Pale (Ireland)

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The Pale (gray) - around 1450

As The Pale ( Irish An Pháil ) or The English Pale (Irish An Pháil Sasanach ) the entire property of Norman rulers on Ireland's east coast was initially referred to. The area included, for example, lands in the counties of Dublin , Meath , Louth and Kildare , but only extended to the area around the city of Dublin in the later Middle Ages .

background

From 1169 Norman troops from England and Wales landed under the leadership of Robert FitzStephen in Bannow Bay in County Wexford . The Normans attempted to conquer the island over the next 70 years and these attacks culminated with the occupation of Connaughts in 1235. The invaders initially took control of around two thirds of the island, but lost it steadily in the 14th and 15th centuries on soil, so that in 1495 only the areas of the four eastern counties were subject to the English crown. The Pale's border began south of Dundalk , near Blackrock , and ran inland along the River Fane . There it reached as far as Ardee and from there again towards the coast to near Bray in County Wicklow .

In 1430 the English King Henry VI. guaranteed a grant of £ 10 to each of his subjects who erected a castle, fortress, or fortified tower there, with dimensions of at least 29 feet in length, 16 feet in width and 40 feet in height. This should provide an incentive to increase the English presence in these areas. One of these fortified buildings is the "Tower House", also known as "Termonfeckin Castle", in the village of Termonfeckin , which offered a good overview of the Feighan valley .

In the course of the 14th and 15th centuries, the political and cultural rule of the Normans was limited to ever narrowing coastlines around Dublin, Wexford and enclaves in Northern Ireland . The rest of the island remained dominated by Irish rulers, who for the most part practiced local customs , upheld the Brehon Laws and spoke Irish . In addition, it was critically observed by contemporaries that the Anglo-Norman nobles often adapted very quickly to the local culture, even adopted the Irish language and raised their children according to the way of the country. English rule was in such dire straits that protective measures were taken. The western border of the Pale was partially fortified with ditches, fences and guard systems (note: pale originally meant "stake" and is related to this German word). In the Statutes of Kilkenny , issued in 1367 , even the use of the Irish language in the Pale was made a criminal offense, and it was not considered a criminal offense to kill an Irishman. In 1494 the Poynings' Laws and from 1695 the Penal Laws were enacted.

At the end of the 15th century, the administrative unit of the Pale had its seat in Drogheda , which was surrounded by a moat ("Pale Ditch"). It served as a border or protection against raids. The term pale was used until the reign of King Henry VIII , who ascended the English throne in 1509 and was also King of Ireland from 1541. The term beyond the pale has remained in the English language to this day , such as "completely unacceptable", "completely outside of any order" or "uncivilized".

In English, the term Pale used for other areas, including for the Pale of Settlement , that is the Pale of Settlement in Czarist Russia , where the Jewish establishment was permitted.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Thomas May: The History of the Parliament of England, which began November the third 1640. With a short and necessary view of some precedent years. White Cochrane, London 1812, OCLC 505354567 , ( online, p. 85. )
  2. ↑ a b c The English Pale in Ireland. in: The Independent . dated March 26, 2004, accessed September 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ Statutes of Kilkenny, 1367 AD at libraryireland.com, accessed September 1, 2014.
  4. ^ Poynings' Law (1485-1494). from libraryireland.com, accessed September 1, 2014.
  5. ^ Dana Arnold: Cultural Identities and the Aesthetics of Britishness. Manchester University Press, New York 2004, ISBN 0-7190-6768-5 , p. 59, limited preview in Google Book Search
  6. ^ Pale of Settlement on jewishencyclopedia.com, accessed September 1, 2014.

literature

  • Ireland Lords Justices and Council (Author): By the Lords, Justices, and Councell. Want. Parsons, Jo Borlase. Whereas a petition hath been preferred unto us, by divers Lords, and gentlemen of the English pale. Society of Stationers, Dublin around 1641, OCLC 838483906 .
  • Desmond Keenan: Irish Society around 1400. in: Ireland 1170-1509, Society and History. Xlibris Corp., 2010, ISBN 978-1-453-58429-3 .

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