Synopses & Reviews
B>" This latest book in the "Modern Wars in Perspective" series explores the birth of England's sprawling colonial empire from its origins in the middle of the sixteenth century to the Glorious Revolution. The complexity of the military dimensions is explored independently and in relation to the impact of colonial warfare on national identity. The book starts by looking at Ireland and England in the Tudor period with the assault of English settlers on the Irish Gaeltacht which described and analyzed. The author next examines how, under the (Scottish) Stuarts, England then began a dramatic expansion across the North Atlantic and how in America, the Indian Wars', fought with minimal Crown support, helped forge an independent military capability among the colonists while in the West Indies, slave numbers and French intervention forced English settlers into a new dependency on the Crown. Also explored is how in India, the East India Company achieved ascendancy by sepoy armies under British control. England's Colonial Wars" shows that these were very different kinds of empire achieved and sustained in divergent ways and with profoundly differing long-term consequences. Those interested in British history and Imperialism. Also available in Hardcover 0-582-06297-7; $79.95y.
Synopsis
Bruce Lenman's hugely ambitious study explores three interacting themes: the growth of England's sprawling colonial empire; its military dimension; and the impact of colonial warfare on national identity. He starts in Ireland, with the renewed assault of English settlers on the Irish Gaeltacht. Under the (Scottish) Stuarts, England then began a dramatic expansion across the North Atlantic. In America, the 'Indian Wars', fought with minimal Crown support, helped forge an independent military capability among the colonists; while, in the West Indies, slave numbers and French intervention forced English settlers into a new dependency on the Crown. In India, the East India Company achieved ascendancy by sepoy armies under British control. These were very different kinds of empire; and a showdown became inevitable. The climactic conflict, the American Revolution, would not only dictate the future shape of colonial expansion, but also decisively reshaped the identities of all the participants.