Why Did The British Conquest Essay

While history is widely viewed as simply the documentation of change throughout time, few times and places have seen more dramatic changes in such a wide influx of areas than Britain in the 1600 's. Not only with the scientific advancements but also with diet, clothing, economy and many others. But perhaps the most prevalent changes were within realm of government. In 1600, the concept of Divine Right of Kings was the most fashionable form of rule. But by 1700, a strong military, and a new more democratic government with checks and balances between the executive (king) and legislative (Parliament) branches had appeared in England, leading the way for modern democracies. Attributed as a catalyst of these changes, one of the key figures of English history: Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell

The reasons behind the conquest is widely disputed, however, many historians believe it was because of the alliance between the Irish Confederate Catholics, Charles II (the exiled son of the executed Charles I) and the English Royalists. This alliance allowed for Royalist troops to be sent to Ireland and put the Irish Confederate Catholic troops under the command of Royalist officers led by James Butler. His aim was to invade England and restore the monarchy there - a threat which the new English Commonwealth couldn’t ignore. This conquest completed the British colonisation of Ireland, which merged into the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1653–59. The Parliamentarians also deported about 50,000 people as indentured labourers, created a new distribution of power throughout the Commonwealth. Because it destroyed the native Irish Catholic landowning classes and replaced it with colonists with a British identity, from the 17th century and onwards, bitterness caused by the Cromwellian settlement was a powerful source of Irish