Ulster

The definition of the province was fluid from to  times. It took a definitive shape in the reign of King when all the  were eventually. This process of evolving conquest had been under way since the, particularly as advanced by the magnates  and. Ulster was a central topic role in the parliamentary debates that eventually resulted in the. Under the terms of the Act, Ireland was divided into two territories, and, with the border passing through the province. "Southern Ireland" was to be all of Ireland except for "the parliamentary counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone, and the parliamentary boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry, which were to constitute "Northern Ireland". The area of Northern Ireland was seen as the maximum area within which / could be expected to have a safe majority. This was in spite of the fact that counties and  had Catholic/ majorities. While these six counties and two parliamentary boroughs were all in the province of Ulster, three other counties of the province –,  and  – were assigned to the.