Poynings' Law

Poynings 'Law (Poynings' Law) goes back to Sir Edward Poynings KG (1459-1521) and his declaration to the Irish Parliament in Drogheda in 1494 . In his position as Lord Deputy (Deputy of the English King Henry VII. In Ireland) Poynings assembled the Irish Parliament on December 1st with the intention of re- binding the Lordship of Ireland closer to the English monarchy and the English parliament .

Poynings announced that the Irish Parliament would now again be under the authority of the English Parliament. All decisions regarding legislation now had to be approved first by the English king, his council, the English parliament and the executive council in Dublin . This decision made the Irish Parliament dependent on its English counterpart. Furthermore, the Irish Parliament could now only meet if the British government so determined.

This fact established the direct rule of the Tudors in Ireland, even if Henry VII was still dependent on the Irish nobility (such as the Earl of Kildare ).

Poynings' Law was the beginning of a strong influx of groups in Ireland who wanted to enforce an independent government for Ireland - especially the Confederate Catholics in the 1640s. Furthermore, the repeal of this law was a major goal of Henry Grattans (1746-1820; member of the Irish House of Commons ) Patriot Party in the late 18th century. However, it was not until 1782 that the Irish Parliament regained legislative independence.

literature

• James Stuart Olson , Robert Shadle: Historical Dictionary of the British Empire , Volume 2, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, pp. 901f. ISBN 9780313293672