Old English: differenze tra le versioni

Versione delle 14:44, 17 ott 2006

Versione delle 14:48, 17 ott 2006

Riga 22:

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.

Fu a causa della loro esclusione dal governo dell'Irlanda, anel causacorso delladel loroXVI professionesecolo religiosa, nelmotivata corsodalla delloro XVIprofessione secoloreligiosa, che allontanò gli Old English dal loro attaccamento alla patriaepatria e li spinse a costruire una identità comune con gli Irlandesi Gaelici in qualità di Cattolici Irlandesi. Il primo scontro tra gli Old English ed il governo Inglese in Irlanda avvenne nella crisi delle tasse del 1556-1583. In questo periodo la comunità del Pale si rifiutò di pagare i tributi per il mantenimento dell'esercito Inglese in Irlanda con lo scopo di promuovere una serie di rivolte denominate [[Desmond Rebellions]] (1569-73 e 1579-83). TheIl termtermine "Old English" wasvenne coinedconiato atproprio thisin timequesto periodo, asquando thela Palecomunità communitydel emphasisedPale theirsottolineò Englishla identityloro andidentità loyaltyInglese toe thela crown,loro whilefedeltà atalla thecorona, samerifiutandosi timenel refusingcontempo todi cooperatecooperare withcon thele wishesimposizioni ofdel therappresentante EnglishInglese, il [[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.