Ireland had a governor (ruler) who was supposed to be loyal to the King of England. In the 1530s, Thomas Fitzgerald, the governor, rebelled against England. Because of this, King Henry VIII of England wanted more power. In 1541, he declared himself King of Ireland instead of Lord of Ireland. The English built military forts in Ireland. English settlers moved to areas in Ireland called plantations. They used English laws and took over a lot of Ireland. During the Nine Years War in the 1590s, Irish soldiers from Ulster fought the English.