When Henry VIII became king of England in 1509, he also inherited the title “Lord of Ireland.” English kings had carried this title for years without it meaning much. But, as people throughout Europe were to learn, Henry VIII was the kind of guy who liked to get his way.

The Norman-Irish lords had essentially been ruling themselves as independent monarchs for years. The most significant of these lords were the earl of Kildare and the earl of Desmond, both from the FitzGerald family (called the “Geraldine earls”), and the earl of Ormond from the Butler family. Garrett Og FitzGerald, earl of Kildare, served as lord deputy of Ireland for many years and was effectively the most powerful man on the island.

Henry VIII had three problems with Garrett Og: he was too powerful; his father had supported the York family's claim to the English throne over the Tudors; and he wasn't taking Henry's side in his fight with the pope on whether he could divorce Anne Boleyn. So Henry had Garrett Og thrown into the Tower of London.

“Silken” Thomas Lord Offaly, Garrett Og FitzGerald's son, started a largely symbolic rebellion in 1534 to show that Henry needed the support of the FitzGeralds to govern Ireland. Henry took the symbolism literally and sent over an army to set them in line. Thomas's supporters backed off, and soon the FitzGeralds surrendered on the condition that they receive mercy. Henry agreed, and then promptly had most of them killed. The loss of Ireland's most powerful family left a power gap that Henry promptly filled with his own supporters.