Synopses & Reviews
In the climactic part of his three-book series exploring the importance of public image in the Tudor and Stuart monarchies, Kevin Sharpe employs a remarkable interdisciplinary approach that draws on literary studies and art history as well as political, cultural, and social history to show how this preoccupation with public representation met the challenge of dealing with the aftermath of Cromwell's interregnum and Charles II's restoration, and how the irrevocably changed cultural landscape was navigated by the sometimes astute yet equally fallible Stuart monarchs and their successors.
Review
"Another volume in the Yale Monarch Series, James II is the first 17th-century Stuart to be represented in the series. Reigning as the last Stuart, James' brief time on the throne (1685—1688) was marked by both political and religious rancour. The years preceding James II's reign are marked by the growing partisan animosity between Whig and Tory. James's near 'martyrdom' following the Rye House Plot (and subsequent re-appointment to the cabinet council by Charles II) is quickly eclipsed by the conversion to Catholicism—an act which historians agree seals his fate as a ruler. Miller's book not only covers James's years as ruler of Britain, but also explores his relationship to Charles II and the complicated events that led to the 'Glorious Revolution.' In sum, Miller provides an excellent digest of Restoration politics and social history for any level of reader." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
About the Author
The late Kevin Sharpe was Leverhulme Research Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary College, University of London. He was the author of The Personal Rule of Charles 1, Reading Revolutions, Selling the Tudor Monarchy, and Image Wars.