Before
the English Civil Wars, Oliver Cromwell was neither an important
member of Parliament or was he a person with any military experience.
Most English professional soldiers of the day were royalists,
and anyone of wealth who could raise troops for the English Parliament
was encouraged to do so.
Cromwell
chose his men for their Protestant religious fervor and implemented
strict Puritan discipline. He promoted officers by their ability
rather than by their wealth which was unheard of at the time.
In
Ulster, Protestant Parliamentarian General George Monk was under
severe pressure to succumb to Catholic Royalist demands, while
in Dublin Governor Colonel Michael Jones was virtually encircled
by the forces of the Earl of Ormonde and Lord Inchiquin. With
fears that Ireland might become the base for a Royalist resurgence,
the English Government dispatched Oliver Cromwell to quench the
growing embers of revolt.
The
brutality of Cromwells Scottish campaign was far less than what
would be felt by the Irish. In 1649, Cromwell arrived in Ireland
and took merciless revenge at Drogheda and Wexford for the Ulster
massacres of 1641.
Cromwell
was delayed in Wales in August while awaiting funding for the
Irish campaign. His men would not board the ships to Ireland until
they had been paid and many started deserting.
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Cromwellian Plantation
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