aeo The first volume to be published in a major new textbook series. aeo Provides a coherent analysis of one of the most turbulent and most popular periods of British history. aeo Offers thorough analysis of social and political themes within a chronological overview of the period. aeo Gives full consideration to the a Britisha context.

List of Plates ix List of Maps xi Preface xii List of Abbreviations xv Genealogical Tables xvi 1 1603 Union of the Crown 1 2 Great Britain’s Solomon 29 3 The Ascendency of Buckingham 51 4 The Personal Rule of Charles I 77 5 The Collapse of Multiple Monarchies 105 6 War in Three Kingdoms 131 7 The British Republic 165 8 The Restoration of the British Monarchies 197 9 Court and Country 221 10 Exclusion and Reaction 254 11 A Glorious Revolution? 267 12 Britain Under William and Anne 299 13 1707 Union of the Kingdoms 329 Notes 349 Bibliographical Essay 359 Appendix 1: Glossary 382 Appendix 2: Archbishops of Canterbury, 1603-1707 392 Appendix 3: Lord Chancellors and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, 1603-1707 393 Appendix 4: Lord Treasurers of England, 1603-1707 395 Appendix 5: Principal Secretaries of State of England, 1603-1707 397 Appendix 6: Chief Governors of Ireland, 1603-1707 402 Appendix 7: Scottish Secretaries, 1603-1707 405 Appendix 8 (A): English Parliamentary Sessions, 1604-1707 407 Appendix 8 (B): Irish Parliamentary Sessions, 1613-1713 410 Appendix 8 (C): Scottish Parliamentary Sessions, 1604-1707 407 Appendix 9 (A): The Population of England and Wales, 1601-1706 415 Appendix 9 (B): The Population of Ireland, 1603-1712 416 Appendix 9 (C): The Population of Scotland, 1603-1707 417 Appendix 10: Prices in England, 1601-1700 418 Appendix 11: Wage-rates in England, 1580-1710 419 Index 420

This is a survey of a seminal and intensely controversial period in British history, from the union of the Crowns of England and Scotland in 1603 to the union of the Kingdoms in 1707. The book explores the intersecting histories of the Stuart monarchies and considers how events in each nation were shaped by being part of a multiple kingdom as well as by their own internal dynamics. Throughout, special attention is given to the personalities and political style of successive rulers. Their role in precipitating two revolutions is examined against the background of longer term constitutional, religious and social themes. In particular, the parallels between James I and Charles II, and between Charles I and James II, are clearly drawn out.

"Dr Nicholls has proved to be a resourceful choice ... he delivers an accurate, sensitive and engaging account, never allowing the reader to be lost in the quagmires of scholarly debate." The Historical Association