Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone

For other people named Hugh O'Neill, see Hugh O'Neill.

Hugh O'Neill
Aodh Ó Néill
Earl of Tyrone
A portrait of Hugh O'Neill, part of a fresco, showing the head of a bearded man
Hugh O'Neill, part of a fresco in the Vatican
(see Portraits)
Tenure1587–1613
PredecessorConn Bacagh O'Neill, 1st Earl of Tyrone
SuccessorTitle attainted in 1613[a]
Bornc. 1550[b]
Oneilland, Tír Eoghain, Ireland
(modern-day County Armagh)
Died20 July 1616 (aged about 66)
Rome, Papal States
Buried21 July 1616[3]
San Pietro in Montorio, Rome
Noble familyO'Neill dynasty (MacBaron branch)
Spouse(s)
IssueConn, Rose, Alice, Hugh, Henry, Shane, Conn Ruadh and others
FatherFeardorcha "Matthew" O'Neill, 1st Baron Dungannon
MotherSiobhán Maguire
Signature

Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone[c] (Irish: Aodh Mór Ó Néill;[9] c. 1550[b] – 20 July 1616) was an Irish Gaelic lord and key figure of the Nine Years' War. Known as the "Great Earl",[6][5] he led the confederacy of Irish clans against the English Crown in resistance to the Tudor conquest of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I.

He was born to the O'Neill clan, Tír Eoghain's ruling noble family, during a violent succession conflict which saw his father assassinated. At the age of eight he was relocated to the Pale where he was raised by an English family. Although the Crown hoped to mold him into a puppet ruler sympathetic to the English government, by the 1570s he had built a strong network of both British and Irish contacts which he utilised for his pursuit of political power.

Through the early 1590s, Tyrone secretly led rebellions against the Crown's advances into Ulster whilst publicly maintaining a loyal appearance. He regularly deceived government officials via bribes and convoluted disinformation campaigns. Via his web of alliances and the heavy taxation of his subjects, he could arm and feed over 8,000 men, leaving him well-prepared to resist English incursions. In 1591 he caused a stir when he eloped with Mabel Bagenal, younger sister of the Marshal of the Queen's Irish Army.[10] During the Battle of Belleek Tyrone fought alongside his brother-in-law Henry Bagenal whilst covertly commanding the very troops they were fighting against. After years of playing both sides, he finally went into open rebellion in early 1595 with an assault on the Blackwater Fort. Despite victories at the Battle of the Yellow Ford and Battle of Curlew Pass, the confederacy began to suffer upon the arrival of Lord Deputy Mountjoy and commander Henry Docwra in Ulster. Tyrone was not able to secure Spanish reinforcements until late 1601. The confederacy was decisively defeated at the Siege of Kinsale, and Tyrone surrendered to Mountjoy in April 1603 with the signing of the Treaty of Mellifont.

Due to increasing hostility against Tyrone and his allies, in 1607 he made the "snap decision" to flee with his countrymen to continental Europe in what is known as the Flight of the Earls. He settled in Rome where he was granted a small pension by Pope Paul V. Despite his plans to return to and retake Ireland, he died during his exile.

In comparison to his "warlike and arrogant" ally Hugh Roe O'Donnell, Tyrone was cautious and deliberative.[11][12] A consummate liar, he is considered an enigma to historians due to the elaborate bluffs he employed to mislead his opponents.[13][14] Although wartime propaganda promoted Tyrone as a "Catholic crusader", historians believe his motivations were always more political than religious - though he apparently underwent a genuine conversion around 1598. He also held the title 3rd Baron Dungannon, and in 1595 he became Chief of the Name of the O'Neill clan. He had four wives, many concubines and various children.[15][1]

  1. ^ a b McNeill 1911, p. 110.
  2. ^ Walsh 1974, p. 320.
  3. ^ Ó Fearghail 2009, p. 47.
  4. ^ Canny 2004, p. 837.
  5. ^ a b The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (12 April 2024). "Hugh O'Neill, 2nd earl of Tyrone". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b McNeill 1911, p. 109.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Graham was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "O'Neill (Ó Néill), Brian". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Aodh Ó Néill - Cartlann". Cartlann. 22 December 2020. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024. "The Hugh O'Neill Commemorative Medal". O'Neill Country Historical Society. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2024. Literally Hugh the Great O'Neill
  10. ^ Walsh 1930, p. 16.
  11. ^ Morgan 1993, pp. 216–217.
  12. ^ McGinty 2013, p. 13.
  13. ^ Morgan 1993, p. 217.
  14. ^ Canny 2022, pp. 50–51.
  15. ^ Casway 2016, pp. 69, 73.


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