England learned a lot about its colonization of Ireland. David B. Quinn, also known as D. B. Q. , has explored the connections between Ireland and the new world in two of his books; Raleigh and the British Empire and The Elizabethans and the Irish. In his books D. B. Q. discussed how the English conceived negative connotations towards the Irish population and how they dealt with it. At some points the English sought to convey their better ways, and to convert the Irishman into Englishman. At other times the English just wanted to be dominant over the Irish.
England learned from their many mistakes in its Irish Colonies. In Quinn’s The Elizabethans and the Irish he frequently discussed two particular principles that characterized Tudor policies in Ireland; the elimination of the Irishman characterized as a rootless vagabond and the uncompromising suppression of rebellion. Ireland was looked down upon as a pastoral society that lived a nomadic lifestyle. This contrasted with England’s more settled, agrarian lifestyle. England had tried at colonizing Ireland a few different times, not all of them were successful.
The colonization of Ireland was a long process and complex process. The English government desired a “stable society, strong enough to protect its self from renewed Irish rising” and prosperous enough to contribute to taxation. The later colonization style was through plantations. The ruler of England would divvy up portions of land and give it to people to create a settlement. Many of the uprisings that did occur were conflicts between the upper classes of Ireland and England, over England expanding too far.
Examples include the Desmond Rebellion and the Nine Years War. England eventually used lessons learned from these rebellions in the eventual governance of the plantations of Ireland. In order to start a plantation colony in Ireland, the ruler of England placed “undertakers” in charge over portions of land. Undertakers were often purposed to install English tenants and to expel Irish natives. One can see how in 1609 James I wanted the undertakers to set up their plantations through Thomas Finlason’s publication of the king’s orders.
The kings stated that there would be three different sized portions of land and that there would be three types of persons to become undertakers; English or Scottish, Servitors of the kingdom of Ireland and natives of Ireland. Requirements in the decree differed depending on the size of the portion size and by what kind of undertaker ruled. For example, the decree specified that the native Irish undertakers were to implement “tillage and husbandry. ” This meant that the land had to be cultivated with farms.
This was directed at Irish people’s history of being a largely nomadic people. In this decree, the reader can find a common goal or idea of preventive measures from the king to make sure the settlements were not overrun by rebellions. The king did this in two particular ways; the first was that he required certain measures of the undertakers for security precaution. Depending on the size of the portion, the king required the undertaker to have a castle with a strong court, a stone or brick house with a strong court, or just a strong court.
The king also wanted the undertaker’s tenants “to build houses for themselves and their families near the principal castle, house, or [court], for their mutual defense or strength. ” By making the tenants live near the court, it would become easier to protect. This would have contrasted with earlier Ireland, where there was a more nomadic lifestyle and thus less dense centers of population. One of the king’s other requirements was for the Undertakers to “have ready in their houses at all times a convenient store of arms, wherewith they may furnish a competent number of able men for their defence.
If the undertakers had a sufficient store of arms, it would have helped quell any rebellions. With these requirements, the king would have helped ensure military security within the plantations. The king also provided economic exemptions to help the plantations. Most the exemptions involved not requiring them to pay certain customs: “during the space of seven years next ensuing, [the undertakers] shall have power to transport all Commodities growing upon their own Lands…without paying any Custom or Imposition for the same”.
This allowed more money to flow into the plantations from exports. The economic exemptions also entailed imports for five years after the creation of the plantations: “materials and tools for building and husbandry, and cattle to stock and manure the Land as aforesaid, without paying any Custom. ” By having cheaper material to work with it enabled for accelerated building rates, which could have proved important for building the castles and courts. Another exemption was that for two years, the undertakers were not required to pay taxes on the land they acquired.
By giving these exemptions the hope was to help jumpstart the plantations. The undertakers could have possibly attracted more tenants since there were economic exemptions. This would have helped fulfill the king’s own order to have a competent amount of tenants after two years. More tenants would in turn allow the undertakers’ castles and court to be built and to grow faster since there would be more workers. These exemptions could then eventually lead to financial and structural security in the plantations.
Through the increased the defenses and securities of the settlements James I hoped to prevent any successful uprisings. The second way he ensured the plantations survival was he made sure the undertakers owed loyalty to him. James I required undertakers who were English or Scottish and Servitors of the kingdom of Ireland to swear the Oath of Supremacy which by reaffirmed the king as the supreme head of state. He also made sure that they “[conformed] themselves in religion according to his majesty’s laws. ” Since James I was protestant, this mean that the undertakers would also have to be protestant.
This was in contrast to the native Irishmen who are largely catholic. The Oath of Supremacy would have conflicted with the beliefs of the native Irish because due to their catholic back rounds, most of the native Irish would have believed that the Pope was supposed to be overall leader. James I also disallowed undertakers from transferring property “to meer Irish or to such persons as will not take the Oath which the said undertakers are bound to take”. This could then be used to keep the common native Irish folk from obtaining lands in the settlements.
This would then thus prevent them from having influence or power in them as well. By maintaining control over the religion in his domain, James I was able to get a better grasp over his authority. Over time, England learned how to deal with the Irish and how to govern the colonies accordingly. The English then carried their experiences from Ireland to the New World and how they governed it. By looking at how the first English colonies in America were set up, a person can find influences can from Irish colonization.
William Stratchey used his firsthand experiences to tell the early history of Jamestown in his book The Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britanni. The period of Jamestown at which Strachey described was from 1611to 1613. This was just only a few years after its creation in 1607. In his book, Stachey described the early encounters with the Native Americans at James town as he put them in context with previous English attempts at making settlements in North America. He also discussed the possible goods such as the numerous plants and animals while admitting “for mineralls we will promise nothing”.
