Ireland was converted to Christianity bt St Patrick in the fifth century. In 1152 Henry II intervened in the fighting between rival kings in Ireland. In 1172 he himself crossed the sea to the island and proclaimed himself Lord of Ireland Evenyually a feudal government was installed once most of the territory had been seized. During the following two centuries the Irish regained much of their land. But then in 1542 when Henry VIII declared himself King of Ireland after he had won back lost territory. During the English Civil War Oliver Cromwell put down a Catholic rebellion in 1650. In 1690, at the Battle of the Boyne, followers of James II, the displaced Catholic King, were defeated by William III. In 1801 the Act of the Union officially created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Following an armed rebellion in 1916 it was agreed that Ireland be partitioned. A treaty to this effect was signed in 1921 and as a result Northern Ireland remained part of the Union. 95% of the population is Roman Catholic; Irish Gaelic and English are the two official languages
