Since the 16th century, there has been a series of uprisings against British rule in Ireland. These uprisings played a major role in the formation of Irish nationalism and republicanism. After the Irish Rebellion of 1798, such uprisings became more revolutionary and republican in nature. Following the Irish War of Independence, the partition of Ireland and the creation of the autonomous Irish Free State in twenty-six of Ireland's thirty-two counties in 1922; with the exception of the Irish Civil War, most but not all subsequent insurgent activity in Ireland occurred within the six counties of Northern Ireland, which continued to be part of the United Kingdom.