ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the focus is specifically on Fleetwood's relationship with his ‘brother’ Henry, and how their positions in relation to authority in Ireland reflected the complications of Cromwellian rule. Fleetwood's political involvement in the years 1651 to 1655 was the basis of why he remained a central figure on Cromwell's Council of State. Fleetwood's civil war service, his connection with the religious radicals, and his marriage to Bridget were key parts of his relationship with Cromwell. Fleetwood, in his position in Ireland, and even after his recall to London, remained a central figure in Cromwell's Protectorate; his marriage to Cromwell's daughter Bridget gave him a more direct link to Cromwell than other politicians, reinforcing their shared reflective religious outlook that we can see in their correspondence. A consideration of the interaction between the ‘brothers’, Fleetwood and Henry, in the context of their kinship link, can help show some of the complexities created by Cromwell's style of rule, the developing divisions in the Cromwellian alliance, but also how Cromwell's kin network, as it overlapped with his political network, provided stability and, as illustrated by the case of Fleetwood and Henry, created instability.
