The Stuart Age

The Stuart Age provides an accessible introduction to England’s century of civil war and revolution, including the strains upon and breakdown of the Elizabethan system of government in the early Stuart decades; the causes of the English Civil War; the nature of the English Revolution; the aims and achievements of Oliver Cromwell; the continuation of religious passion in the politics of Restoration England; and the impact of the Glorious Revolution and its repercussions upon England and Britain.

The sixth edition has been thoroughly revised and updated by Peter Gaunt to reflect new work and changing trends in research on the Stuart age. It expands on key areas, including the early Stuart social and economic contexts; recent work on gender, printing and print culture and the public sphere; key military events and debates surrounding the English Civil War and its causes, outcomes and consequences; England’s colonies and colonial expansion, foreign policy and wars and engagement with Continental Europe. While focusing on England, it also provides strong coverage of developments in Scotland and Ireland, and it also explores the position of Wales and the Welsh.

The Stuart Age is a long-standing favourite of lecturers and students of early modern English and British history, and this new edition is essential reading for those interested in or studying the Stuart period.