>ireland, 1601
>an Irish alliance of Gaelic lords, aided by Spain, have been at war with England since 1593
>outraged with their confiscation of lands and imposition of foreign faith+law, they seek not only to end the early stages of colonisation but also to realise the thus-far lofty ambitions of a new early modern Irish nation
>lead by Hugh O'Neill, an incredibly talented commander and politican, who has the respect (reluctant or otherwise) of much of the English Court
>they have reformed Gaelic armies to combine modern weaponry and tactics with traditional Gaelic alternatives, and have defeated England in pitched battles multiple times
>England has been all but pushed out of Ireland
>Spain has landed troops at Kinsale in the far south-but they botched it, leaving them vulnerable
>every single soldier England has left in Ireland is sent to try and take Kinsale
>it's all or nothing; if England are defeated at Kinsale, they will have absolutely no choice but to pull out of Ireland completely
>Irish armies make the very long march south to aid the Spanish
>English siege camp is ruined with disease and attrition, and struggling to resupply
>most assume it's over

>Irish armies arrive
>England engages them
>it's anyone's game
>one small miscommunication between the two main groups (O'Neill's and O'Donnell's) delays a planned withdraw to lure the English into rough terrain
>a small group of English cavalry discover a small crossing over a bog, completely by accident
>they cross
>they cause panic in O'Neill's ranks
>English cavalry arrives, causing further panic
>O'Neill's men break under the pressure at last
>battle falls apart
>English victory

It is not an exaggeration that the entire course of Irish history was completely changed on that day. Everyone present was completely flabberghasted by what had happened. England was on the brink of ruin in Ireland-but it was fumbled at the very last second.