Pope Gregory XIII and Philip II sent a force of c.600 soldiers to support the Desmond Rebellion. They fortified Smerwick harbour in Kerry. Lord Deputy Grey besieged them from land and sea, compelled surrender, and massacred the garrison — one of the most notorious atrocities of the Tudor conquest. Raleigh commanded troops who participated in the killings. The massacre shocked Catholic Europe.
c.600 Spanish/Italian soldiers massacred after surrender
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
Research a location near Kerry