page_title: O'Doherty's rebellion
section_title: Plot
hierarchical_section_title: O'Doherty's rebellion / Background / Plot
caption_attribution_description: Henry, Prince of Wales (1594-1612)
context_page_description: O'Doherty's rebellion took place in 1608 when the landowner Sir Cahir O'Doherty began an uprising against the authorities in the north-west of Ireland. O'Doherty had been a long-standing supporter of the Crown, but having been angered at his treatment by local officials he launched an attack on Derry, burning the town. O'Doherty may have hoped to negotiate a settlement with the government, but after his death in a skirmish at Kilmacrennan the rebellion collapsed with the last survivors being besieged on Tory Island.
context_section_description: Despite his difficulties, O'Doherty persisted in his allegiance to the crown once he returned to Donegal. In January 1608 he sat on the Irish jury that confirmed the Act of Attainder against the absent Earl of Tyrconnell, stripping him of his lands and title for treason. He also pursued his links at court, through contacts such as the well-connected Sir Randal MacDonnell. O'Doherty sought to become a courtier by gaining a place in the household of Henry, Prince of Wales.
  The greatest cause of O'Doherty's move towards rebellion was the insults of Paulet. While he was in Derry on business, Paulet struck him in the face. O'Doherty now began to suspect that he could not hope for fair treatment from English justice, and armed force was his only tactic. He was encouraged by one of his neighbours Sir Niall Garbh O'Donnell, who was possibly being duplicitous and hoped to be awarded O'Doherty's lands in the event of any failed rebellion. Even at this point O'Doherty remained reluctant to undertake rebellion and with "tears in his eyes" he approached English officers asking them how he could regain the approval of the Viceroy. He even turned over one of his relations, Phelim MacDavitt, a wanted man, to the authorities – a sign of the extreme demands being made on him. O'Doherty's lobbying on behalf of MacDavitt led to his release by the authorities just in time to take part in the rebellion.
  O'Doherty now rose in revolt, choosing to "play the enemy" that the authorities "would not admit for a friend". The night before the rising, O'Doherty had dinner with his friend Captain Henry Hart the commander of Culmore Fort, an arsenal close to Derry. O'Doherty explained his reasons for rebellion and asked Hart to hand Culmore over to him. Hart refused, even when threatened with death. To save her husband's life, Hart's wife agreed to help betray Culmore. She tricked the defenders out of the fort, luring them into an ambush by O'Doherty's men.
  The rebellion showed little sign of significant preparation. Ironically, unknown to O'Doherty, the very day he began his rising instructions were sent from London to Chichester in Dublin that generally granted all his demands.
caption: O'Doherty sought influence in London by becoming a courtier in the entourage of Henry, Prince of Wales.
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