History
Éire go, Deo ("Ireland is Forever") | |||||
| Capital | Dublin | ||||
| Largest city | Dublin | ||||
| Other cities | Cork, Belfast, Derry, | ||||
| Language | Irish, English | ||||
| Demonym | Irish | ||||
| Government | Constitutional Monarchy | ||||
| Monarch | Maire I | ||||
| Royal house: | Treibh Stiùbhart | ||||
| Currency | Airg (AIR) | ||||
1690-1711
The Kingdom of Ireland was founded after King James II of England's failed invasion of England. King James defeated William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne and Williamite forces returned to England in 1690. James used Ireland as a staging point to prepare for an invasion of England near Liverpool, however his army was defeated at the Battle of Southport. James lived in Ireland for the remainder of his life still claiming to be the rightful King of England while King William was Unifying the Dutch and English crowns to form the Anglo-Dutch Union. After the death of King James II in 1701 at his castle in Dublin, his son James Francis Edward declared himself King James III of England just as his father did. James III once again declared war on the newly founded Anglo-Dutch Union and attempted to invade and return to London in 1703. The invasion force was destroyed in a fierce storm off the Isles of Scilly and James III went down with his ship. James III had left no heir and so the crown passed on to the young Louisa Marie Stuart, who was crowned herself Queen Louisa of England in 1704. Louisa was only 12 years old and was controlled by her reagents who still intended on retaking the English throne, however the Jacobite's resources were severely low and another invasion of England could not be prepared. In 1711 Louisa decided she no longer needed help from her reagents, however many Jacobites felt she was not committed enough to retaking England and tried to assassinate her. The assassination failed and the three members of the conspiracy were executed. After the failed attempt on her life Louisa became very dissolutioned with the thought of retaking England as she saw it as a futile attempt. As a result Louisa crowned herself Queen Louisa the First of Ireland.
1711-1730
Queen Louisa was only the leader of Ireland in name. The reality was that Ireland was an incredibly divided place. The Native Irish Catholics and Protestant Settlers were battling one and other while King James II and King James III were attempting to return to England. The plantations in Ulster had failed and most of Ireland had fallen into total anarchy. The young Queen had a very difficult task ahead of her in her quest to restore order to her new Kingdom. Queen Louisa established an Irish Parliament in 1712 that would have an advisory role. She believed bringing elections to all Irish people would bring about more peace and stability to Ireland. She believed Settlers would welcome elections as it is what is currently being done in England, and she believed the Irish were in need of their own voice in politics. Her attempts to restore order did not stop there. Louisa helped write the Constitution of the Kingdom of Ireland. In it, religious freedom was enshrined as a constitutional right and no person should be discriminated for their religious background. As people spread Louisa's message around Ireland people began to like her. She was originally hated by Protestants for being Catholic, and hated by Irish Catholics for being the daughter of an English King. However, Louisa's message of tolerance and unite resonated with many. There were some however who rejected her rule, most notably Protestant Settlers living in Derry and Belfast. What resulted were years of violence but also a mass exodus of Protestants from the walled cities. Not all left however and some Protestants remained in Ireland in the province of Ulster. Catholic natives were now allowed to practice their faith and language without fear of punishment as they had under the reign of Oliver Cromwell and English rulers after him. Irish Catholics were very supportive of Queen Louisa II. Ireland became a very peaceful and prosperous nation after 10 years of Queen Louisa attempting to restore order. Ireland held it's first parliamentary elections in 1726 where the Unity Party or Páirtí Aontacht in Irish won a landslide victory.
1730-1813
In 1730 Queen Louisa sent explorers to the southern hemisphere to search for unclaimed territory to create Irish colonies. Ireland was very late to starting a colonial empire compared to other European Countries so it did not have the most choices. Colonies were established in Patagonia, Mozambique and Madagascar. The establishment of new colonies was a propaganda boost for Louisa as it portrayed Ireland as a United Nation capable of defending itself and becoming an influential power. On the world stage. Louisa married Louis Alexander de Bourbon who was the son of the then King of France, King Louis XIV. This started a long period of good relations between the French and Irish Kingdoms. Ireland expanded it's colonies and remained at peace with the rest of Europe thanks to it's alliance with France, and the country saw lots of prosperity. Louisa and Louis had two children Marie and Francis. Louisa died in 1759 of an unknown illness and her daughter Marie was crowned Queen Marie I of Ireland. Marie continued to lead Ireland through the prosperity her mother left behind. This good fortune quickly turned around in 1789 with the French Revolution. Ireland's strongest ally had now fallen to the Republican movement. Ireland was now Isolated without any help and the Anglo-Dutch Union loomed across the Irish sea. For the 10 years of the French Revolution Marie rapidly built up the Irish Army and Navy to prepare for a potential Anglo-Dutch invasion. Fortunately no invasion ever came and in 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte came to power in France and declared himself Emperor. Napoleon and Marie shared similar views, they both led very liberal countries and they both feared the strength of the Anglo-Dutch Union. As a result Ireland formed a new alliance with the French Empire in 1801. In 1804 Irish Soldiers joined Napoleon in his conquest of Europe.
During the Napoleonic Wars Queen Marie took the opportunity to clash with the Anglo-Dutch Union at sea to seize important Islands in the West Indies and throughout the South Atlantic. The Irish Navy she had been rapidly building for 10 years now had the ability to go toe to toe with the mighty Anglo-Dutch Navy. With Napoleon's successful defeat of Russia, the Coalition against him only consisted of the Anglo-Dutch Union and the Swedish Empire who agreed to a armistice with the French Empire and Kingdom of Ireland. Queen Marie I died shortly after the peace deal was signed in 1813. She was succeeded by her son, Alois I.
1813-1900
Alois lead Ireland through a period of rapid industrialization during the industrial revolution. He also continued to grow the Irish Military and Navy as he predicted the peace achieved by Napoleon in Europe would not last for long. King Alois I died in 1829 and his daughter Maire I took his place. Ireland's rapid increase in industrial activity in the 19th Century faced much criticism from workers who made many demands. The writings of Karl Marx in the 19th Century inspired many Socialist movements across Ireland as people grew frustrated with the poor factory conditions. In response to the worker riots and violence across the country Queen Marie granted Irish workers better worker's rights, the right to assemble a trade union and universal healthcare and education. She also offered free temporary housing for the poor. Ireland was the first country in Europe to make such reforms in the 19th Century.