A Monarchy Transformed: Britain 1603-1714

I can certainly appreciate the critiques of some of the earlier reviewers. No, it does not cover every aspect of English life in the period, and "Monarchy Transformed" is by no means an exhaustive exploration of the (mostly) Stuart dynasty that it covers. Kishlansky is primarily a political historian, and that somewhat shows. That being said, if any friend, family member or student asks for an overview of the period this is the book that I immediately recommend. Even though it is a narrative overview it remains on my top five list of books for the period. Why? Kishlansky is one of the top five historians (both in quality and stature) working in the field, and as far as "serious" academic history goes, it does not get better than this. His prose sparkles, and as far as "serious" academic books go, this one is a barn-burner. That might say something more about academic discourse than anything else, but this book has no equal for pure reading pleasure underlined by top-notch historical research. If you are new to Stuart history, or are looking for an overview of the "long seventeenth century", look no further. This is as good as it gets for a narrative overview, of this period or any other.

There are no boring centuries in the history of Great Britain, but the seventeenth century has many claims to be the most eventful of them all. At the start, England and Scotland were separate countries, with England ruled by Elizabeth I. In 1707, just before the end of the Stuart era, England and Scotland were fully united under a single government, after a century including the civil war, regicide, an attempted "government of saints", the English Revolution and many lesser events such as the Great Fire of London. Science burgeoned, American colonies were planted, the nation's finances were transformed, and the roots of the industrial revolution began to grow. Not all of this is adequately covered by Kishlansky. He eulogizes the century in his introduction, but the book focuses primarily on politics. This necessarily introduces religion too, and Kishlansky covers Arminianism, dissenters, the struggles over Presbyterianism and Catholicism, and the final restrictive Test Acts. The political background is done concisely and well, with good portraits of the key characters and clearly laid out ideologicial conflicts -- no mean achievement given the bewildering complex and contradictory positions most of the players adopted. Kishlansky is excellent on the monarchs, their finances and rule, and their relationships with their governments. He is equally readable on the political state of the country, and the details of the conflicts in Parliament. His coverage of foreign policy is less complete, and he only provides any details when there is a clear interaction with the internal politics of Great Britain -- which, to be fair, is much of the time. He is also fairly thorough in his coverage of Ireland. The weak points are the social and economic world, and the world of ideas. The first two chapters are titled "The Social World", and "The Political World", and though the second chapter serves as a springboard for the chronological narration of the rest of the book, the first chapter is the last we hear of social issues. The chronology ignores science and literature completely; Newton, for example, is mentioned only in the Prologue. These first two chapters are also, unfortunately, the hardest to read. Kishlansky can write clearly and well, but perhaps because of the "survey" nature of these chapters he succumbs to complex abstract statements, though there is real information there too. As a result it took me a couple of tries to get through these first two chapters, but they are worthwhile, if a little hard going, and the rest of the book is highly readable. Overall, this is an excellent overview. Recommended, with the caveat that any one area that you may be interested in, such as the civil war or the English revolution, gets no more than twenty pages.

This book is primarily a political and religious history of the period; British society during this period is relegated to a single chapter, while cultural history and the great scientific discoveries merit only the briefest of mention in the prologue. In a different context this might not matter so much, but for a volume in a series that purports to provide an introduction to the history of the British Isles the decision to focus on just a single aspect of that history is disappointing. Nevertheless, what this book does it does well. Kishlansky offers a clear and readable narrative of a century wracked with political and religious turmoil, something that in itself is no small achievement. It is also free of the numerous historiographical disputes, and as such is a safe book for readers wanting an introduction to the Stuarts' reign. The inclusion of Scotland and Ireland into the picture is especially welcome, as it gives a fuller understanding of the era than was available in the traditionally England-specific studies. As a result, it provides a good starting point for understanding how the government of Great Britain developed during the tumultuous decades of the seventeenth century, one that saw the permanent redefinition of the role of the crown in British political life.

Mr. Kishlansky provides a concise narrative of the events that characterized seventeenth century English history and that resulted in the modern British parliament and constitutional monarchy. His attention to detail shows his thorough knowledge of the history of Great Britain and most importantly, shows how the rise of the modern parliamentary system & constitutional monarchy at century's end provided mechanisms to many of the legal questions which gave rise to the various revolutions and civil wars that characterized the century's previous history. An excellent book for anyone interested in British history or who wishes to know where the founding fathers of the American revolution obtained so many of the ideas that characterize the American constitution and its emphasis on the paramountcy of the rule of law.