Plantation (settlement or colony)

Quick Facts: Who was Plantation (settlement or colony)?

Subject:

Plantation (settlement or colony)

Known for:

A system of colonization establishing permanent settlements for cash crops or control.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

In the history of colonialism, a plantation was a form of colonization in which settlers would establish permanent or semi-permanent colonial settlements in a new region. The term first appeared in the 1580s in the English language to describe the process of colonization before being also used to refer to a colony by the 1610s. By the 1710s, the word was also being used to describe large farms where cash crop goods were produced, typically in tropical regions. The first plantations were established during the Edwardian conquest of Wales and the plantations of Ireland by the English Crown. In Wales, King Edward I of England began a policy of constructing a chain of fortifications and castles in North Wales to control the native Welsh population; the Welsh were only permitted to enter the fortifications and castles unarmed during the day and were forbidden from trading.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In Ireland, during the Tudor and Stuart eras the English Crown initiated a large-scale colonization of Ireland, in particular the province of Ulster, with Protestant settlers from Great Britain. These plantations led to the demography of Ireland becoming permanently altered, creating a new Protestant Ascendancy which would dominate Irish society for the next few centuries. In North America, during the period of European colonization in the early modern period, several plantations were established by English settlers, including in Virginia, Rhode Island, and elsewhere throughout the Thirteen Colonies. Other European colonial powers used the plantation method of colonization as well, though not to the extent of English settlers. Starting in the reign of King Edward I of England, the English Crown began a policy of castle building and settlement building in Wales to control the population, and strategically surround the newly conquered Kingdom of Gwynedd.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Most of these castles were built with an integrated fortified town, which was designed to be provisioned from safer territories and hold out against Welsh attacks, an idea that the Normans had developed from the bastides of Gascony. These bastide towns were defended by stone fortifications some designed by James of St. George d'Esperanche. The towns were exclusively populated with English or Flemish settlers, who depended on the crown for their survival in Wales. The Welsh themselves were not permitted to enter the town after dark, held no rights to trade and were not allowed to carry arms. Today, the Iron Ring is a contentious part of Welsh history.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Plantation (settlement or colony)

True or False: “The term 'plantation' first appeared in the English language to describe large farms producing cash crops by the 1600s.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The term first appeared in the 1580s to generally describe the process of colonization before referring specifically to large cash crop farms.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Plantations of Ireland — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Systematic English colonization and land seizure in Ireland during the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Plautilla Nelli — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Pioneering self-taught nun-artist in Renaissance Florence.
• Plautus — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Pioneering Roman comic playwright whose comedies defined early Latin literature.
• Plebeian Council — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: The popular assembly of the Roman Republic, representing the plebeian class.
• Plebeians — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: The common body of free Roman citizens, distinct from the hereditary patrician class.
• Plebs — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: The common body of free Roman citizens, distinct from the hereditary patrician class.

Frequently Asked Questions about Plantation (settlement or colony)