Pacata Hibernia. Or, A History of the Wars in Ireland. During the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. Taken from the Original Chronicles. Illustrated with portraits of Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Totness; and Fas Similes of all the Original Maps and Plans. Third Edition. [First Published , 1633]. London: James Taylor, 1821. Rebound in antiquarian style quarter calf, over marbles boards. Top edges unopened. Some foxing to the preliminary pages of volume one, otherwise an excellent set the text & plans in nice clean condition throughout.

Volume One: Pp 334; with a frontispiece portrait plate of Elizabeth 1 and nine folded plates (bound-in at rear). Volume Two: Pp 373, [8], with folded plates and map of Ireland 10 plates, and a Map of Ireland (bound-in at rear).

Pacata Hibernia chronicles the brutal Nine Years’ War (1594–1603), a pivotal conflict in Irish history. The war pitted an alliance of Gaelic Irish chieftains—led by Hugh O’Neill (Earl of Tyrone) and Hugh Roe O’Donnell—against the expanding forces of Elizabethan England, which sought to consolidate control over Ireland. The war was fought in all parts of the country, but primarily in the northern province of Ulster. Despite early Irish victories (such as the Battle of the Yellow Ford in 1598), superior English resources and tactics eventually crushed the rebellion. The war’s aftermath was catastrophic for Gaelic Ireland: It ended in defeat for the Irish chieftains, which led ultimately to their exile in the Flight of the Earls and to the Plantation of Ulster.

Pacata Hibernia, though written from an English perspective, remains a crucial—if biased—source on this war. Its title, ironically proclaiming a “peaceable” Ireland, underscores the colonial narrative of the time. The conflict was not just a military struggle but a cultural and political turning point, leading to centuries of upheaval. The defeat of the Gaelic lords paved the way for the systematic Anglicisation of Ireland, with consequences that reverberate even today.