English overseas possessions in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
English overseas possessions drawn into the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
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Between 1639 and 1651, the Wars of the Three Kingdoms involved English overseas possessions in a series of civil wars and wars fought in and between England, Scotland, and Ireland. These conflicts extended beyond the British Isles, drawing colonies and trading posts into the struggle between Royalist and Parliamentarian factions.
Quick Facts
- Oldest colony
- Colony of Virginia (1607)
- Oldest offshoot colony
- Bermuda (1609)
Facts from the source article.
Americas
At the beginning of the war, about fifty thousand Englishmen lived in roughly twenty colonies in the Americas. Most had been founded in the decade before the English Civil War began in 1642, with the oldest being the Colony of Virginia (1607) and its offshoot Bermuda (1609). The majority of adults were first-generation settlers, and thousands returned to the British Isles to fight or engage in Commonwealth politics. The newer Puritan settlements in North America, especially Massachusetts, were dominated by Parliamentarians, while older colonies sided with the Crown.
After the regicide in 1649, six colonies recognized Charles II: Bermuda, Antigua, Barbados, Virginia, Maryland, and Newfoundland. The Parliamentarians, occupied with subduing Royalists in Scotland, Ireland, the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands, could not immediately enforce their rule. The Virginia Company's settlements—Bermuda and Virginia (whose Independent Puritans were expelled, settling the Bahamas under William Sayle)—along with Antigua and Barbados, were singled out by the Rump Parliament in an Act passed on 30 October 1650. A fleet was assembled, and by 1652 all rebellious colonies were brought under Commonwealth control.
India
The East India Company had trading posts at Bantam, Surat, and Fort St George during this time. The Commonwealth government disliked the company, viewing it as a leftover from the Stuart monarchy.
The First Anglo-Dutch War hurt the company badly because its naval force in the Indian Ocean was much weaker than the Dutch East India Company's. The company lost its exclusive trading rights in 1654. However, Oliver Cromwell restored the charter three years later and also gave the EIC authority to administer the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena.
More in Military History of the Thirteen Colonies
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: English overseas possessions in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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