| The Lancastrian Tudor, Henry VII succeeded to | | | | the most important been that which was |
| the English throne in 1485 after the Battle of | | | | afterwards known as Poynings' Law. Under it's |
| Bosworth. Henry was determined to bring order | | | | terms, parliament was to meet in Ireland only |
| to England after almost a century of civil war. His | | | | after royal permission had been granted and after |
| marriage to Elizabeth of York had the effect of | | | | the king and the council in England had been |
| combining the Lancastrian and Yorkist factions | | | | informed of and had approved the measures |
| within the Tudor line thus eliminating further | | | | which it had proposed to enact. |
| dissension regarding the line of succession. | | | | The interpretation of Poynings' Law varied |
| However, Ireland was involved in two Yorkist | | | | massively in the centuries that followed, it's main |
| plots centred around the pretenders who claimed | | | | intent was to prevent a chief governor in Ireland |
| a closer dynastic link to the Plantagenets than | | | | using the parliament for their own gains and to |
| Henry. Henry crushed these two insurrections and | | | | the King's detriment as Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare |
| moved to cease the threat that Ireland now | | | | had done in 1487 when he had encouraged it to |
| presented. In 1494 he dispatched Sir Edward | | | | give official recognition to Lambert Simnel, a |
| Poynings to bring the country to heel and prevent | | | | pretender to the English Crown. Poynings' Law |
| Yorkist pretenders from using Ireland as a base. | | | | would greatly subjugate Ireland until a movement |
| Poyning summoned parliament to Drogheda in | | | | led by Henry Grattan pressed for it's drastic |
| December 1494 which passed a number of acts, | | | | modification and virtual repeal in 1782. |