Examining the nature of the first regime to have effective control of the British Isles and the impact it had on England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and on Britain's international reputation, this study views the Cromwellian period as one of acheivement rather than merely a reactionary regime.
Focusing on Oliver Cromwell's complex role in English history, Barry Coward examines his life through his own words and actions, providing insights into his political significance. The book delves into the controversies surrounding Cromwell's exercise of power, highlighting the historical challenges he faced. This introduction offers a nuanced perspective on a figure who continues to provoke debate and intrigue.
This classic text has sold over 50,000 copies since first published, and it has been widely hailed as the best of its kind on the period. It has been an OU Set text for 5 years.This second edition reassesses the social, economic and intellectual dimensions of the age as well as it politics and religion. A new Timeline appendix provides the chronology and facts leaving the text clear to introduce the various interpretative problems of the period and allowing the reader to take part in the debate themselves. The Stuart Age is at the centre of the most lively and exciting debates of any period in British history. A flood of new research on seventeenth century England, and especially the interco-nnections between England and the rest of Britain has required the reinterpretation of many of its major aspects. In an extensively revised second edition of this seminal work Barry Coward reconsiders these key themes: ? 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? the impact on Britain of the Glorious revolutionThe authorBarry Coward is Reade