Divided into two 'nations' and two cultures, Gaelic and Anglo-Irish, the lordship of Ireland had never been fully subject to its normally absentee ruler, the king of England. The missions of Richard II, the last medieval king to visit Ireland, failed to revive royal authority and the emergence of the Pale in the mid-fifteenth century denoted the limitations of English rule.

This book examines the complex relationships between Gaedhil and Gaill, Gaelic and Anglo-Irish, and their attitudes towards the exercise of English authority in Ireland. It also explores the impact upon Ireland of the divisions within England caused by the Wars of the Roses and the reasons for the system of delegated authority which made the Kildare family the dominant force in Irish politics. The rebellion of Silken Thomas, followed by the introduction of the reformation legislation, ushered in a new era, symbolised by the acceptance of the title of king of Ireland by Henry VIII in 1541.