A Companion to Stuart Britain

Covering the period from the accession of James I to the death of Queen Anne, this companion provides a magisterial overview of the ‘long' seventeenth century in British history.

• Comprises original contributions by leading scholars of the period
• Gives a magisterial overview of the ‘long' seventeenth century
• Provides a critical reference to historical debates about Stuart Britain
• Offers new insights into the major political, religious and economic changes that occurred during this period
• Includes bibliographical guidance for students and scholars

List of Plates ix

Notes on Contributors x

Introduction xiii
Barry Coward

Part I Stuart Britain and the Wider World 1

1 The Multiple Kingdoms of Britain and Ireland: The ‘British Problem’ 3
Allan I. Macinnes

2 The Making of Great Britain and Ireland 26
Toby Barnard

3 Asia, the Atlantic and the Subjects of the British Monarchy 45
Nicholas Canny

Part II the Changing Face of Stuart Britain 67

4 The Rise of the Fiscal State 69
Michael J. Braddick

5 The Press and Popular Political Opinion 88
Ian Atherton

6 Gender Relations 111
Elizabeth Foyster

7 Crime and Popular Protest 130
Steve Hindle

8 Economic and Urban Development 148
Craig Muldrew

9 Literature and History 166
Thomas N. Corns

10 Art, Architecture and Politics 187
Tim Wilks

11 Scientific Change: Its Setting and Stimuli 214
Michael Hunter

Part III Stuart Britain, 1603–1642 231

12 Politics in Early Stuart Britain, 1603–1640 233
David L. Smith

13 Religion in Early Stuart Britain, 1603–1642 253
Tom Webster

14 Political Thought in Early Stuart Britain 271
Malcolm Smuts

15 The Outbreak of the Civil Wars in the Three Kingdoms 290
Jason Peacey

Part IV Stuart Britain, 1642–1660 309

16 The Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 1642–1649 311
David Scott

17 Unkingship, 1649–1660 331
Sean Kelsey

18 Religion, 1640–1660 350
Ann Hughes

19 Political Thought During the English Revolution 374
J. C. Davis

Part V Stuart Britain, 1660–1714 397

20 Politics in Restoration Britain 399
John Miller

21 Religion in Restoration England 416
John Spurr

22 The Revolution of 1688–1689 436
Colin Brooks

23 Politics after the Glorious Revolution 455
Mark Knights

24 Political Thinking between Restoration and Hanoverian Succession 474
Justin Champion

Bibliography 492

Index 530

"This book is state-of-the-art. It is outstanding in offering a reliable, accurate, concise and up-to-date guide to the best recent work on all the key topics in 17th century British history." BBC History Magazine

"Historians needing a succinct introduction to the historical context will find sure guidance in the three sections on political, religious and military affairs." Northern History

"As a series of review articles summarizing and analysing recent developments in the field this book stands unrivalled." Andrew J. Hopper, University of Birmingham

Barry Coward is Reader in History at Birkbeck College, London. His previous publications include The Stanleys, Lords Stanley and Earls of Derby: The Origins, Wealth and Power of a Landowning Family, 1385–1672 (1983), Oliver Cromwell (1991), The Stuart Age: England 1603–1714 (second edition, 1994) and, with Christopher Durston, The English Revolution: A Sourcebook (1997). He is the President of the Cromwell Association. Covering the period from the accession of James I to the death of Queen Anne, this companion provides a magisterial overview of the ‘long’ seventeenth century in British history.

The companion’s chapters, each written by a leading expert, guide readers through the maze of scholarly debates about Stuart Britain. They offer new insights into the enormous changes that occurred during this time; not only the Civil War and the establishment of a Protectorate, but also the intense intellectual and religious ferment and economic transformations of the era. They also set out issues currently of interest to historians, such as the rise of the fiscal state in Britain, and interactions between an integrated England and Wales and the separate kingdoms of Scotland and Ireland.

The volume will be of interest to academics and students wishing to keep up to date with new thinking on the period, but is also accessible enough to be enjoyed by a broader readership.