More comprehensive and adhering more closely to the events than any account previously written, this important new treatment of the 1916 Easter Rising draws on an impressive range of hitherto unused primary sources- some closed to the public until recently, others long available but neglected by historians. Opening with an evaluation of the roots of the Rising, the authors present pen portraits of the leaders and a thorough analysis of their motives, plans and objectives. They challenge the traditional interpretation that these leaders expected military failure, motivated by a desire to provide a blood sacrifice and hoping thereby to rejuvenate Irish nationalist sentiment. A detailed chronological account of the Rising itself recaptures the action in the key locations, giving insights into the actual experience of Easter Week for the rebels, the military personnel who opposed them, and the civilian population. The authors conclude their narrative by reviewing the British government's reaction to the Rising, analyzing the background to the declaration of martial law, and assessing the British military response. It contains recently released transcripts of the court martial trials of the executed rebel leaders, plus the testimonies of the witnesses. It graphically describes the execution process and the justification given for imposing the death sentence in each case. -- Publisher description