Short Oxford History of the British Isles – serie

This book surveys the transformation of the British Isles in the sixteenth century. At the start of the period, England was an effectively governed monarchy, its government regal but also consensual. Yet its authority was not easily enforced beyond the more developed south-east and midlands and it was exercised indirectly in Wales and Ireland, while Scotland was an independent monarchy. In Europe, England was a significant trading partner, but its language unknown. By the early seventeenth century, the London-based English government had developed and extended its effective authority over the north and Wales, Ireland was subjugated and colonised, the English and Scottish crowns united. The established churches of the British Isles had broken away from the Roman Catholic Europe and were now national, royal, and protestant. With the English Bible and Shakespeare, English had reached the maturity of a potential world language, while the British peoples stood poised on the edge of a global expansion.In this book, a team of leading scholars consider these important transformations in the English monarchical polity, ranging widely to consider relations between the various parts of the Isles throughout the sixteenth century. Chapters focus on political history and ideas of the state; the change in religion; Britain's overseas role; the economy and society; and the Renaissance in cultural life in this period. The book also includes a detailed chronology, maps, illustrations, and a guide to further reading to provide a full and dynamic picture of this significant era in British history.

This volume explores the transformation of the British Isles in the sixteenth century. England was an effectively governed monarchy, but its authority was not easily enforced beyond the more developed south-east and midlands and it was exerised indirectly in Wales and Ireland, while Scotland was an independent monarchy. In Europe, England was significant trading partner, but its language unknown. By the early seventeenth century, the London-based English government had extended its effective authority over the North and Wales, Ireland was subjugated and colonised, and the English and Scottish crowns united. The established churches of the British Isles had broken away from the Roman Catholic Europe and were now national, royal, and protestant. With the English Bible and Shakespeare, English had reached the maturity of a potential world language, while the British peoples, now protestant, stood poised on the edge of global expansion.

This volume covers the history of the British Isles from the Vikings to the Norman conquest. Seven chapters contributed by an international team of leading historians cover key themes of this period such as monarchies and other political structures, economic developments, the Christianization of society, and relationships between Britain, Ireland, and the Mediterranean civilizations to the south. The text also offers a number of challenges to accepted orthodoxies about the nature and development of the separate areas of early medieval Britain.

This readable and authoritative volume covers the history of the Britain and Ireland between 800 and 1100 A.D. Seven chapters contributed by a team of experts cover key of this period, such as the Vikings, monarchies and other political structures, relationships between lords and labourers, developments in trade and urbanization, the christianization of society, the functions and dissemination of writing and scholarship, and relationships between Britain, Ireland and the Mediterranean civilizations to the south. To create a fully-rounded overview of the period, Wendy Davies, the volume's editor, has provided an Introduction giving a geographical context to the chapter narratives and discussing the available source material, and a Conclusion which pulls together the themes and currents running through the individual chapters.

This volume takes a thematic approach to the history of the eighteenth century in the British Isles, covering such issues as domestic politics (including popular political culture), religious developments and change, and social and demographic structure and growth. Paul Langford heads a leading team of contributors, to present a lively picture of an era of intense change and growth in which all parts of Britain and Ireland were increasingly bound together by economic expansion and political unification.

This book is intended for undergraduates studying the history of the British Isles in the eighteenth century. Background reading for students of eighteenth-century philosophy, politics, and literature. Also for the interested general reader.

This volume provides a readable and authoritative account of the history of the British Isles from the Norman Conquest of England, to the eve of the Welsh against Edward I in 1282 . At the beginning of the period, much of Britain belonged, as did Ireland, to the Vikings. The transformation of the archipelago by the end of this period is explored and explained in this volume. Six sharply focused chapters consider the fundamental changes that occurred in this period: the changing political and social structure and the adaptability of the aristocracy instrumental in these changes; the reforms that affected the ecclesiastical landscape; and the effects on economic life of the growth of a monetised economy. The influence of the natural environment and communications on life in medieval times are discussed in the Introduction. The approach is comparative, bringing out both the sharp contrasts between the experience of the several parts of the British Isles and the similarities. With chapters contributed by a team of experts, Harvey explores the interactions between the parts of the British Isles to provide a clear and incisive history of this fascinating period.

This volume provides a readable and authoritative account of the history of the British Isles from the Norman Conquest of England, to the eve of the Welsh against Edward I in 1282 . At the beginning of the period, much of Britain belonged, as did Ireland, to the Vikings. The transformation of the archipelago by the end of this period is explored and explained in this volume. Six sharply focused chapters consider the fundamental changes that occurred in this period: the changing political and social structure and the adaptability of the aristocracy instrumental in these changes; the reforms that affected the ecclesiastical landscape; and the effects on economic life of the growth of a monetised economy. The influence of the natural environment and communications on life in medieval times are discussed in the Introduction. The approach is comparative, bringing out both the sharp contrasts between the experience of the several parts of the British Isles and the similarities. With chapters contributed by a team of experts, Harvey explores the interactions between the parts of the British Isles to provide a clear and incisive history of this fascinating period.

The late Middle Ages was a period marked by This book encompasses the histories of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, and also considers the relationships between the different parts of the British Isles. Six chapters examine key themes in turn: society and population, economic life, religion, intellectual and cultural life and cultural expression kingdoms and dominions at peace and at war, and kingship and government. Specially commissioned from six leading historians, these chapters provide lively and authoritative coverage of the main developments of the period. Including maps, a chronology, and an introduction and conclusion by Ralph Griffiths to draw together key points, this book provides an integrated and accessible account of British history in the later Middle Ages.

The complete Short Oxford History of The British Isles (series editor: Professor Paul Langford) will cover the history of the British Isles from the Roman Era to the present in eleven volumes. In each, experts write to their strengths tackling the key issues including society, economy, religion, politics, and culture head-on in chapters that will be at once wide-ranging surveys and searching analyses. Each book is specifically designed with the non-specialist reader in mind; but the authority of the contributors and the vigour of the interpretations will make them necessary and challenging reading for fellow academics across a range of disciplines. The nineteenth century was Britain's moment as a world power, not only in the narrow political sense, but with respect to a vast range of activities and achievements. This book sets out to describe the force and complexity of that experience, and to cover, in an interdisciplinary way, the political, economic, and cultural history of the British Isles between 1815 and 1901. It looks at the Victorian economy, that transforming great engine of change, as well as Victorian public life as a cultural and political narrative by including chapters on women and domesticity, the remarkable interplay of religion, intellect and science, art, architecture and the city, as well as literature, and the theatre and music of the time. This collection of works by eminent historians brilliantly depicts the nations of the British Isles at the height of Britain's world power.

The Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland in 1603 dramatically changed the nature and level of interaction between the constituent parts of the British Isles, and over the course of the century that followed the seismic shocks of constitutional revolutions and civil wars were felt in each one of three very different kingdoms that had been forced together under one king. The chapters in this volume, each written by a leading scholar of the period, analyse in turn the response to the Union of 1603, the religious controversies under the early Stuarts, the Civil War, Commonwealth, and Restoration periods, and the social and economic context within which these developments took place. The final chapter then looks at the vibrant cultural interaction between the kingdoms of the British Isles in the seventeenth century, which stands in sharp contrast to the political, religious, and social doubts and fears that permeated the period. Throughout, the book maintains a careful balance, focusing on the ways in which the various tensions within each individual kingdom came together, whilst at the same time looking beyond the confines of any one of the kingdoms and recognizing their interlinking 'British' impact.

The Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland in 1603 dramatically changed the nature and level of interaction between the constituent parts of the British Isles, and over the course of the century that followed the seismic shocks of constitutional revolutions and civil wars were felt in each one of thee very different kingdoms that had been forced together under one king. The chapters in this volume, each written by a leading scholar of the period, analyze in turn the response to the Union of 1603, the religious controversies under the early Stuarts, the Civil War, Commonwealth, and Restoration periods, and the social and economic context within which these developments took place. The final chapter then looks at the vibrant cultural interaction between the kingdoms of the British Isles in the seventeenth century, which stands in sharp contrast to the political, religious, and social doubts and fears that permeated the period. Throughout, the book maintains a careful balance, focusing on the ways in which the various tensions within each individual kingdom came together, whilst at the same time looking beyond the confines of any one of the kingdoms and recognizing their interlinking "British" impact.

This title is intended for undergraduates studying the history of the British Isles in the 20th century. It should also be suitable as background reading for general readers and students of 20th-century philosophy, politics, and literature. It includes separate chapters covering the developments in Ireland and Britain's relations with the wider world and sets events in the British Isles within the wider context of the Cold War, assessing its impact both internationally and domestically. It goes on to discuss the growing impact of Europe on all aspects of life in the British Isles.

The Roman period is where the past of the British Isles is first revealed through substantial written sources as well as aracheology. This book distils recent archeological and documentary discoveries and advances in an accessible, concise manner for anyone interested in finding out more about the Roman Era. A number of key themes are discussed within a chronological framework. The book features chapters contributed by a team of scholars amongst those most closely involved with discovery and analysis.

The Roman period marks the point at which the past of the British Isles starts to be approachable through substantial written sources as well as archaeology. Recent archaeological and documentary discoveries of major importance - and advances in the ways in which this evidence is analysed - make this an appropriate time to reconsider Roman Britain.This book distils the mass of new knowledge, setting the principal themes within a chronological framework. The team of contributing authors, which includes some of those most closely involved in discovery and analysis, applies both imagination and common sense to their subject. This book provides a lively picture of current knowledge and opinion about the Roman era in the history of the British Isles at this particularly exciting point in the evolution of the subject.

The "British Isles" entered the 20th century as a single state, "Great Britain and Ireland", with a "British Empire" greater in extent and larger in population than the world had ever seen. The first 50 years saw vast change. At home, the separate path of Ireland became steadily more clear-cut. Abroad, the "Dominions" increasingly saw themselves and acted as independent entities and, with the withdrawal from the Indian sub-continent in 1947, the writing was on the wall for the British Empire/Commonwealth. Not unrelated to these changes was the major British involvement in two world wars. This volume presents a very different country in 1951 from what it had been in 1901. The chapters by different authors focus on politics, economics, society, wars, and foreign policy to emphasize the interconnectedness of all these developments. The expositions reflect on the "the British Way and Purpose" from different perspectives.

The 'British Isles' entered the twentieth century as a single state 'Great Britain and Ireland' with a 'British Empire' greater in extent and larger in population than the world had ever seen. The first fifty years of the new century saw vast change both at home and abroad, much of it the result of Britain's involvement in the two world wars. At home, the separate path of Ireland became steadily more clear-cut, whilst abroad, the 'Dominions' increasingly saw themselves and acted as independent entities. Finally, with the withdrawal from the Indian sub-continent in 1947, the writing was on the wall for the British Empire. Each chapter in this volume focuses on a specific aspect of the rapidly changing historical landscape of British history in this period: politics, economics, society, culture, the wars, and foreign policy, combining specialist attention to each area with an emphasis on their interconnectedness.

Since 1945 Great Britain has gone through many changes: the loss of an empire, economic decline and resurgence, entry into Europe, evolution into a multicultural society, and devolution, to name only the more obvious. In this book, six distinguished historians each take a theme - politics, international relations, high, middle , and low culture, social and economic policies, the nature of civil society, and Ireland - and set out the fundamental nature and development of each. These are set within the wider context of the Cold War, and its impact both internationally and domestically; of the impact on politics, economics and foreign policy of the decline of the pound and the attempts to arrest this; and finally, of the growing impact of Europe.

The period from the departure of the Romans through to the coming of the Vikings saw the gradual conversion of the peoples of the British Isles to Christianity and (with the exception of Ireland) the redrawing of the ethnic and political map of the islands. The chapters in this volume analyse in turn the different nationalities and kingdoms that existed in the British Isles during this period, the process of their conversion to Christianity, the development of art and of a written culture and the interaction between this written culture and the societies of the day. Moving away from the pattern of histories constructed on the basis of later nation states, this volume takes Britain and Ireland as a whole, so as to understand them better as they were at the time and avoid anachronistic divisions from a later era. It is an approach that allows the volume to give greater weight to the important religious, intellectual and artistic developments and interactions of the period, which normally crossed national boundaries at this time.