Forced conversion of the Irish by Cromwell

After the conquest of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell , could a policy be in place to forcible convert Irish to Protestantism

How successful would this be

How long would it last

What would be the long term impact on Ireland
 
After the conquest of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell , could a policy be in place to forcible convert Irish to Protestantism

How successful would this be

How long would it last

What would be the long term impact on Ireland

You need to be more specific. Is the Mass declared illegal. Are monetary lands confiscated and social service and educational services handed over solely to Puritan institutions? What kinds of Protestantism are tolerated (For example, High Church Anglicanism? Unlikely give the whole ongoing civil war thing). How many soldiers is he tying down to enforce these policies? It's hard to speculate on a policy who's method of reaching its goals isent outlined.
 
You need to be more specific. Is the Mass declared illegal. Are monetary lands confiscated and social service and educational services handed over solely to Puritan institutions? What kinds of Protestantism are tolerated (For example, High Church Anglicanism? Unlikely give the whole ongoing civil war thing). How many soldiers is he tying down to enforce these policies? It's hard to speculate on a policy who's method of reaching its goals isent outlined.
I’m assuming he’s talking about conversion by swordpoint.
 
Is the Mass declared illegal.
Mass is legal

Are monetary lands confiscated and social service and educational services handed over solely to Puritan institutions?

monetary land seized by the state and services handed to various acceptable branches of Protestantism with a preference for Puritan

How many soldiers is he tying down to enforce these policies?
otl numbers followed by as much as possible following the end of the civil war

It's hard to speculate on a policy who's method of reaching its goals isent outlined.

all of them conversion on threat of death, catholic priests expelled or killed, catholic churches converted to Protestant ones etc
 
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There were a lots of anti-catholic feeling in the Britain for 2 and half centuries after Cromwell especially the first few decades

Yeah, but would post-Cromwell Britain be able and/or willing to force an island-wide ban on Catholicism in Ireland?
 
Wouldn't the lack of priests make extremely hard to retain Catholicism
Hidden Catholics survived even in Japan, so why they couldn't survive in Ireland?
Although if really determined I think English could largely destroy Catholic Church in Ireland over time, Sweden and Denmark wiped out Catholicism from Scandinavia almost completly while Habsburgs destroyed Austrian and Czech Protestantism, so this is possible.
 
The Irish have never been fond of the English telling them how to live. Never. And Cromwell is also looking for secret monarchists in England. Ireland will get an edict and a token group of 'Papist Seekers' (or whatever they'll call them), but England and those pesky Scottish Highlanders (who were predominantly Catholic) will get lots more attention.
 
After the conquest of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell , could a policy be in place to forcible convert Irish to Protestantism

Yes

How successful would this be

Not very

How long would it last

As long as the English busybodies are watching, but where they're not looking, the Catholics are flourishing as an open secret

What would be the long term impact on Ireland

It will last as long as Cromwell; with the restoration of the monarchy, there are other more pressing issue than whether or not Ireland is fully following CoE policies. (Then again, it might set the stage for an earlier beginning of 'the troubles')
 
Doubt it is possible, Irish identity at this time features all of two things, Fuck the English, and We love the Pope. This would combine both to an even greater extent. Overall it is more likely this would just lead to a genocide, unlike even what happened OTL.
 
Doubt it is possible, Irish identity at this time features all of two things, Fuck the English, and We love the Pope. This would combine both to an even greater extent. Overall it is more likely this would just lead to a genocide, unlike even what happened OTL.
Irish nationalism had many Protestant leaders- the sectarian aspect of it, especially this early on, is hardly unavoidable.
 

Brunaburh

Gone Fishin'
There is a hell of a lot of projecting backwards in this thread in terms of Irish identity, Irishness in 1990 was not the same as it was in 1650. But in any case, Cromwell did exclude priests and ban the mass. Catholic priests were liable to be executed. Catholics were banned from towns.

Forced conversion was not really practical, you'd need a massive force of soldiers in the field for years just to get round everyone. A more interesting question is what would have happened if the anti-Catholic policies had never been softened. For me, the result is a non-conformist Ireland, around 30%+ Irish-speaking, independent within the British empire by 1900.
 
Mass is legal



monetary land seized by the state and services handed to various acceptable branches of Protestantism with a preference for Puritan


otl numbers followed by as much as possible following the end of the civil war



all of them conversion on threat of death, catholic priests expelled or killed, catholic churches converted to Protestant ones etc

Why would the Mass remain legal if he wants to forcibly convert everyone?
 
Strictly speaking under the terms of the Test and Corporation Acts being Catholic already was illegal.

Or more accurately the Church of England was compulsory for anyone holding Public Office, and people could be fined or imprisoned for not attending Anglican Mass.
 
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