O’Neill breaks with the Council: Rinuccini leaves Ireland
Above : Charles II, Replaced Charles I After His Death In 1649
O’Neill had endured, almost since his coming to Ireland, the continual neglect and ingratitude of the Council. He was now at the end of his patience. When a messenger came to his camp to inform him of his removal from the command of the Ulster armies, he publicly burned the letters. This meant, of course, that he had openly broken with the Confederation, or rather with the party that now ruled what remained of it. He had a fine army of tried soldiers, all devoted to him ; he occupied a strong position in the very centre of Ireland, and had much support elsewhere. He would not be easily crushed.
Meanwhile, the peace between the Council and Inchiquin had been definitely concluded, and Rinuccini issued, with the approval of several of the Irish bishops, a decree of excommunication against all those who had signed this agreement. In consequence of the Nuncio’s action, many of Preston’s soldiers deserted him and transferred their services to O’Neill, saying that they would not serve under an excommunicated general. The Council further declared Eoghan Ruadh and some of his chief adherents public enemies, rebels and traitors, and began to collect an army to oppose them.
Ormond had carefully watched the course of events, and he judged that the time had now come when he could, with advantage, return to Ireland and endeavour to resuscitate the Royalist party there. He landed at Cork on October 29th (1648), and was so well received that the Nuncio at once decided that all hope of building up an effectual party to oppose him was at an end. He resolved, therefore, to leave Ireland, but waited till the new ” Ormond Peace ” was actually concluded. This was done on January 17th, 1649, and on February 23rd, Rinuccini sailed from Galway for France.
Ormond’s conditions of peace did not greatly differ from those agreed on in 1646. Almost immediately after their conclusion he proceeded to dissolve the Confederation. To this high-handed proceeding the Council meekly submitted. Charles I was now dead ; on the 30th of January, 1649, he had laid his head on the block at Whitehall, and Ormond was acting in the name of his exiled son, now Charles II.