{"title":"Great Britain - Stuart Era (1603-1714)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Stuart Era (1603-1714) in Great Britain marks a period of dynamic political, social, and religious change. This category addresses the reigns of the Stuart monarchs, the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I, the Restoration, and the Glorious Revolution. Histories here help frame how royal authority, parliamentary power, and emerging cultural influences shaped Britain’s early modern identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers interested in narrowing their study, consider specific themes such as monarchical succession, religious conflict, or the shifting powers between crown and parliament. Comparing this period with adjacent eras in the broader Europe category can also illuminate the distinctive characteristics of British society and governance during the Stuart dynasty.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"witches-history-witchcraft-witch-hunters-kings-obsession-1562-1735-9798897100583-new","title":"Witches: A History of Witchcraft, Witch-Hunters, and a King's Obsession: 1562-1735","description":"\u003cb\u003eA vivid history of witches from the explosion of trials under King James VI to the end of the witch-hunting phenomenon in the early 1700s.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWitches--whether broomstick-riding spell-casters or Wiccan earth-worshippers--have been culturally relevant for centuries. For centuries, too, belief in the potency of witchcraft has been debated; accused witches have been hunted and punished; and film productions have brought the witch and the witch-hunter to the heights of popular culture. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut where did our perception of witches--good and bad--come from? What motivated wide-scale panics about witchcraft during certain periods? How were alleged witches identified, accused, and variously tortured and punished? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSteven Veerapen traces witches, witchcraft, and witch-hunters from the explosion of mass-trials under King James VI and I in the late sixteenth century to the death of the witch-hunting phenomenon in the early eighteenth century. 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Wryly humorous and occasionally bawdy\"-- \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe seventeenth century was a revolutionary age for the English. It started as they suddenly found themselves ruled by a Scotsman, and it ended in the shadow of an invasion by the Dutch. Under James I, England suffered terrorism and witch panics. Under his son Charles, state and society collapsed into civil war, to be followed by an army coup and regicide. For a short time--for the only time in history--England was a republic. There were bitter struggles over faith and Parliament asserted itself like never before. There were no boundaries to politics. In fiery, plague-ridden London, in coffee shops and alehouses, new ideas were forged that were angry, populist, and almost impossible for monarchs to control. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut the story of this century is less well known than it should be. Myths have grown around key figures. People may know about the Gunpowder Plot and the Great Fire of London, but the Civil War is a half-remembered mystery to many. And yet the seventeenth century has never seemed more relevant. The British constitution is once again being bent and contorted, and there is a clash of ideologies reminiscent of when Roundhead fought Cavalier. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Blazing World \u003c\/i\u003eis the story of this strange, twisting, fascinating century. It shows a society in sparkling detail. 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As revolutionary sects of London begin to generate new ideas about democracy, as radical new religious groups seek power, and as Ireland explodes into revolt, Charles hatches a plan to restore his absolute rule. On January 4, 1642, he marches on Westminster, seeking to arrest and impeach five Members of Parliament--and so sets in motion a series of events that will lead to bloodshed and war, changing a nation forever. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Blood in Winter\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of an English people's great political awakening. Jonathan Healey utilizes meticulous archival research to re-create the claustrophobic atmosphere of the day, with rowdy protestors in the streets and London blanketed in coal smoke. Taut and thrilling, Healey's newest social history shows us what really happened in those fraught winter months that led to civil war. From the radical enclaves of London public houses to a king forced from his capital by the people, it is a rich tapestry of a society in profound distress.","brand":"KNOPF","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":67600307454242,"sku":"9780593803080-new","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9780593803080.jpg?v=1792903986"},{"product_id":"rage-party-9781408719091-new","title":"The Rage of Party","description":"The late 17th century saw the rise of a new phenomenon that would transform Britain forever: party politics.\u003cbr\u003eBeginning with a furious dispute over whether to allow a Roman Catholic - James II - to become king, the division between Whig and Tory marked the chief political battlelines of a ferociously polarised country for several tumultuous generations. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Rage of Party\u003c\/i\u003e traces the thrilling story of how these two parties - one representing the established social forces of squire, church and monarchy; the other the rising forces of financial power and Protestant Dissent - settled the defining debates of the age, culminating in a dramatic fight to the death over peace, piety and the Protestant Succession in the age of Queen Anne. Their bitter disputes over religion, economics and the constitution profoundly influenced many of the forces and institutions that shaped the modern world, ranging from the City of London and the Bank of England to the Union between England and Scotland and the British Empire. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom vicious pamphlet wars and some of history's most corrupt and riotous elections through a revolution, multiple assassination attempts and enough scandals to make even the most louche modern politician blush, this brilliantly researched book shows how a motley crew of rakes, hypocrites, cunning tricksters and scheming clergymen engaged in not only a political confrontation that threatened a second civil war, but a culture war that still finds echoes in 21st-century Britain. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'This is a lucid and exciting account of high and low politics in the crucial years of Whig and Tory battles following the Glorious Revolution, when Great Britain was created, and a new world of money, war and empire dawned. 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The story he tells so vividly has it all: political divisions, religious strife, immigration controversies, fake news, arguments over foreign policy, Anglo-Scottish tensions - polarisation all round!' - Brendan Simms, author of \u003ci\u003eEurope: The Struggle for Supremacy, 1453 to the Present\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e'A highly readable account of the beginnings of the party system in Britain, with insights that are relevant for understanding of politics in any era. George Owers's vivid recreation of the conflict of Whigs and Tories illuminates what was a crucial period in the rise of Britain as a major European and global power' - David Hayton, editor of \u003ci\u003eThe History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1690-1715\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e'Today's party politics absorbs us. When did British party politics begin and how? George Owers's book provides a compelling analysis, brilliantly interweaving vivid vignettes into a masterly narrative' - Mark Goldie, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Cambridge\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"CONSTABLE \u0026 ROBINSON","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":67600307585314,"sku":"9781408719091-new","price":27.61,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9781408719091.jpg?v=1792903998"},{"product_id":"short-history-english-revolution-civil-wars-9781780766010-new","title":"A Short History of the English Revolution and the Civil Wars","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames I and VI bequeathed his son a reasonably peaceful land in 1625, yet over a decade later, Charles I's kingdoms erupted one by one into open rebellion- this book explores how this came to be.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid J. 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Combining his expertise of the Stuart monarchy and post-conflict culture with a fresh and accessible tone, Appleby unravels why the memory of this conflict remains culturally and politically relevant and hotly contested to this day.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":67600307650850,"sku":"9781780766010-new","price":71.65,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9781780766010.jpg?v=1792904004"},{"product_id":"blood-winter-england-brink-civil-war-1642-9798217170142-new","title":"The Blood in Winter: England on the Brink of Civil War, 1642","description":"\u003cb\u003eA riveting account of the five heated months in which King Charles I attempted to arrest five dissident Members of Parliament by bringing an armed force to the House of Commons--a shocking act of political terrorism that pushed England toward civil war and planted the seeds of the American Revolution\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1641, England exits a plague-ridden and politically unstable summer having reached a semblance of peace: the English and Scottish armies have disbanded, legislation has passed to ensure Parliament will continue to sit, and the people are tentatively optimistic. 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