Why and with what degree of success did Cromwell attempt to expand English interests in Ireland and the West Indies?

Cromwell's conquest of Ireland was a success to a large extent. Cromwell had ruthlessly and effectively put down the Irish rebellion and completed his objective of eliminating the immediate Royalist threat in Ireland. Cromwell also imposed the Act for the Settlement of Ireland in 1652 on the Catholic Irish. As Cunningham effectively demonstrates the settlement punished the Catholic Irish especially those who had participated in the rebellion of 1641 through confiscation of land and other harsh penalties. This fulfilled Cromwell's desire to punish the Catholic Irish. The Act of the Settlement also furthered the plantation process, before the Act of the Settlement of Ireland, Catholic land holding in Ireland stood at around sixty percent, however after the commonwealth period, Catholic land holding had fallen to around nine percent. Much of this land confiscated was given to Protestants and also veterans of the New Model Army as a payment for their services. Cromwell also managed to push a large amount of Irish Catholics to the west and into the Connacht region, which was away from Dublin and important ports such as Cork. Although it is fair to say that Cromwell's policies in Ireland left ’anti-Britishness' hostility in Ireland for years to come. Cromwell still to this day remains a deeply controversial figure in Ireland. This is due to the atrocities which took place during the conquest, especially at the Siege of Drogheda in 1649 and the Sack of Wexford 1649, in which many civilians were massacred. Mann states that Cromwell has since been seen as a 'boogey-man' figure in Ireland and fuelled Irish hostility towards English rule. Despite this, overall Cromwell's conquest in Ireland was still a clear success.

It is also important to determine the reasons for why Cromwell attempted to expand English interests in the West Indies. In late 1654 Cromwell as Lord Protector ordered a naval expedition to attack Spanish territory in the West Indies. This expedition was named the 'Western Design' and aimed to seize Hispaniola off the Spanish. The expedition to the West Indies can clearly be linked to Cromwell's imperial ambitions. It is fair to say that Cromwell was keen to expand the English commonwealth's possessions in the New World. Furthermore historian David Armitage argues that the English commonwealth tried to 'become another Rome in the West'. Cromwell himself stated in 1655 that he would 'make the name of Englishman to be as much feared as ever was the name of civis Romanus'. This clearly shows Cromwell's imperial ambitions. In addition to imperialism, like in Ireland religion again was a significant motive in Cromwell's attempt to expand English interests in the West Indies. As historian Frank Strong effectively demonstrates 'Cromwell was strongly influenced by his religious inclinations, which urged him against Spain'. Cromwell saw Spain as the bulwark power of Rome and was determined to see Spain humbled. Cromwell himself stated in a speech to the Protectorate Parliament that 'your great enemy is the Spaniard, he is the natural enemy' which shows Cromwell's hatred for Spain. Strong also states that economics was a significant motive for Cromwell’s actions in the West Indies, Cromwell demanded that Spain give Englishmen freedom of trade in the West Indies and exempt English merchants from the operations of the Inquisition. Overall it is clear to see that Cromwell's primary motive in the West Indies was his desire to expand the English commonwealth, while religion and economic factors were also significant motives.

Cromwell's attempt to expand English interests in the West Indies was a failure to a large extent. The Western Design which aimed to seize Hispaniola from the Spanish was a resounding failure as the naval assault on Hispaniola was swiftly defeated by the Spanish and instead the expedition only managed to capture Jamaica. The leaders of the expedition; Robert Venables and William Penn were imprisoned in the Tower of London upon their return to England. It is worth noting that the capture of Jamaica did expand the English commonwealth's possessions in the New World and Jamaica did go onto become an important economic tool for the British Empire. However despite these subsequent successes on a whole the expedition's failure to capture Hispaniola and the resounding defeat at the hands of the Spanish was seen as a humiliation for Cromwell by his contemporaries. Finally the Western Design clearly failed to reduce Spanish and Catholic influences in the West Indies which was one of Cromwell's aims.

In conclusion it is clear to see that there were various reasons for why Oliver Cromwell attempted to expand English interests in both Ireland and in the West Indies. In Ireland Cromwell was eager to reduce the Royalist threat posed by those still loyal to the monarchy. In terms of religion in both Ireland and in the West Indies Cromwell was eager to reduce the Catholic influence of the Spanish and Gaelic Irish. Cromwell also held imperial ambitions, in the West Indies Cromwell was keen to expand the English commonwealth's possession through the Western Design and in Ireland he was eager to continue the plantation progress and to create a 'little England'. Finally economics was also a significant motive; Cromwell wanted to expand the commonwealth's trading network in the West Indies. In terms of success it is clear that Cromwell enjoyed a greater degree of success in Ireland than in the West Indies. In Ireland Cromwell managed to put down the most of the Royalist threat, suppress and punish the Catholic Irish and also increase the plantation process through mass confiscations of Catholic land. However in the West Indies Cromwell failed to decrease the influence of Catholic Spain. Cromwell's Western Design failed and his naval expedition was defeated by the Spanish. Cromwell's main aim to capture Hispaniola failed and instead he was left with only Jamaica. This was a resounding failure and a massive humiliation for Cromwell. Therefore it is clear to see that Cromwell was successful in Ireland to a large extent, however in the West Indies Cromwell largely failed to expand English interests.  

Bibliography

David Armitage, ‘The Cromwellian Protectorate and the Languages of Empire’, The Historical Journal, (1992), pp. 531-555.

John Cunningham, Conquest and Land In Ireland, (Oxford, 2011).

Antonia Fraser, Cromwell Our Chief of Man, (London, 2008).

Michael Mann, The Dark Side of Democracy, (Cambridge, 2005).

Ivan Roots, Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, (London, 1989).

John Morrill, ‘Cromwell, Oliver (1599–1658)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford, 2004), http://www.oxforddnb.com.ezproxy.hope.ac.uk/view/article/6765, accessed 16 March 2014.

Ali Parchami, Hegomonic Peace and Empire, (New York, 2009).

Frank Strong, 'The Causes of Cromwell's West Indian Expedition', The American Historical Review, (2008), pp.228-245.

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