Ireland as a British Colony
Introduction
The relationship between Ireland and Tudor England was a complex one and in many ways it was a colonial one but it also differed wildly from other colonies set up by England. Before we can test the nature of the relationship between both England and Ireland, it would be a good idea to establish what exactly a colony is and what one means by colonialism. We will tend look at America and how it was colony and then highlight some Irish examples but also show how Irish Tudor relation were a different proposition to the New World.
Colony, Colonial and Colonialism
So what are these concepts? Frederick Cooper in his work Colonialism in Question: Theory, Knowledge, History said that colonialism is ‘the bringing of new territory into use by an expanding society, including settlements for trade and agriculture’ (Fredrick Cooper 2005). It can solve the problem of having too many mouths to feed and the strain it has on resources. It can help solve the problem of discontent within society by offering the chance of a new life with possibilities of bettering themselves. Furthermore, not only will it reduce the strain on the demand for resources within a society but it can open up ventures that will supply a whole new area for the exploit of resources. The territorial ambitions can be in response to stopping another power growing, by taking up these new lands and resources. So a colony is a group of people who have left their native country to form a settlement subject to, or connected with the motherland. They might have their own form of administrative system but in fact they might be totally subject to the power of its home nation in such a way that their own parliament could not meet or pass any rulings without permission of said power (Cooper 2005).
The Americas – An Example
English original overseas expansions in this area of the globe were entirely the work of private enterprise until the 1650’s. British incursions into the St. Lawrence
The relationship between Ireland and Tudor England was a complex one and in many ways it was a colonial one but it also differed wildly from other colonies set up by England. Before we can test the nature of the relationship between both England and Ireland, it would be a good idea to establish what exactly a colony is and what one means by colonialism. We will tend look at America and how it was colony and then highlight some Irish examples but also show how Irish Tudor relation were a different proposition to the New World.
Colony, Colonial and Colonialism
So what are these concepts? Frederick Cooper in his work Colonialism in Question: Theory, Knowledge, History said that colonialism is ‘the bringing of new territory into use by an expanding society, including settlements for trade and agriculture’ (Fredrick Cooper 2005). It can solve the problem of having too many mouths to feed and the strain it has on resources. It can help solve the problem of discontent within society by offering the chance of a new life with possibilities of bettering themselves. Furthermore, not only will it reduce the strain on the demand for resources within a society but it can open up ventures that will supply a whole new area for the exploit of resources. The territorial ambitions can be in response to stopping another power growing, by taking up these new lands and resources. So a colony is a group of people who have left their native country to form a settlement subject to, or connected with the motherland. They might have their own form of administrative system but in fact they might be totally subject to the power of its home nation in such a way that their own parliament could not meet or pass any rulings without permission of said power (Cooper 2005).
The Americas – An Example
English original overseas expansions in this area of the globe were entirely the work of private enterprise until the 1650’s. British incursions into the St. Lawrence
Bibliography: Brown, D (2001) Bury my heart at Wounded Knee: an Indian history of the American West, New York: H. Holt Brown, D Cooper, F. (2005) Colonialism in question: theory, knowledge, history, London: University of California Press Connolly, S.J Ellis, S.G. (1998) Ireland in the Age of Tudors 1447-1603: English Expansion and the End of Gaelic Rule, New York: Addison Wesley Longman Inc. Gillespie, R. (2006) Seventeenth Century Ireland: Making Modern Ireland, Dublin: Gill & Macmillan Lenihan, P Lennon, C. (1994) Sixteenth Century Ireland: The Incomplete Conquest, Dublin: Gill & Macmillan Levine, P