Siege of Smerwick
Siege and massacre during the Second Desmond Rebellion, 1580 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The siege of Smerwick took place at Ard na Caithne (known in English as Smerwick) in November 1580, during the Second Desmond Rebellion in Ireland. A force of between 400 and 700 Papal freelance soldiers, mostly of Spanish and Italian origin, landed at Smerwick to support the Catholic rebels. They were forced to retreat to the nearby promontory fort of Dún an Óir,[1] where they were besieged by the English. The Papal commander parleyed and was bribed, and the defenders surrendered within a few days. The officers were spared, but the other ranks were then summarily executed on the orders of the English commander, Arthur Grey (Baron Grey de Wilton), the Lord Deputy of Ireland.[2][3]
Siege of Smerwick | |||||||
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Part of the Second Desmond Rebellion | |||||||
Map of the English attack on Spanish and Italian forces at Smerwick | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of England | Papal and Spanish troops | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
The 14th Baron Grey de Wilton | Sebastiano di San Giuseppe | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
~4,000 | 400–700 | ||||||