Synopses & Reviews
The Making of the British Isles The State of Britain and Ireland 1450-1660
Steven G. Ellis, with Christopher Maginn
The history of the British Isles is the story of four peoples linked together by a process of state building that was as much about far-sighted planning and vision as coincidence, accident and failure. It is a history of revolts and reversal, familial bonds and enmity, the study of which does much to explain the underlying tension between the nations of modern day Britain.
The Making of the British Isles recounts the development of the nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland from the time of the Anglo-French dual monarchy under Henry VI through the Wars of the Roses, the Reformation crisis, the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the Anglo-Scottish dynastic union, the British multiple monarchy and the Cromwellian Republic, ending with the acts of British Union and the Restoration of the Monarchy.
Professor Ellis offers a unique insight into this formative period in Britains history: not the national histories of four distinct nations but the story of the population of an Archipelago whose political identity was never pre-determined.
Professor Steven G. Ellis is Head of the History Department in NUI Galway. His best-known studies are Ireland in the Age of the Tudors (1998) and Tudor Frontiers and Noble Power: the making of the British state (1995).
Dr Christopher Maginn is Assistant Professor of History at Fordham University, Nnew York. He has recently authored 'Civilising' Gaelic Leinster: The Extension of Tudor Rule in the O'Byrne and O'Toole Lordships (2004).
Dr Christopher Maginn is Assistant Professor at Fordham University New York. He has recently authored Civilizing Gaelic Leinster: the extension of Tudor rule in the OByrne and OToole lordships (Four Courts Press, 2004).
Synopsis
This complete overview of the interaction between England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales shows how each countrys sense of national identity was shaped by the politics of state formation.
- Gives equal significance to all regions within Britain instead of the traditional focus on England
- Features a controversial argument that national identities in Scotland, Ireland and Wales arose because England wasnt focused enough on integrating them into Britain in this period
- Will be used as a core text on courses about Early Modern Britain
Synopsis
The history of the British Isles is the story of four peoples linked together by a process of state building that was as much about far-sighted planning and vision as coincidence, accident and failure. It is a history of revolts and reversal, familial bonds and enmity, the study of which does much to explain the underlying tension between the nations of modern day Britain.
The Making of the British Islesrecounts the development of the nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland from the time of the Anglo-French dual monarchy under Henry VI through the Wars of the Roses, the Reformation crisis, the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the Anglo-Scottish dynastic union, the British multiple monarchy and the Cromwellian Republic, ending with the acts of British Union and the Restoration of the Monarchy.
About the Author
Professor Steven Ellis is Head of the History Department in NUI Galway. His best-known studies are
Ireland in the Age of the Tudors(London, 1998) and
Tudor Frontiers and Noble Power: the making of the British state (Oxford, 1995). Christopher Maginn is Assistant Professor of History at Fordham University, NY.
Dr Christopher Maginn is Assistant Professor at Fordham University New York. He has recently authored Civilizing Gaelic Leinster: the extension of Tudor rule in the OByrne and OToole lordships (Four Courts Press, 2004).
Table of Contents
Contents Series editor's preface (2001)
Preface
Introduction: the making of British history
Acknowledgements
The Royal Houses of England, Scotland and Great Britain
Maps
CHAPTER 1: Geography, society and government: the structures of power
CHAPTER 2: Politics, war and diplomacy, 1450-1502
CHAPTER 3: The revival of crown government
CHAPTER 4: Machines built for the battlefield: Renaissance monarchy, 1502-60
CHAPTER 5: The Reformation crisis: the origins of a Protestant state
CHAPTER 6: The Reformation crisis: reform in the parishes
CHAPTER 7: State intervention and the problems of society
CHAPTER 8: The emergence of a British state system, 1560-1584
CHAPTER 9: The testing-time of the Protestant state system, 1584-1603
CHAPTER 10: British multiple monarchy, 1603-37
CHAPTER 11: The destruction and restoration of multiple monarchy, 1637-60
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index