He’s not a household name, but if you’ve ever heard of “Poynings’ Law,” you already know his legacy.

I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s episode we meet the Kentish gentleman who helped Henry VII restore royal control in Ireland, hunted pirates off the Flemish coast, and later steered diplomacy for Henry VIII.

From rebellion and exile to power and reform, Poynings’ life shows how Tudor government really worked, through loyal, tireless fixers.

His “law” would shape Irish governance until the late 18th century.

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