Conrad Russell

This volume in the Problems in Focus series provides a concise summary of arguments about the causes of the English Civil War, and of the present state of historical research in this field. The nine contributors, experts in the subject they write on, cover such issues as: whether there was any economic clash between the two sides in the Civil War; whether they represented two conflicting cultures; whether the issues involved were European or purely English; whether there is any connection between Puritanism and revolution; and what was involved in the fear of Popery. In many areas this integrated collection of original studies breaks new ground, and brings the student up to date with current research, much of it published here for the first time. It concentrates on central themes of debate for which clarification is most useful to students. Though primarily intended for historians, its treatment of social and cultural factors makes it useful to interdisciplinary studies and to students of literature and society in the seventeenth century.

The Origins of the English Civil War

Basing his study on extensive new research Professor Russell provides the fullest account yet available of the origins of one of the most significant events in British history.

The Ford Lectures Delivered in the University of Oxford, 1987-1988

The Causes of the English Civil War

What holds these essays together is the rejection of the idea of 'the birth of the modern world'. England before the Civil War was not a country welcoming a brave new world but one clinging fearfully to an old one. Change, where it happened, was not the result of a deliberate striving for 'progress', and the polity of pre-Civil War England was not on the point of collapse. Parliaments were not dominated by two 'sides' in training for a Cup Final at Naseby, but were groups of people struggling with limited success to reach agreement.

Unrevolutionary England, 1603-1642

Peter Lake

Thomas Cogswell

Distinguished University Professor of Early Modern English History Peter Lake

Richard Cust

Lecturer in Modern History Richard Cust

Revisionism has had a far-reaching impact upon the history of politics and religion in early Stuart Britain. The essays collected here were originally published in 2002, and set out to assess this impact and develop further some of the central themes highlighted in the work of the historian Conrad Russell, and address a series of themes arising out of recent debates on the causes of the English Civil War. The subject-matter ranges from high-political narrative to the study of rumour, gossip, and print culture. Topics covered include the character of Charles I's kingship, the place of Parliament in the political system, the divisive legacy of the English Reformation, and the problems posed by trying to unite England with Scotland and Ireland. The collection will interest readers concerned with the political and religious history, and also the literature, of early seventeenth-century Britain.

Essays in Honour of Conrad Russell

Politics, Religion and Popularity in Early Stuart Britain

This is a history of the dramatic events which led to the collapse of Charles I's authority in England, Scotland, and Ireland in the 1640s. Conrad Russell links incidents in the king's three domains to construct a narrative account which makes sense of British history, as well as of the national story of each country. The Fall of the British Monarchies distilled from the broad range of Professor Russell's research over many years, offers a new interpretation of one of the most fascination periods of Briish history. It traces the important role of the scots in dividing the english, and examines the Irish rebellion in its contemporary context. Above all, Professor Russell uncovers the role played by the king himself, and argues that Charles Stuary was not the passive figure portrayed by so many historians, but an active protagonist in the political events which were eventually to lose him not only one crown but three.

Conrad Russell

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