Thread by @GrayConnolly

As the American Republic celebrates its 4th of July, I am thinking, as I always do at this time, of LtCol John Connolly of Pennsylvania and Ensign James Connolly, Tory Loyalists, who fought for the Crown & against seditious rebels.
God Save The Queen! 👑💂🇬🇧

TBC: the (overwhelmingly Protestant) American rebellion was made possible only because of the enormous military support of the (Catholic) French & Spanish Kingdoms. Otherwise the American founders would have been hanged as seditionists against & traitors to their (Anglican) King.

The Papacy was pro-Habsburg & pro-Hanoverian....it was always anti-French. So, during the American Revolt, the Papacy was neutral but not unhappy with a British North America that protected Catholic missions. The British Crown needed to raise armies from the (RC) Scots & Irish

Story of Catholic emancipation begins in the mid 1700s with the Hanoverian need to raise armies to fight the French & then the Americans....the most keen soldiers were the Gaels (Scots and Irish) who were Catholics. Laws were ignored or repealed by George II & III to raise Armies

The Macdonnells, MacDonalds, Frasers etal, who had all fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie redeemed themselves in the Hanoverian eyes by then going and fighting the French and then the rebellious Americans

https://twitter.com/GrayConnolly/status/1144744610754789376

By the Napoleonic Wars, a huge % of the British Army was Irish, not least the Duke of Wellington himself. In politics, the Duke pushed for the final aspects of Catholic emancipation (there had been prior repeals in the 18thC) because of the loyalty of his Gaelic soldiery.

By the Battle of Waterloo, it will be the Scots and the Irish, as well as the English and even some of the Dutch, who will defeat Napoleon ..... Just

https://twitter.com/irelandbattles/status/1273404340842180610

As a General & politician, the Duke of Wellington pushed both Catholic emancipation & also, ironically, wanted the socially dangerous habits of levelling Methodism eliminated from the Army (there was a significant anti-Methodist prejudice). Habits from chapel come into politics

The progress of British Catholicism actually followed War & Empire. Catholics did well in the Army (esp). In many ways, the Americans rebelling and then the Duke of Wellington were great benefactors to British Catholicism.

GSTQ #AlwaysTory