Since the time of Henry II, the kings of England had also claimed to be the lords of Ireland. English settlers had taken root in Ireland, chiefly along the eastern seaboard, north and south of Dublin. But the native Gaelic chieftains still enjoyed a large measure of autonomy, especially in the north and west, and English control was often of a fluctuating nature. With the opening of the war with Scotland Edward II had made heavy demands on the Irish, both for men and materials, pushing the country close to the point of financial ruin. King Robert, who long maintained political and personal contacts with the men of Ulster, decided that Irish discontent could be usefully employed against his enemy. He sent envoys to the native Irish kings and clergy with letters invoking the common ancestry