Ordinance of no quarter to the Irish facts for kids
The ordinance of no quarter to the Irish was a special rule made by the English Long Parliament on October 24, 1644. This rule was created because the Confederation of Kilkenny in Ireland threatened to send soldiers to help King Charles I during the English Civil War. The rule ordered Parliamentary officers not to show mercy to Irish soldiers fighting in England and Wales. It also applied to Irish Confederate sailors at sea who gave up. "No quarter" meant that these soldiers or sailors would not be taken prisoner; they would be killed.
Why This Rule Was Made
In 1644, the Kilkenny Confederacy sent 2,000 soldiers to Scotland. These troops helped Montrose's Royalist army fight against the Covenanters. The Irish also promised to send 10,000 soldiers to England and Wales. However, these soldiers were never sent. Talks between the Irish and King Charles I broke down. They disagreed about the public practice of Catholicism and the independence of the Irish Parliament.
Even though the large force wasn't sent, a ceasefire deal did happen. This allowed about 5,000 Royalist soldiers to return from Ireland in 1643–44. Many English Protestants were scared. They confused these returning soldiers with Irish Catholics. People remembered the fear caused by the Irish Rebellion of 1641. English Parliament members often made fun of Prince Rupert, calling him a German mercenary. They could accept foreign Protestants or English Catholics fighting for the King. But they saw support from foreign Catholics as a much bigger threat.
Even before this rule was passed, Irish prisoners were in danger. For example, in July 1644, Colonel William Sydenham defeated some Royalist soldiers. He hanged six or eight of his prisoners. He called them "mere Irish rebels." This led to the Royalists also harming Parliamentarian prisoners.
What the Rule Said
The English Parliament made the Ordinance of no quarter to the Irish in response to the Irish threat. The rule stated:
... no quarter shall be given hereafter to any Irishman, nor any Papist whatsoever born in Ireland, who shall be taken in hostility against the Parliament ... every officer that shall be remiss or negligent in observing the tenor of this ordinance shall be reputed a favourer of that bloody rebellion in Ireland.
This rule only applied in England and Wales. It did not apply in Scotland or Ireland. This was because those countries were not under the English Parliament's direct control.
How the Rule Was Used
There were not many Irish Catholic soldiers in England. Because of this, the rule was not used very often. However, after the ceasefire in 1643, Ormonde sent 8,000 soldiers from Dublin to help the King. Most of these were Englishmen. But a small group were Irish Royalists. If these Irish soldiers were captured, they were quickly executed.
For example, when Parliamentarians captured Shrewsbury, some Irish soldiers were hanged. In response, Prince Rupert executed an equal number of Parliamentarian soldiers. This made the English Parliament very angry. Also, after Conwy Castle fell, seventy-five Irish prisoners were executed.
One sad example of how strict this rule was happened after the Battle of Naseby in 1645. Parliamentarian soldiers killed some Welsh civilians. They thought these people were Irish. The Welsh, mostly women, were speaking the Welsh language. The Roundhead troops thought it was Irish. Historian Charles Carlton said this event was "so unusual that it caused considerable comment."
Fair Play in War
Irish military historian Pádraig Lenihan explains that the rule also covered war at sea. But Irish privateers (ships that attacked enemy ships) captured more English sailors than the English captured Irish. The Irish held English prisoners to exchange them for Irish prisoners. Because of this, the rule for naval warfare slowly stopped being used. Lenihan explains that rules of war often developed based on "reciprocity." This means if one side treated prisoners well, the other side might do the same. It was in everyone's best interest to avoid being too cruel.
In Ireland, the Irish Confederate Wars were very brutal. Lenihan notes that the "no quarter" rule showed how deeply people believed the Irish were guilty. However, even in Ireland, there were some limits. For example, after the Battle of Benburb, Owen Roe O'Neill sent 150 prisoners back to the Scottish side. He kept the officers for ransom, but he did not kill the other prisoners.
In England, just like in Ireland and at sea, fair play often won out. For example, at the start of the First English Civil War, Major John Lilburne was captured. He was a very important Parliamentarian officer. Plans to try him for treason were dropped. This happened because the Parliamentarian side threatened to do the same to Royalist officers. So, Lilburne was exchanged for a Royalist officer.
At the end of the Second English Civil War, the Royalist cause seemed completely defeated. The Parliamentarian side was much less forgiving. They believed Royalist leaders who fought in the second war had caused needless bloodshed. So, three of the five important Royalist lords captured were executed in 1648. This strong feeling even reached the top. The leaders of the New Model Army had wanted to make peace with King Charles I before the second war. But after the war, they agreed that "Charles Stuart, that man of blood" should be tried. He was executed in January 1649.
