Early modern British history

The civil wars of the first half of the fifteenth century still stand in the popular imagination as the period of greatest anarchy in English history. While historians have long taken a more measured view, controversy still surrounds their …

Abandoning the traditional narrative approach to the subject, Richard Rex presents an analytical account which sets out the logic of Henry VIII's short-lived Reformation. Starting with the fundamental matter of the royal supremacy, Rex goes on to …

Focusing on the interaction of religion and politics, this is a comprehensive chronological survey of the political thought of post-Reformation Britain which examines the work of a wide range of thinkers.

Little integrates the latest research from younger and established scholars to provide a new evaluation and 'biography' of Cromwell. The book challenges received wisdom about Cromwell's rise to power, his political and religious beliefs, his …

John Adamson provides a new synthesis of current research on the political crisis that engulfed England in the 1640s. Drawing on new archival findings and challenging current orthodoxies, these essays by leading historians offer a variety of …

This indispensable introductory guide offers students a number of highly focused chapters on key themes in Restoration history. Each addresses a core question relating to the period 1660-1714, and uses artistic and literary sources – as well as …

This collection of essays seeks to shed light on the politics of those people who are normally thought of as being excluded from the political nation in early modern England. If by political nation we mean those who sat in parliament, the …

The reign of Elizabeth I was marked by change: England finally became a protestant nation, and England's relations with her neighbours were also changing, in part because of religious controversies. Elizabeth's reign was also significant in terms …

The 1640s were one of the most exciting and bloody decades in British and Irish history. This book interweaves the narrative threads in each theatre of conflict to provide an holistic account and analysis of the wars in and between England …

Elizabeth I is one of England's most admired and celebrated rulers. She is also one of its most iconic: her image is familiar from paintings, film and television.
This wide-ranging interdisciplinary collection of essays examines the origins and …

How did the Protestants gain a monopoly over the running of Ireland and replace the Catholics as rulers and landowners? To answer this question, Toby Barnard:

- examines the Catholics' attempt to regain control over their own affairs, first in the …

This study looks afresh at the assumption that those in the Scottish parliament who voted for the union of 1707 sold their country. The world of Scottish politics after the union is then explored from the perspective of the people at the top of …

Covering the period c.1530-c.1760, this book analyses the aims, facilities and achievements across all levels of education in England, institutional and informal, acknowledging in context the education situation in the rest of the British Isles …

Fully revised and updated, this second edition of the standard textbook on the causes of the English Civil War provides a comprehensive guide to the historiographical debates surrounding this crucial period of English history.

This book provides a thematic survey of English foreign policy in the sixteenth century, focusing on the influence of the concept of honour, security concerns, religious ideology and commercial interests on the making of policy. It draws attention …

In this new study, Michael Mullett examines the social, political and religious development of Catholic communities in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland from the Reformation to the arrival of toleration in the nineteenth century. The story is a …

The Puritans of seventeenth century England have been blamed for everything from the English civil war to the rise of capitalism. But who were the Puritans of Stuart England? Were they apostles of liberty, who fled from persecution to the New …

This book is a lively and accessible study of English religious life during the century of the Reformation. It draws together a wide range of recent research and makes extensive use of colourful contemporary evidence. The author explores the …

This major new study re-examines one of the most controversial issues of early modern history: the impact of the English Reformation upon the English people. It represents an advance from the conventional reign-by-reign narrative to a more …

This book examines the difficulties and challenges which faced attempts to create a British identity. Taking its perspective from the cultural, social and political margins of the British Isles, it demonstrates how fragile the supposed political …