Charles Stewart Parnell

Parnell, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, held the balance of power in the House of Commons during the Home Rule debates. Born into an Anglo-Irish Protestant landowning family, he became a land reform agitator and co-founded the Irish National Land League. He was imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol but released when he renounced violent extra-parliamentary action. His reputation peaked after forged letters linking him to the Phoenix Park killings were exposed. He died at 45 following a divorce scandal that split his political allies.