Description
In this collection of essays, a range of established and early-career scholars explore a variety of different perspectives on Oliver Cromwell’s involvement with Ireland, in particular his military campaign of 1649-1650.
In England and Wales Cromwell is regarded as a figure of national importance; in Ireland his reputation remains highly controversial. The essays gathered together here provide a fresh take on his Irish campaign, reassessing the backdrop and context of the prevailing siege warfare strategy and offering new insights into other major players such as Henry Ireton and the Marquis of Ormond. Other topics include, but are not limited to, the Cromwellian land settlement, deportation of prisoners and popular memory of Cromwell in Ireland. Overall, a picture emerges of a more moderate Cromwell than the version that has been passed down in Irish history, tradition and folklore.
CONTRIBUTORS: Martyn Bennett, Heidi J. Coburn, Sarah Covington, John Cunningham, Eamon Darcy, David Farr, Padraig Lenihan, Alan Marshall, Nick Poyntz, Tom Reilly, James Scott Wheeler
'This volume represents a substantial addition to our knowledge of Cromwell and the period... Above all, it places Cromwell in his context, his position within a wider military machine, his influence on Ireland after his return to England, and it helps to understand his role in the collective memory.'Coleman A. Dennehy, The Seventeenth Century
'This is a book about the physical and mental worlds within which Cromwell operated in his nine months in Ireland... it is a rich and well-written compendium.'John Morrill, Cromwelliana