Synopses & Reviews
The ¿three kingdoms¿ or 'four nations' which became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 have distinct, but not separate, histories. Sensitive questions of religion, local loyalty, and allegiance to the state, shaped politics within and between the four nations - and still give an edge to politics in parts of modern Britain.
In 1660, the restoration of Charles II to all three of his kingdoms, was followed by an attempt to impose religious uniformity across his kingdoms. It failed. The make-up of the British Isles was too diverse. Tories, Jacobites, radicals and Whigs each had strong links to a Church or religious faction. Politics and religion could intermingle dangerously. Fear of popery was a major cause of the revolution of 1688, and at the beginning of the eighteenth century Presbyterians led Scottish opposition to a union until they were recognised as an established church. At the end of the century the architects of the act of union with Ireland hoped, finally, to resolve the 'Catholic Question', but (as it does today) constitutional change brought issues of national identity to the fore.
The eighteenth century witnessed the triumph of unionism on the larger island, and the rise of nationalism and separatism across the Irish sea. The Making of the United Kingdom seeks to explain that crucial divergence, and gives an incisive account of the forging of Britishness ¿ the sense of a new nation.
Jim Smyth is Professor of History, University of Notre Dame.
Review
"Smyth does hugely valuable work filling out under understanding of British and Irish religion" English Historical Review "an excellent text to be read alongside Linda Colley's Britons" History
Synopsis
On the 300th anniversary of the birth of the United Kingdom, this is a topical history of its parts. This volume includes discussion of society and economy alongside analysis of contemporary politics and religion. It integrates the different national stories into an authoritative account of the creation of the modern British State, showing the common and distinct experiences of the four nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The author explores the current state of the union and Irish relations, Scottish devolution, threats to the Welsh identity, and the politics of Northern Ireland. For those interested in British history.
Synopsis
The histories of the "three kingdoms" or "four nations" that eventually became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 are distinct but not separate. From the Restoration of Charles II to the Act of Union with Ireland, Jim Smyth interweaves the different national stories into an authoritative account of the creation of the modern British state. Including discussion of society and economy alongside analysis of contemporary politics and the religious question, Smyth shows how the experiences of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland were shaped by unity as well as diversity. In an age of anxiety about national identity and the future of the United Kingdom, this is a timely and important book.
About the Author
Professor Jim Smyth teaches history at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana.
Table of Contents
1.The Restoration: four nations in search of a king.
2.Three kingdoms, one church? 3.Disaffection and dissent: the heroic age.
4.The Catholic problem.
5.Constitutional relations, national identitites, union.
6.Jacobitism and the British state.
7.Convergence and divergence: identity-formation and politics in the eighteenth century.
8.Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters: religion and politics in the eighteenth century.
9.Uniting the kingdoms: the British-Irish union.
Afterword.
Further reading