Parnell, Ireland's Uncrowned King

Charles Stewart Parnell was an unlikely champion of the Irish cause in the late 1800s. As a Protestant landowner educated in Britain, he was essentially a member of the opposing camp. Yet his fervent advocacy for Ireland's struggle against its British rulers made him a hero, hailed as "Ireland's Uncrowned King."

Practicing the politics of obstruction, Parnell agitated for the Irish cause by bringing the British House of Commons to a standstill. But his political career came crashing to a bitter end when he was involved in a notorious scandal.

Image: Charles Stewart Parnell, courtesy Library of Congress