England’s Troubles: Seventeenth-Century English Political Instability in European Context

Jonathan Scott0521411920, 9780521411929, 9780511017537

Seventeenth-century English history is known best for ”the English Civil War” and ”the English Revolution.” This highly original and wide-ranging study analyzes and explains both of these major historical events, and others, by setting them in their wider contexts in relation to political instability across the century; in relation to the history of religions and political ideas; and in relation to contemporary European events.

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Table of contents :
Cover……Page 1
Half-title……Page 3
Title……Page 5
Copyright……Page 6
Dedication……Page 7
Contents……Page 9
Preface……Page 11
ALL HISTORY RESTS UPON ANALYTICAL ASSUMPTIONS, WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE MADE EXPLICIT……Page 15
THE SHAPE OF THE ANALYSIS: THREE PROCESSES……Page 19
THE CONTEXT OF TIME: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE……Page 21
THE CONTEXT OF SPACE: NATIONALITY AND MODERNITY……Page 22
HISTORY AND MEMORY……Page 31
INTRODUCTION……Page 34
THE BROKEN MIRROR……Page 35
TIME: THE UNITY OF THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY EXPERIENCE……Page 38
SPACE: THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT……Page 41
EVENTS AND IDEAS: THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION……Page 47
CONCLUSION……Page 52
PART I England’s troubles 1618–89: political instability……Page 55
INTRODUCTION: BEHIND THE VEIL OF RESTORATION……Page 57
POLITICAL INSTABILITY……Page 60
PILOT ERROR OR MECHANICAL FAILURE?……Page 66
CONTEXTS AND CAUSES……Page 68
THE STRUGGLE FOR PARLIAMENTS……Page 72
THE STRUGGLE FOR ROYAL POWER……Page 76
CONCLUSION……Page 79
INTRODUCTION: RESTORING THE SENSE OF POSSIBILITY……Page 80
MEDIEVAL SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLAND……Page 83
RENAISSANCE ENGLAND: A MONARCHICAL REPUBLIC?……Page 89
EUROPEAN STATEBUILDING……Page 94
THE BLOODY CITY……Page 99
INTRODUCTION: REFORMATION POLITICS……Page 103
THREE DOCUMENTS 1621–41……Page 108
HABSBURG ATTITUDES……Page 112
CAROLINE DISHONOUR……Page 117
THE FIRST CRISIS OF PARLIAMENTS 1625–9……Page 120
CONCLUSION……Page 126
CAROLINE STATEBUILDING……Page 127
THE PEACE OF SILENCE……Page 132
CAROLINE RELIGIOUS POLICY……Page 136
COUNTER-REFORMATION ENGLAND……Page 141
CONCLUSION……Page 147
INTRODUCTION……Page 149
DEFENCE OF THE REFORMATION (THE SCOTS REBELLION)……Page 150
FURTHER REFORMATION (ENGLISH POLARISATION 1640–6)……Page 156
RADICAL REFORMATION 1646–9……Page 166
INTERREGNUM……Page 172
INTRODUCTION……Page 175
TIME: RESTORATION MEMORY……Page 176
SPACE: THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT……Page 180
FEAR OF POPERY: ‘THE PLOT REVIV’D’……Page 184
FEAR FOR MONARCHY: CHARLES II AND FRANCE……Page 187
FEAR FOR PARLIAMENTS: ARBITRARY GOVERNMENT……Page 190
CONCLUSION……Page 194
INTRODUCTION: THE UNRAVELLING……Page 196
POPERY AND ARBITRARY GOVERNMENT (JANUARY–JULY 1679)……Page 198
POLARISATION (THE LONG PROROGATION 1679–80)……Page 204
CONFRONTATION (OCTOBER 1680–APRIL 1681)……Page 210
THE SELF-DEFENCE OF PROTESTANTS 1681–3……Page 215
INTRODUCTION: THREE PROCESSES……Page 219
DOMESTIC CONTEXT……Page 221
INTERVENTION……Page 227
COLLABORATION……Page 231
THE ‘OLD CAUSE’……Page 234
PART II The English revolution 1640–89: radical imagination……Page 241
INTRODUCTION: THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION……Page 243
RADICALS, HAVING LAIN DOWN, GETTING UP REFRESHED……Page 247
CLOUD WITHOUT RAIN……Page 250
THE SHAPE OF THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION……Page 253
INTELLECTUAL AND PRACTICAL CONTEXTS……Page 256
THE POLITICAL THEORY OF THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION……Page 259
INTRODUCTION……Page 261
RADICAL REFORMATION……Page 263
‘LEVELLERS’: PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY……Page 267
‘DIGGERS’: WINSTANLEY AND COMMUNITY OF PROPERTY……Page 271
‘RANTERS’: ABIEZER COPPE AND RADICAL CHARITY……Page 274
QUAKERISM: COMMUNITY……Page 278
REFORMATION OF MANNERS……Page 279
INTRODUCTION: THE LEVELLERS……Page 283
RHETORIC (AGAINST ARBITRARY GOVERNMENT)……Page 285
PRACTICE (PETITIONING)……Page 288
THE PUTNEY DEBATES……Page 291
THE FIRST AGREEMENT OF THE PEOPLE (1647)……Page 295
LEVELLER POLITICAL THEORY……Page 297
THE LIMITS OF POLITICAL THEORY 1648–9……Page 303
INTRODUCTION……Page 304
REPUBLICAN PRINCIPLES……Page 308
REPUBLICAN PRACTICE……Page 311
THE CASE AGAINST MONARCHY IN PRINCIPLE: TYRANNY AND SLAVERY……Page 313
THE CASE AGAINST MONARCHY IN PRACTICE: LIVY, MACHIAVELLI AND WAR……Page 320
THE CASE AGAINST MONARCHY IN HISTORY……Page 327
THE REPUBLICAN POLITICS OF VIRTUE……Page 331
HARRINGTON’S SCIENCE OF PEACE……Page 338
HARRINGTON’S NATURAL PHILOSOPHY: MATERIAL IN MOTION……Page 343
HARRINGTON’S MORAL PHILOSOPHY: THE PEACE OF SILENCE (REVISITED)……Page 348
THE RAPTURE OF MOTION……Page 353
CONCLUSION……Page 354
INTRODUCTION……Page 356
INSTITUTIONAL RESTORATION: CHURCH, MONARCHY, PARLIAMENT……Page 359
HISTORIOGRAPHY……Page 364
RESTORATION DEFENCES OF CHANGE……Page 369
LAW AND WAR……Page 374
THE OLD CAUSE……Page 377
INTRODUCTION……Page 379
THE EXILES 1662–7……Page 380
1667–72……Page 385
1672–80……Page 388
THE LAW OF WAR 1681–3……Page 391
THE POLITICAL THEORY OF REBELLION……Page 397
CONCLUSION……Page 401
PART III Restoration 1660–1702: reconstruction and statebuilding……Page 403
RESTORATION AND STATEBUILDING……Page 405
THE PRE-HISTORY OF ENGLISH STATEBUILDING……Page 411
THE PRE-HISTORY OF RESTORATION……Page 418
RESTORATION OBJECTIVES……Page 422
INTRODUCTION……Page 426
INSTITUTIONAL RECONSTRUCTION (1): MONARCHY……Page 427
INSTITUTIONAL RECONSTRUCTION (2): PARLIAMENTS……Page 432
INSTITUTIONAL RECONSTRUCTION (3): THE CHURCH……Page 434
IDEOLOGY……Page 436
LAW……Page 437
UNITY AND PEACE……Page 438
SECURITY FOR THE FUTURE……Page 439
THE UNRAVELLING 1667–78……Page 441
INTRODUCTION……Page 448
LOYALIST REACTION: ’41 AGAIN……Page 449
‘THE GOOD OLD CAUSE REVIV’D’……Page 453
‘THE SWORD OF JUSTICE’……Page 457
THE FANATIC PLOT……Page 459
‘SECOND RESTAURATION’……Page 463
INTRODUCTION……Page 468
DUTCH REASONS……Page 470
RESTORATION PRINCIPLES……Page 475
RESTORATION PRACTICE……Page 478
SECOND CONVENTION……Page 482
RESTORATION AND WAR……Page 484
CONTINUITY AND CHANGE……Page 488
ANGLO-SAXON ATTITUDES……Page 490
NEW PARLIAMENTS, NEW PRINCE……Page 495
ANGLO-DUTCH STATEBUILDING……Page 498
PARTY……Page 504
Tories exhibited……Page 506
THE END OF THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION……Page 507
Manuscripts……Page 511
Newspapers and pamphlets……Page 512
Books……Page 517
Books and articles……Page 522
Unpublished……Page 541
Index……Page 543