Ireland had a highly unusual constitutional arrangement with Britain. It had been bestowed to the Normans by the Pope in 1170, although their rule rarely extended past Dublin or their castle walls. During Tudor times, the two nations supposedly joined in Union with one another, but again this was more wishful thinking on the part of the English - the notable exception being the Ulster provinces. During the Seventeenth Century, the Irish backed the Jacobite Stuarts against William of Orange. Losing the battle of Boyne meant that Protestant rule over the rest of Ireland would move into its ascendancy. This was formalised during the Napoleonic Wars (when the threat of invasion by the French was very real) and Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1922. Then the 26 southern counties became the Irish Free state with Dominion status. In 1937 the name Eire was adopted. In 1948 Eire left the Commonwealth to become the Republic of Ireland.
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