Kingdom of Ireland (An Ríoghacht Éireann) (jan 2, 1542 – jan 1, 1801)

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The Kingdom of Ireland (Classical Irish: an Ríoghacht Éireann; Modern Irish: an Ríocht Éireann, pronounced [ənˠ ˌɾˠiːxt̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ]) was a client state of England and then of Great Britain that existed from 1542 until 1800 on the island of Ireland. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then of Great Britain in personal union with their other realms. The kingdom was administered from Dublin Castle by a viceroy (the lord deputy, later lord lieutenant) appointed by the king or queen. Ireland had its own legislature, peerage, army, legal system, and state church (the Protestant Church of Ireland).

The territory of the kingdom had formerly been a lordship ruled by the kings of England, founded in 1177 by King Henry II after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. By the 16th century, the area of English rule had shrunk greatly, and most of Ireland was held by Gaelic Irish principalitys and chiefdoms. In 1542, King Henry VIII of England was made King of Ireland. The English began establishing control over the island, which sparked the Desmond Rebellions and the Nine Years' War. It was completed in the 17th century. The conquest involved confiscating land from the native Irish and colonising it with settlers from Britain.

In its early years, the kingdom had limited recognition, as no Catholic countries in Europe recognised Henry VIII and his successor, Edward VI, as kings of Ireland. Catholic Mary I was recognised as Queen of Ireland by Pope Paul IV. Catholics, who made up most of the population, were officially discriminated against in the kingdom, which was dominated by a Protestant Ascendancy from the late 17th century. This discrimination was one of the main drivers behind several conflicts which broke out: the Irish Confederate Wars (1641–53), the Williamite-Jacobite War (1689–91), the Armagh disturbances (1780s–90s) and the republican Irish Rebellion of 1798.

The Parliament of Ireland passed the Acts of Union 1800 by which it abolished itself and the kingdom. The act was also passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. It established the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on the first day of 1801 by uniting the Parliaments of Ireland and of Great Britain.

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