| Abstract: | Rebellion in Elizabethan Ireland triggered the publication of a series of early news pamphlets in England that have been labeled as tedious military narratives celebrating English victories over native insurgents. Careful scrutiny of these pamphlets, specifically those titles that relayed news of the Second Desmond rebellion (1579–1583), suggests otherwise. Therein, it was not news of events in Ireland that was stressed, nor indeed was it the Catholicism of the Old English who had entered into rebellion. Instead, these works prioritized political obedience to queen and commonwealth above all else and employed this revolt to remind readers of the essential obligations of fidelity and virtue. As agents of persuasion rather than purveyors of news, the authors echoed official thinking by the state in cultivating the importance attached to obedience amid strains in both kingdoms that attended the Counter-Reformation. |
