 The Desmond situation was resolved on his death in 1529 , which was followed by a period of uncertainty . This was effectively ended with the appointment of Henry FitzRoy , Duke of Richmond and the king 's son , as lord lieutenant . Richmond had never before visited Ireland , his appointment a break with past policy . For a time it looked as if peace might be restored with the return of Kildare to Ireland to manage the tribes , but the effect was limited and the Irish parliament soon rendered ineffective . Ireland began to receive the attention of Cromwell , who had supporters of Ormond and Desmond promoted . Kildare , on the other hand , was summoned to London ; after some hesitation , he departed for London in 1534 , where he would face charges of treason . His son , Thomas , Lord Offaly was more forthright , denouncing the king and leading a " Catholic crusade " against the king , who was by this time mired in marital problems . Offaly had the Archbishop of Dublin murdered , and besieged Dublin . Offaly led a mixture of Pale gentry and Irish tribes , although he failed to secure the support of Lord Darcy , a sympathiser , or Charles V. What was effectively a civil war was ended with the intervention of 2 @,@ 000 English troops – a large army by Irish standards – and the execution of Offaly ( his father was already dead ) and his uncles . 
