Reluctant Revolutionaries by W A Speck
In 1688 the Catholic James II was removed from the throne and replaced by Protestant monarchs, first William III, and then Mary. The importance of this glorious revolution, long seen as a crucial shift in Britain from absolutism to constitutional monarchy, has recently been questioned by historians. This wide-ranging book takes a fresh look at the people and events of 1688. Challenging recent work and arguing that 1688 did see a decisive, though not inevitable, movement toward mixed, constitutional monarchy, Speck provides a vivid picture of politics and society in the Glorious Revolution. He explores the nature of the late Stuart monarchy, and its likely development without the accident of James II; the personality of James himself, and the significance of his flight; the nature of the conspiracy to invite William of Orange to England and place him on the throne; and the Revolution's constitutional importance and long-term social and religious implications.
W. A. Speck has been Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds since 1983. He has taught at the universities of Exeter, Newcastle upon Tyne and Hull, and held visiting professorships at Portland State University and the College of William and Mary in the USA. He is currently engaged on research into England's North American colonies in the eighteenth century. His previous books include Stability and Strife: England 1714-1760 (Arnold, 1977); The Butcher: The Duke of Cumberland and the Suppression of the '45 (Blackwell).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780192851208 |
| ISBN 10 | 0192851209 |
| Title | Reluctant Revolutionaries |
| Author | W A Speck |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year published | 1989-07-01 |
| Number of pages | 280 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |