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Il filosofo [[Edward Said]] afferma che la demonizzazione degli Old English come barbari e diversi da parte dei New English e la costruzione della loro identità come "civilizzati" anticipò gli stereotipi [[colonialisti]] e [[orientalisti]] sulle popolazioni non Europee nel XIX secolo. Tuttavia, gran parte degli Old English - soprattutto nel Pale, continuarono a considerarsi Inglesi d'Irlanda, fino al XVII secolo.
ItFu wasa theircausa exclusiondella fromloro theesclusione governmentdal ofgoverno Irelanddell'Irlanda, ona thecausa groundsdella ofloro theirprofessione religious dissidencereligiosa, in thenel coursecorso ofdel theXVI 16thsecolo centuryche thatallontanò alienated thegli Old English from thedal stateloro andattaccamento eventuallyalla propelledpatriae themli intospinse a commoncostruire identityuna withidentità thecomune Gaeliccon Irishgli asIrlandesi IrishGaelici Catholicsin qualità di Cattolici Irlandesi. TheIl firstprimo confrontationscontro betweentra thegli Old English anded theil Englishgoverno governmentInglese in IrelandIrlanda cameavvenne withnella thecrisi [[cess]]delle crisistasse ofdel 1556-1583. DuringIn thisquesto period,periodo la comunità thedel Pale commnitysi resistedrifiutò payingdi forpagare thei Englishtributi armyper il mantenimento dell'esercito Inglese in IrelandIrlanda tocon putlo downscopo adi stringpromuovere ofuna revoltsserie endingdi withrivolte thedenominate [[Desmond Rebellions]] (1569-73 ande 1579-83). The term "Old English" was coined at this time, as the Pale community emphasised their English identity and loyalty to the crown, while at the same time refusing to cooperate with the wishes of the English [[Lord Deputy of Ireland]]. Originally, the conflict was a civil issue, the Palesmen objected to paying new taxes that had not first been approved by them in the [[Parliament of Ireland]]. However, the dispute also took on a religious dimension, especially after 1571, when [[Elizabeth I of England]] was [[excommunicated]] by the Pope. Rebels such as [[James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald]] (himself from the Hiberno-Norman Desmond dynasty) portrayed their rebellion as a "Holy War" and indeed received money and troops from the Papacy. In the [[Second Desmond Rebellion]] (1579-83), a prominent Pale Lord, James Eustace, Viscount of Baltinglass joined the rebels for religious reasons. Before the rebellion was over, several hundred Old English Palesmen had been hanged, either for rebellion or because they were suspected of rebellion because of their religion. This episode marked an important break between the Pale and the English Government and between the Old and New English.
However, in the subsequent [[Nine Years War (Ireland)|Nine Years War]] (1594-1603) the Pale and the Old English towns remained loyal to the English Crown during another Catholic inspired rebellion. It was the re-organisation of the English government in Ireland along Protestant lines in the early 17th century that eventually severed the ties between the Old English and England itself. Firstly, in 1609, Catholics were banned from serving in public office in Ireland. In 1613, the constituencies of the [[Irish Parliament]] were changed so that the New English Protestants would be a majority in it. Thirdly, in the first half of the 17th century, the Old English landowning class faced the prospect of their land being confiscated by the state (see [[Plantations of Ireland]]). The political response of the Old Community was to appeal directly to the King of England, first [[James I of England|James I]] and then [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] for a package of reforms, including religious toleration and civil equality to Catholics in return for increased taxes. However, on several occassions in 1620s and 1630s, they agreed to pay the higher taxes, only for the monarch to defer any concessions. Such Old English writers as [[Geoffrey Keating]] were by then arguing, for example in the Irish language ''[[Foras Feasa ar Éirinn]]'', that the true identity of the Old English was Catholic and Irish, rather than English.
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