Irish Imperialism

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
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
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