Description

The story of the 1798 Rebellion is usually told on the battlefields of Wexford and Mayo, but its political fate was heavily negotiated in the shadows of mainland Europe. In On the Road to Rebellion, historian Paul Weber uncovers the thrilling, secret history of how the neutral city-state of Hamburg served as the primary continental base for the Society of United Irishmen.

Between 1796 and 1803, Irish radicals like Lord Edward Fitzgerald and Arthur O’Connor flooded Hamburg to secure French military support and smuggle revolutionary propaganda back to Ireland. Weber utilizes deep diplomatic archives, secret police files, and intercepted letters to map out a gripping true story of international intrigue. The book details how British secret service agents systematically infiltrated the Irish networks, creating a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that ultimately sealed the fate of the rebellion before the first shots were ever fired on Irish soil.

What makes this history book unique:

• International Perspective: Moves past local battle details to show the global geopolitics behind 1798.

• Espionage & Secret Files: Fascinating breakdowns of 18th-century double-agents, code-breaking, and state surveillance.

• Scholarly Rigor: A masterful, definitive text for serious students of Irish revolutionary and European diplomatic history.