The Politics of Religion in the Age of Mary, Queen of Scots: The Earl of Argyll and the Struggle for Britain and Ireland (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History)
Cambridge University Press
Edition: 1st Edition, 5/30/2002
EAN 9780521809962, ISBN10: 0521809967
Hardcover, 274 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm
Language: English
Early modern historians have theorized about the nature of the new 'British' history for a generation. This study examines how British politics operated in practice during the age of Mary, Queen of Scots, and explains how the crises of the mid-sixteenth century moulded the future political shape of the British Isles. A central figure in these struggles was the fifth earl of Argyll, the most powerful magnate not only at the court of Queen Mary, his sister-in-law, but throughout the three kingdoms. His domination of the Western Highlands and Islands drew him into the complex politics of the north of Ireland, while his Protestant commitment involved him in Anglo-Scottish relations. His actions also helped determine the Protestant allegiance of the British mainland and the political and religious complexion of Ireland. Argyll's career therefore demonstrates both the possibilities and the limitations of British history throughout the early modern period.
List of figures
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Prologue
1560
British policies and the British context
1. Argyll's life and character
2. Semi-sovereign prince
3. The creation of a British policy
1558–60
4. The collapse of amity
1561–5
5. The reconfiguration of British politics
1566–8
6. The withdrawal from British politics
1569–73
Conclusion
the earl of Argyll and British politics in the age of the three kingdoms
Chronology, 1558–73
Bibliography
Index.
'Tudor specialists will read this with much profit … wide-ranging … This is a fine book, clearly written and well structured …' Journal of Ecclesiastical History