Synopses & Reviews
This England is a celebration of "Englishness" in the sixteenth century, explores the growing conviction of "Englishness" through the rapidly developing English language; the reinforcement of cultural nationalism as a result of the Protestant Reformation; the national and international situation of England at a time of acute national catastrophe; and of Queen Elizabeth I, the last of her line, remaining unmarried, refusing to even discuss the succession to her throne. Introducing students of the period to an aspect of history largely neglected in the current vogue for histories of the Tudors, Collinson investigates the rising role of English, of England's God-centeredness, before focusing on the role of Elizabethans as citizens rather than mere subjects. It responds to a demand for a history which is no less social than political, investigates what it meant to be a citizen of England, living through the 1570's and 1580's.
Synopsis
Patrick Collinson was one of Britain's foremost early modern historians. This volume collects together a number of his most interesting and least easily accessible essays with a thoughtful introduction written specifically for this book. This England is a celebration of 'Englishness' in the sixteenth century. It explores the growing conviction of 'Englishness' through the rapidly developing English language; the reinforcement of cultural nationalism as a result of the Protestant Reformation; the national and international situation of England at a time of acute national catastrophe; and of Queen Elizabeth I, the last of her line, remaining unmarried, refusing to even discuss the succession to her throne. Introducing students of the period to an aspect of history largely neglected in the current vogue for histories of the Tudors, Collinson investigates the rising role of English, of England's God-centredness, before focusing on the role of Elizabethans as citizens rather than mere subjects. It responds to a demand for a history which is no less social than political, and investigates what it meant to be a citizen of early modern England, living through the 1570s and 1580s.
Synopsis
A celebration of Englishness in the sixteenth century. Appeals equally to students of early modern history and its literary culture, presenting a view of 'Tudor England' and offering a firmer historical background to evaluating the English Renaissance.
About the Author
Patrick Collinson is Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Trinity College.
Table of Contents
Introduction. This England: Race, nation, patriotism1. The politics of religion and the religion of politics in Elizabethan England2. The Elizabethan exclusion crisis and the Elizabethan polity3. Servants and citizens: Robert Beale and other Elizabethans4. Pulling the strings: religion and politics in the progress of 15785. Elizabeth I and the verdicts of history6. Biblical rhetoric: the English nation and national sentiment in the prophetic mode7. John Foxe and national consciousness8. Truth, lies, and fiction in sixteenth-century protestant historiography9. One of Us? William Camden and the making of history 10. William Camden and the anti-myth of Elizabeth: Setting the mould?11. John Stow and nostalgic antiquarianismIndex