destroyed, and he was badly injured himself. He would be forced to leave the field and return to England for medical attention. Most of his army would return with him, as would the entirety of his Dutch force. James had secured a decisive victory for himself, and Catholic Ireland."
Great Battlefields of the World: John McDonald (2002)
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"The Irish cavalry swept forth with such force that it was clear that they could smell the blood of their foes. I know not of why, but I know that they certainly looked for their Protestant rivals, the Gentry of Ulster, to slaughter. They ran them down and lopped their heads and limbs off. It was a terribly bloody day, but it was also the greatest for all of Ireland."
Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell
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"But James' victory at Newry did not mean the end to the war in Ireland. No, if anything it simply meant a more barbaric and destructive conflict. William was back in England, and his Dutch forces had returned home. Many of the English commanders had taken their forces back, and there was no true leadership over the army within Ireland. Bands of disenchanted and angry English soldiers scoured the Ulster countryside, raping and pillaging. At the same time, James' army continued it's campaign among the Protestant forces still in the field. This mostly involved small skirmishes, as the Ulster forces began a campaign of guerrilla warfare. For the rest of 1690 and much of 1691, James' forces secured much of Ulster as their own, defeating the Protestant and English forces wherever they met them. The final organized engagement was the Siege of Londonderry in the fall of 1691. Here James's forces defeated the last significant obstacle to Catholic rule over the whole of Eire."
King Seamus of Ireland, by Malachy McCourt (2009)
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"Following the Protestant defeats and Newry and Londonderry, the true war began. Defeated and disgruntled English forces scoured the land, destroying farms, rapping women, and killing any men who dared resist. They distinguished little between Protestants and Catholics, seeing them all as Irish and the reason why they had to leave their homes in England. In response to these travesties, King James sent out James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick. FitzJames was the commander of James' elite Irish cavalry. His job now was to stop the marauding bands of Englishmen at any cost. FitzJames divided his command into several groups to best accomplish this task. He had only direct control over one of these units, and the rest were commanded by the Irish gentry. These men were in many cases decidedly anti-Protestant, and saw the Ulster plantation owners as their chief competitors. Therefore they took advantage of the situation as best they could. Not only did they pursue the English forces, but they also slaughtered Ulster planters and burnt their farms. In many cases, the cavalry saw little reason to worry about the English and instead focused their anger on the Protestant locals. In response, bands of Protestant militia went about reprisal attacks on the Catholic minority. It is no surprise that the people of Ulster call this time "The Troubles."
Bill Taft, "A Hardier People: The History of the Scotch-Irish", 1993
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"Following all of the wars and bloodshed, James was finally in a position to become King of Ireland. Proclaiming himself rightful King of the British Isles, James appeared in full dress at Dublin Castle in front of a mostly French and Irish Upper-Class gathering. Nonetheless the word had gone forth that there was a new king of Ireland. For the next several months, James and his envoys would negotiate with the many Irish chieftains and tribal leaders. In many cases the chiefs were less than excited about giving over any authority to a far away king in Dublin. However by the end of 1695 agreements had been reached with all of the major tribes within Ireland. This is not to say that all of a sudden Eire was a stable and functioning kingdom. Ulster was still engulfed in the flames of the Troubles, and most if not all of the tribes operated according to their own laws. King Seamus, as he was known among the Irish speaking people, had little real power outside of his now far smaller army. His next goal was negotiation with the English parliament. King Louis XIV of France, the first foreign head-of-state to visit the new Irish Kingdom, urged James to make peace before his men were bested in battle against a resurgent English. After all, William had died from his wounds and Parliament was none to happy. James reluctantly accepted, and over the course of 1696 he negotiated a proper peace treaty with the English government. The only major point of debate was over James' title. In the end, the two sides agreed that James was the King of Ireland and it's people only. The major concession was that James could not claim that he was "King of Ireland and all the Catholic People of the British Isles." It was a small price to pay for an Irish kingdom and a comfortable throne on which to sit."
King Seamus of Ireland, by Malachy McCourt (2009)
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“For the rest of his reign, King James had to bear the weight of two conflicts; two desires. The first was the unity of the Irish Kingdom. The Irish chieftains saw themselves as wholly independent of the authority of Dublin. By in large they were, and only occasionally did the taxpayer come a knocking. In Ulster there was far more tension, as the Protestant landlords felt little reason to pay taxes that they believed were going to the coffers of the “Pretender” in Rome. For the last years of his life, James was forced to put down the occasional revolt against his rule, or to simply keep an eye on the goings on of the principalities under him. But it was the second conflict that truly ate at his heart, his soul. James always saw himself as the rightful king of England, a far more lucrative prize than Ireland. But this goal would never come to fruition and he knew it. Despite Jacobite rumblings in Scotland, there was never much to them, at least this time. James knew that he would need the support of King Louis of France, but his cousin and fellow Catholic was reluctant to supply him with anymore men. Therefore, when James died in 1701 it was as a King, but not of the nation of which he had hoped would be his for so long.”
King Seamus of Ireland, by Malachy McCourt (2009)

“Following James’s death his son, James Francis Edward Stuart, was crowned King of Ireland. Seamus Stuart was only thirteen years old, and as such had limited authority in the day to day goings on of the Kingdom (if you could even call it that). His reign was marked by little new actions. The Kingdom remained highly decentralized and most of the authority was in the hands of the Chieftains. However, compared to his father’s reign there was a greater emphasis and Irish unity. Seamus II took a harder line against resistance in the North, and often called meetings of the Chieftains to discuss policy. The most important moment of Seamus II’s rule was the Famine of 1740. Often forgotten in the history books, this famine was caused by cold weather and rainy conditions. 38% of the Irish population lost their lives, and riots were widespread. Anger was aimed at the “Boy King” who was despite being 53 was still viewed as a child due to his early ascension. The disunity of Ireland only grew in this period, leading to hardline crackdowns. The anger aimed at the King was palpable, and when Seamus II died in 1766 few shed any tears.”
The Famine King, by Thomas Scott (1987)

“Succeeding Seamus II was Charles Edward Stuart (Cathal I), his son and already forty-six years old. Under his short reign, Cathal would continue the hardline reign of his father. He would write “the peasantry is not to be trusted. These people only seek to make my life miserable and take power themselves. They want mob rule. I will not see my father’s kingdom fall into that.”
They Fought Like Wild Geese: The Irish Revolution by Malachy McCourt (1997)

“Despite trade liberalization with England and various reforms to placate the wealthy, the upper class in Ulster still saw themselves as second class citizens. They found their voice in 1775 with the creation of the Ulster Patriot’s Association led by Henry Gratten. Their mission was “to fill an equal role in Irish society and government for Protestants and the proud people of Ulster.” Gratten was a masterful politician and quickly united conservatives, moderates, and liberals within Ulster. They were looking for equality, but they were met by the musket of King Cathal. His successor, King Anrai, a staunch Catholic supremacist who arrested many prominent Protestant clergymen in the North. He would continue the anti-Democratic policies of oppression against the poor and downtrodden as well, going so far as to shut down the Irish Parliament his brother allowed for due to the popularity of the Ulster Patriots. Not only did he anger the Protestants, but also the many poor Catholic farmers who had suffered through the famine and now had to deal with more totalitarian leadership. They were not amused.”
Theobald Wolftone: The Father of Ireland, by Tom O’Reilly (1993)
 
"But the merchants of Ulster were not the only ones frustrated with the regime of King Anrai. The farmers of the south, meaning most of the population, had had enough with the aristocratic mercantilism of the King. It would be these two forces that would drive the coming revolution, and change the face of Ireland forever."

"The ideological leaders behind the revolution were as diverse a bunch as any. Up North, their political leader and organizer was Henry Grattan, the outspoken leader of the parliamentary opposition. However Grattan was a typical Ulster Protestant, and had little relation to the farmers of the South whose support would be required to overthrow the government. That role would fall to Father John Murphy, a Catholic Priest committed to social justice. Murphy saw the Monarchy as directly oppressing the people of Ireland, and his charisma and down to earth demeanor appealed to the members of his flock. Despite the fact that he went directly against the Church leadership on this issue, Murphy still drew many a Catholic into the ranks.

"The financial leader of the Revolution was Henry Joe McCracken. McCracken was a Presbyterian industrialist who opposed the Monarchy from the typical Ulster point of view. He saw the King as motivated by religion and essentially a racist. It would be McCracken's business ties and financial support that would help the Revolution run smoothly. He was joined by the Protestant Lord Edward FitzGerald in drawing much of Ulster into the ranks. But it would by Theobald Wolfe Tone who would unite all the causes. Raised in an Ulster Protestant family, Wolfe Tone wasn't very religious and was motivated by something far greater. He believed in an Ireland of equals, united under law. He was and ideological force, as well as a solider who had served in the French Revolutionary Wars. It would be under the rifle of Wolfe Tone that the Revolution would march!"
 
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