Sir Henry Sidney

Sir Henry Sidney (born July 20, 1529, probably London—died May 5, 1586, Ludlow, Shropshire, Eng.) was an English lord deputy of Ireland from 1565 to 1571 and from 1575 to 1578 who cautiously implemented Queen Elizabeth I’s policy of imposing English laws and customs on the Irish.

His father, Sir William Sidney, was a courtier to King Henry VIII. Sidney became a favourite of young king Edward VI and in 1550 he was knighted. From 1556 to 1559 he was vice treasurer of Ireland under his brother-in-law, the lord deputy Thomas Radcliffe (later 3rd earl of Sussex).

Appointed lord deputy by Elizabeth in 1565, Sidney faced a major rebellion in Ulster led by the powerful chieftain Shane O’Neill. Failing to subdue O’Neill by force, Sidney intrigued against him with his enemies, the O’Donnells of Tyrconnell and the MacDonnells of Antrim. Finally, O’Neill was assassinated by the MacDonnells in 1567. Nevertheless, Sidney was still not strong enough to destroy completely the power of Ulster’s native chieftains. He did, however, persuade a number of Irish chiefs to submit to Elizabeth’s authority, and he established English presidents of Munster and Connaught to control the chiefs. In addition, by refraining from introducing anti-Roman Catholic legislation in the Parliament of Ireland of 1569–71, Sidney made possible the containment and ultimate defeat (1573) of a rebellion of Munster Catholics led by James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald.

Resenting the Queen’s failure to provide him with an adequate military force, Sidney resigned in 1571, but he was reappointed lord deputy four years later. His arbitrary taxation aroused popular resentment and led to his recall in 1578. Thereafter he served only as president of the Council of Wales and of the Marches.