Henry Ireton
Henry Ireton (* 1611 in Attenborough, Nottinghamshire , † November 26, 1651 in Limerick ) was friend and son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell and general of the parliamentary armies in the English Civil War .
Life
Ireton, originally a legal scholar, joined the Parliamentary Forces at the outbreak of the Civil War, fighting in the Battle of Edgehill in October 1642 and the Battle of Gainsborough in July 1643 . He was made Deputy Governor of the Isle of Ely by Cromwell and served under Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester in the Yorkshire Campaign and in the Second Battle of Newbury. He commanded the left wing in the Battle of Nasebyfrom 14./15. June 1645, married Bridget, a daughter of Cromwell, in June and was henceforth with his father-in-law one of the highest leaders of the Independents and one of the most influential agitators in the army. He was one of the members of the court that passed the death sentence on King Charles I in 1649 . He then went to Ireland with Cromwell , which had risen for the Stuarts .
After the greatest part of the island had been subjugated in a short time by the strictest and bloodiest of measures, Cromwell, shortly after the conquest of Clonmel , left the command of the army to his son-in-law. This conquered Waterford on August 10, 1651 and at the end of October 1651 Limerick , the most important place that was still owned by the Irish under Hugh O'Neill . Ireton had been too confident and thought he could conquer Limerick and Athlone at the same time, so he split the troops. In addition, June was actually too late in the year to begin a siege . The population suffered from hunger and epidemic, and its troops were responsible for a number of unnecessary atrocities. His surrender terms were harsh and he killed seven key defenders. He also wanted to kill O'Neill, but failed because of the resistance of his officers, who honored O'Neill as soldiers.
A few days after this victory, on November 26, 1651, Ireton died of a fever. Cromwell had him buried first in Westminster Abbey . Ireton's widow married General Charles Fleetwood , who played an important role after Cromwell's death.
After the return of the Stuarts and the restoration of the monarchy , Ireton's body was exhumed on January 28, 1661 and taken to Tyburn along with the remains of Oliver Cromwell and John Bradshaw - who had sentenced Charles I to death - to be symbolically executed there to let. The bodies of the "regicide" were placed in chains and hung up on the morning of January 30th - exactly 12 years after the execution of Charles I. In the evening of the day their heads were cut off, speared on lances and displayed in front of Westminster Hall , the bodies buried in a mass grave.
Henry Ireton was considered the most passionate political figure in the army, but his skills as a tactician and disputant were limited. He was probably also the author of "The Solemn Engagement of the Army", which was read to all regiments on the second day of the June 1647 army-parliament meeting. This work was more than just a manifesto, it was a binding commitment on the army.
literature
- David Farr: Henry Ireton and the English Revolution. Woodbridge 2006, ISBN 978-1-84383-235-5 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ The Life of Oliver Cromwell. Retrieved January 29, 2021 (UK English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ireton, Henry |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Friend and son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell and General of the Parliamentary Armies in the English Civil War |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1611 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Attenborough, Nottinghamshire |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 26, 1651 |
| Place of death | limerick |